I still have a dilemma with our mast rake on 3494..and as far as I can see everything seems to be in the right place. We dont seem to be able to get enough rake into the rig.
We bought the boat with three sets of sails the newest of which, I believe were for 3616 and are the ones we've been using. Could it be possible that the rake problem stems from a difference in jib luff lengths between 3616 and 3494?

Any thoughts and wisdom appreciated, cheers Hugh.

Almost certainly if they are different why not cpmpare?

I have lent the other suits to a friend who has not replied yet with measurements, so thought I'd pick some brains while waiting..

Consider them picked there wasn't a lot to pick!

Hugh,
This is the sister ship to the original 'Thin ice' design (3490 - Wing and a prayer' which was mine). The mast step position was slightly further forward than is the industry standard and it may be that this has something to do with your problems, especially if you have acquired an already rigged mast and are using it on the boat. It sounds like you need to go from first principles ie set the boat up on dry land with stem perpendicular to the ground and set the mast vertical. This should be done with a small amount of shroud tension to stablisie the whole rig. Once the starting point is found you can start raking back and calibrating accordingly. Memory tells me that there have been articles written as to how all the calibration is effected but I am not sure if such pearls are available on -line.
The best top tip is to ge to the Rutland Training weekend where all these mysteries will be solved!!

Whilst surfing a trial version of our new website I came across this gem of wisdom - from our esteamed leader I think. It might help answer some of these questions - or raise more?