Position of traveler on the B&R rig when sailing

[RK]

Mr. Henderson,

We believe that you are doing a great job with the Hunter line of boats. In fact some time ago I actually called Hunter and they put me through to you. The purpose of my call was to complement you on the design of my 426 DS or 44 DS depending on the Hunter math dujour. A simple question - when just day sailing where should the position of the traveler be- in the center?, to leeward?, or to windward?.

Also, are there any good resources that you are aware of that help a sailor get better performance from the Hunter B&R rig. Thank you

 

[ghen]

If I desired to fix the traveller in one position for convenience, I would fix it in the middle. There is less "banging around" with the traveller and it is a versatile setting. Here is what you do. Use the vang for mainsail twist control. If the wind pressure is forcing a lot of twist in the main, apply more vang tension and the leech will straighten out. That provides more drive out of the main. The attempt is to get the leech telltales flying properly. If the air gets light, ease vang pressure because the weight of the boom will suck the twist out of the sail and drive will be lost. If you get overpowered you can let off the vang and create twist to "spill" air out of the top of the sail. That lowers the center of effort and lets the boat sail more on her feet. It should be recognized that sailing a B&R rig is dependant upon proper sail settings. Proper twist in both the main and the jib can change the boats entire attitude. I would rather sail with the sails over twisted than under twisted. I would rather have it set exact in all conditions but that is a generality. My keel designs are designed to have water flowing over them. You are better off sailing low and fast than pinching. The keel sections are low lift but low drag sections. Because they are low drag you can go fast then you get more lift. I did it this way so when cruising, you can foot down and enjoy a ride with less pitching. You are not banging directly into the seas. Also, active sail trim becomes a little less important and is more forgiving. When totally over powered, it is worth the effort to drop the traveller down. One other caviat, when underpowered, let the headstay sag. That powers up the jib and you go faster. A B&R rig or a fractional rig with a minimal overlap jib needs a little attention to make it work correctly but it is very versatile and takes less effort to get in proper trim. When you get it figured out it makes total sense.

 

[Scott B]

Wow, answered a few of my questions that I didn't even know I had. Thanks Glenn.

Was it part of your design or just Hunter saving money to not run the vang control to the cockpit. I have a 2005 H33. I've noticed this on the larger boats and bought a rope clutch at the boat show and intend to run the vang control back to the cockpit.

 

[Andreas7699]

Hi
I have done what you will do with the vang controll. It is the only logical position in my opinion. I use it a lot.

 

[Bob R.]

Scott and Andreas,
I share your your frustration with the cam cleat for the vang control line. We rarely adjust the vang on out H356 because it is so difficult to free the control line from the cam cleat from the cockpit. I bought a block and a rope clutch this winter and intend to remove the cam cleat and install the rope clutch on the cabin roof this spring. I do have a concern about the load on the clutch.

 

[Ken13559]

Scott, I put the vang sheet through the clutch meant for the jib halyard. As the jib halyard is hardly ever touched, I put a block with cam on mast base and tie the halyard there. With vang sheet at cockpit, adjustment is easy now.