I’m looking for information about placement of the wishbone on the mast. Prior owner raced and placed it lower than most I think to increase sail area. Anyone know of a good discussion of the placement and impact of the wishbone on sail dynamics?
Hi Dan,
Do you suspect Sakina’s PO changed the length of her wishbone hangers ? That would be a very unusual change to make, but easily verified by looking at the standing rigging page in your manual.
While sailing, your mainsheet and choker will determine where your wishbone sets. Topping lift is rarely used while sailing. Post a picture while at sail for better comments.
Choker adjustment gives the proper sail draft for the wind conditions. The wishbone height changes slightly as the sail shape changes.
Soave is a NS33 so my layout is a little different. Your cradle lines look proportionally long compared to Soave so your sail sits a little lower while stowed (no big deal, but if you decide to shorten them, some folks also use webbing under the sail to reduce chaff on the sail when stored).
I also notice your mainsheet is run through a turning block attached to your corner casting. Both Soave’s corner castings are very worn where the stainless shackle rubbed the aluminum casting. Good to inspect your corner castings a couple times a season. Some boats have been modified to instead us a cheek block mounted to the cockpit coaming.
Enjoy the 2026 sailing season !
Rob…
A direct side-view photo would be more informative about the height of the boom relative to the mast. But from looking at these two photos it does not look low to me. Look at the padeye and turning block on the mast. The block on the fore end of the boom looks higher than those to me, not lower. (At this angle, anyway.) I’m not sure about all aspects of sail and rig setup, but it seems like the hardware would see the least stress if the boom block was at the same level as the mast hardware. My boom also rides a little higher than the mast hardware and I’d be very interested to know what Mike Quill (super rigger) or other more experienced Nonsuchers have to say about that.