ASDASC wrote:
my son had over tightened the Jib halyard and when out on the water noticed that even when in irons the mast was flexed. It didn't point well...
You have to have more tension on the jib halyard than the (rigging) forestay. The jib becomes the forestay when sailing. This is what keeps the jib from bowing to leeward... but... you can over tighten the halyard and compress the mast (bend). That makes for difficult tacking at the minimum.
Your forestay should be slack by 4-6" minimum when the jib is tensioned. If not... move it up on the chainplate or add another adjuster. This way it will go slack without having to add too much halyard tension.
Difficulty pointing can be caused by a number of things. Not enough mast rake, over tensioning the mainsheet / jib sheet, pinching too high (stalling / crabbing)... and many others.