Midstay (Baby Stay) and Backstay Adjusters

[Clark Trow]

My boat doesn't have an adjustable backstay or an adjustable baby stay.  C&C's brochure listed a mechanical backstay adjuster as a $360 option and an hydraulic adjuster as a $2,575 option.  It also listed a "midstay 1 x 19 stainless steel wire to adjustable car on track" as standard equipment.  I'm guessing the original owner planned only on cruising and likely traded the baby stay adjuster for something else (maybe the cockpit shower, the water and holding tank level indicators and/or the optional water tank in the V-Berth).  Does anyone know if the factory added additional deck reinforcement under the deck for the baby stay adjuster (or deleted it if the adjuster wasn't ordered)? Does anyone have any idea of the amount of space between the liner and the bottom of the deck under the baby stay adjuster (as an indication of deck thickness under the baby stay adjuster)?  Can anyone provide any pictures of your mechanical backstay adjuster?

Clark Trow

[Blair Clark]

Hi there,

I do not know about reinforcing but to add a little more insight my understanding of the baby stay is that it is only used to prevent pumping of the mast in strong to sever wave heights. Unless you are planning to be in those type of conditions you may want to consider other projects.

I do have the original wire stay so if you want and measurements I can provide.

Hope this helps

Blair

On Fri, Feb 13, 2026 at 4:34 PM Clark Trow <clar...@gmail.com> wrote:

My boat doesn't have an adjustable backstay or an adjustable baby stay.  C&C's brochure listed a mechanical backstay adjuster as a $360 option and an hydraulic adjuster as a $2,575 option.  It also listed a "midstay 1 x 19 stainless steel wire to adjustable car on track" as standard equipment.  I'm guessing the original owner planned only on cruising and likely traded the baby stay adjuster for something else (maybe the cockpit shower, the water and holding tank level indicators and/or the optional water tank in the V-Berth).  Does anyone know if the factory added additional deck reinforcement under the deck for the baby stay adjuster (or deleted it if the adjuster wasn't ordered)? Does anyone have any idea of the amount of space between the liner and the bottom of the deck under the baby stay adjuster (as an indication of deck thickness under the baby stay adjuster)?  Can anyone provide any pictures of your mechanical backstay adjuster?

Clark Trow

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[Chuck Scheaffer]

FWIW, the previous owner of my boat raced heavily on Long Island Sound and around Long Island and Block Island Race Week, which has several offshore legs, and he removed the baby stay stating it wasn't needed since we have checkstays on the 34R.  I checked with Offshore Spars and they said a baby stay was an "80's thing" and wasn't necessary.  I find that even the checkstays are not needed unless I tension the hydraulic backstay to flatten the main and tension the headstay.  So no baby stay for me, either.  I removed the Schaefer track on the deck and there was a rod attached under the deck that ran through the vee berth to a rib under the floorboards.  That's gone too.  I've been in some tough seas and high winds but no more than a few hours, but I'm convinced the babystay is unnecessary.  But all the shrouds and headstay and backstay need to be tuned to support the mast properly as a system.  You can always tension the spinnaker pole lift to the deck to pull the mast forward, but I haven't needed to try that.   I'd add a hydraulic backstay adjuster, but skip a baby stay.  My two cents.

Chuck S  

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[David Knecht]

Good to hear this.  I plan to remove the baby stay when things finally warm up here.  I have rarely used it but was never sure it was doing anything and it gets in the way of the whisker pole.  

While on the subject of backstays, I am still trying to figure out mine.  I have only had the mast out a few times, but I found that in order to attach the backstay fittings to the transom eyes I needed to set up a block and tackle so pull on the backstay to get enough slack to attach the shackles.  I added a second set of shackles to give me a bit more play, but I still have the turnbuckles as slack as they can go.  That seemed odd to me that it would be designed that way.  Do others have this issue?  Dave

David Knecht

S/V Aries

1990 C&C 34+

New London, CT

[Blair Clark]

We have a block/pulley that is on the back side of tensioning plate. The easiest way for us to install or remove the transom turnbuckles is to take the line out of the internal pulley system and rerun through the external mounted block/pulley. This hauls the mast head aft and allows to fit the turnbuckles more easily .

Hope this helps

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[Chuck Scheaffer]

On my 34R, when we set the mast, I run a temporary line from the backstay end fitting to the ram and setup all the other shrouds.  I have a single backstay with hydraulic ram and in order to attach the backstay properly, I need a lot of slack in the backstay rod to connect it to the ram.  I do this alone.  I rig the boom.  I clip the spin halyards onto the toerail and pull the mast head forward, so I can disconnect the clevis pin holding the furler/headstay and ease the spin halyards to let the mast go back.  Then I haul the mainsheet, with main halyard attached to boom end as a topping lift, to bend the mast top back enough to attach the backstay fitting.  Once that is done, I reattach the headstay/furler and later tension the backstay for it's initial setup.  I usually wait a few days before tuning the shrouds and re-tension the headstay and backstay to a minimum setting.  The boat needs time to settle into her natuaral form.  Then I take measurements of prebend and rake and pump the ram to max and retake measurements to be sure I'm not exceeding the 9" of maximum bend Offshore Spars advized me was maximum.   I do all this at the dock and before bending the sails on.  It's simple physics. 

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[Peter Griffin]

Chuck, do you have a split backstay?

Sent from my iPhone

On Feb 16, 2026, at 8:46 PM, Chuck Scheaffer <scheaff...@gmail.com> wrote:



On my 34R, when we set the mast, I run a temporary line from the backstay end fitting to the ram and setup all the other shrouds.  I have a single backstay with hydraulic ram and in order to attach the backstay properly, I need a lot of slack in the backstay rod to connect it to the ram.  I do this alone.  I rig the boom.  I clip the spin halyards onto the toerail and pull the mast head forward, so I can disconnect the clevis pin holding the furler/headstay and ease the spin halyards to let the mast go back.  Then I haul the mainsheet, with main halyard attached to boom end as a topping lift, to bend the mast top back enough to attach the backstay fitting.  Once that is done, I reattach the headstay/furler and later tension the backstay for it's initial setup.  I usually wait a few days before tuning the shrouds and re-tension the headstay and backstay to a minimum setting.  The boat needs time to settle into her natuaral form.  Then I take measurements of prebend and rake and pump the ram to max and retake measurements to be sure I'm not exceeding the 9" of maximum bend Offshore Spars advized me was maximum.   I do all this at the dock and before bending the sails on.  It's simple physics. 

On Mon, Feb 16, 2026 at 12:19 PM Blair Clark <blairc...@gmail.com> wrote:

We have a block/pulley that is on the back side of tensioning plate. The easiest way for us to install or remove the transom turnbuckles is to take the line out of the internal pulley system and rerun through the external mounted block/pulley. This hauls the mast head aft and allows to fit the turnbuckles more easily .

Hope this helps

On Mon, Feb 16, 2026 at 1:05 PM David Knecht <davida...@gmail.com> wrote:

Good to hear this.  I plan to remove the baby stay when things finally warm up here.  I have rarely used it but was never sure it was doing anything and it gets in the way of the whisker pole.  

While on the subject of backstays, I am still trying to figure out mine.  I have only had the mast out a few times, but I found that in order to attach the backstay fittings to the transom eyes I needed to set up a block and tackle so pull on the backstay to get enough slack to attach the shackles.  I added a second set of shackles to give me a bit more play, but I still have the turnbuckles as slack as they can go.  That seemed odd to me that it would be designed that way.  Do others have this issue?  Dave

David Knecht

S/V Aries

1990 C&C 34+

New London, CT

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[Chuck Scheaffer]

No.  I have the single backstay to a single chainplate.

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[Clark Trow]

Blair,

I am catching up on emails, so my response to you below may be addressed in emails I haven't opened yet.

I sail and race on Lake Erie.  As you may know, Lake Erie is one of the shallowest, if not the shallowest, of the Great Lakes.  The predominant wind is from the southwest and Buffalo (where I sail and race) is on the northeast end, consequently, there's a long fetch.  When the waves come close to shore, they tend to build because of the shallowness.  Consequently, we get pretty large waves with short periods.  Some have suggested that I remove the baby stay, but my thinking is that C&C's were carefully designed and engineered boats, so the baby stay must have been included for a reason.  Consequently, I don't want to remove it, but it does seriously get in the way when jibing the spinnaker pole.   I'd like to add the track which some boats have.  If you, or someone else could provide the following information, I'd greatly appreciate it:

-  Track length

-  Track width

-  Track height

- How many attachment points are there and where are they located?  Most of the upward force is going to be on the forward end where my baby stay is currently attached to a padeye, but the aft end is going to need to be bolted down as well.

- How much purchase do you have on your babystay?

- Are you able to tighten the babystay by hand (using the purchase), or do you have to run it to a winch?

If anyone has any photos (both deck and inner liner where the baby stay attachments are), I'd appreciate it.

Clark

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