I now have Silver Dollar 3340 NSM3. Can anybody give me some basic rake and shroud deflection measurements to start setting the rig up ? Brian

Is that a hog-stepped rig?

Brian why not join the association and you get all the back mags and useful tips,if you join now that cover syou for 2007

just download a form from the website

Brian,
welcome to Merlins.

Listen to Megan, a wise beast.

Hi. Hog stepped. Proctor mast. I have not yet joined, returned to Merlins after 15 years. Will look at membership. Brian

I'm afraid I only have spreader info for a deck-stepped rig (taken from magazine in the last few years). Sorry, I haven't anything older.

Remember Silver Dollar well from her time at Hampton.  The rig is the standard one for the boats of that generation, hog-stepped alloy Superspars M3 or M7, strut to control mast bend, can't remember if there are quadrant levers or something more complicated on the shrouds.  Try this as a starting point:  set basic rake up correctly using dangle method - tie a weight on the main halyard, set the boat up level using a spirit level to set the stem VERTICAL (there is no guaranteed horizontal surface you can use) adjust jib halyard to get distance from dangly weight to aft face of mast at 9 inches at the mast gate level.  This can be increased to about 15 inches if it's blowing a bit but not more in this rig.  Your spreaders should be deflecting the shroud OUT about an inch or less and your starting point is neutral fore and aft.  If so then it's not far out, so go sailing instead of bimbling.

If the spreaders show every sign of never having been altered since the boat was built they were very likely set up right in the first place by Rowsells!  However your rake and shroud length cannot be relied upon in the same way.  Checking mast is upright - adjust main halyard till you can just touch the deck where the shroud goes through it when you pull it down (cleated).  Go to other side of boat and do the same.  Adjust shrouds till the length is equal.

When sailing your rig tension if you can adjust it on the water should be increased till the lee shroud is just snugged up and not flapping about on the beat, if you can't adjust it on the water, you will need to guess and experiment to achieve roughly the same result.

Thanks for the advise, I have been sailing with the rig vertical, will try 9 inches next weekend. Brian