The Loos economy tension gauge takes the guesswork out of cable tension adjustment. It's especially designed for accurate, repeatable tuning of a sailboat's standing rigging. Manufactured of rugged anodized aluminum, the gauge is corrosion-resistant and will provide years of service.
  
     
 

 
 
Hold the gauge with the left hand and place the cable between the two nylon spools as shown in Figure 1.

  With the right hand pull the lanyard and extend the spring until the hook on the nylon slider can be hooked on the cable as shown in Figure 2. 
 

  
Release the lanyard. Read the needle position on the scale. Refer to the calibration table obtain correct tension in the cable. The gauge can be left on the wire for "hands free" adjusting of the cable.

   To assure accurate readings make sure that the slider moves freely in the frame slot and does not bind. Also, lubricate the slider slot frequently with silicone lubricant.
 Note.
An extra 1/4" inch hole is provided in the frame of the instrument for an attachment of a short lanyard and snap hook (not furnished) for securing the gauge to the cable. This will prevent loss of the instrument if it becomes inadvertently detached.
How much Tension?Table 1 recommends an initial tension setting, but there is no simple solution since the optimum rigging tension will be a function of the boat design, the rig (masthead or fractional, one or more spreaders, etc.), and even the cut of the sails. Many skippers use insufficient tension because of a fear of "breaking something." It should be noted that on America's Cup contenders, where electronic state of the art tension instrumentation is available, the standing rigging is set as tight as is structurally feasible.