> requiring more halyard tension to touch the starboard rail than the port rail
When I am centering the mast side to side I use the main halyard, a stiff bungee cord and a tape measure. On either side to start with I hook the bungee to the halyard shackle and through the toe rail, then tighten the halyard until I get significant force on the bungee. I measure from the top of the toe rail to a point on the halyard shackle, then move the set to the other side and measure again. Half of the difference is how far I have to adjust to, and the force of the bungee is more consistent then me trying to guess how hard to pull. You can get pretty close without having to switch sides by calculating the target distance. The boat may shift a bit, the mast step compress etc so a switch at the end is required. The mast rake advice in the C&C manual is a good starting point. You do want to confirm it is right by sailing close hauled in 10 - 12 kts TWS and getting slight weather helm. How much is a preference but if you are fighting the wheel it is slowing the boat down. I have an adjustable forestay ( normal turnbuckle ) so I can dial it in without having to move the mast butt. I think people leave a small amount or weather helm so that if you do get surprised by a gust it may round you up a bit and help depower. Uncontrolled lee helm will force you down and make it harder to steer, along with other exciting effects. I see from your posting that the aft girder has significant "wings" which will extend side to side in the boat. When I rebuilt Windburn's mast step I had similar smaller ones but was not able to fit the piece in place with them. If the girder was only 1/4" thick like a cardboard template it would go in but the thicker part did not. Despite having snow this morning I know spring is coming ... Michael Brown Windburn C&C 30-1
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