Hunter 34 racing
- Thread starter Randy Church
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As a brand new sailor this thread is immensely helpful. I have a Hunter 34 and I've been surprised by the weather helm and general tenderness of the boat. It sounds like my 135 is the right fit for the headsail but based on this discussion I'm going to experiment with the jib that I have stowed away.
One question: When you guys reef, do you do it at the dock, heave to or just bring the boat into the wind? So far I'm only comfortable reefing at the dock.
One question: When you guys reef, do you do it at the dock, heave to or just bring the boat into the wind? So far I'm only comfortable reefing at the dock.
Thank you Thank you all. We have a 1986 Hunter 34 with a 150 Genoa. We have had her only since mid January. We sail in English Bay outside of Vancouver BC and we have been out many times in 15 - 20 knots mostly W or NW. We continually wondered why we were constantly over powered, weather helm and past being exhilarating if you get my meaning. We have a jib and 135 which have stayed stowed in the V Berth.
I shall change up the head sails more often as reefing the genoa isn't working. Last weekend we were doing plus 7 knots with just the reefed genoa. but as I said, more than exhilarating. Maybe we need more rail meat. Cheers
I shall change up the head sails more often as reefing the genoa isn't working. Last weekend we were doing plus 7 knots with just the reefed genoa. but as I said, more than exhilarating. Maybe we need more rail meat. Cheers
I have a 130 with foam loft and therefore generally do not bother to install the 110. As for reefing, the easiest is always doing it at the dock but it is not always necessary. When having to do it while underway, it depends on wind and sea conditions. If around 22/25 kn apparent, I set boat on a real tight closehauled course, put main into the wind with traveler down, lock the autopilot on, drop the main to reef point, then go to mast & hook it to gooseneck, & back to cockpit to retension main halyard and take in reef line, followed by proper main & jib trimming for course desired. If wind upwards of 25/30, I heave to and then proceed to the reefing. As usual, practice makes better. Good luck
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Claude, thanks for your thoughts. You mention that you go back to the cockpit to re tension the halyard and reef line. I'm a bit confused... On my 34 both reef lines come out the end of the boom at the mast so I have to be up on deck to pull them in. Do yours come back to the cockpit? That would be nice!
Randy: I never much liked PHRF racing - I prefer match racing instead, where two boats or a class of boats go head to head. That's one of the reasons I enjoyed the Catalina 30 National regattas. We were a crew of 4 or 5 guys from all over the US who raced against the sponsoring event YC. Generally, they gave us the crappiest C30 they could find, except in So Ca where I picked the boat. We then raced against their fleet. Rarely didn't we finish lower than second.
Anyway, putting the PHRF finish aside, where do you generally finish in the fleet?
Anyway, putting the PHRF finish aside, where do you generally finish in the fleet?
Yes, a few years ago I changed the deck organizers and added blocks at the base of the mast and line clutches in the cockpit in front of the winches so I now have the 2 reef lines led to the cockpit as well as all halyards and the boom vang and main sail sheet. I'm also planning on running the main sail outhaul to the cockpit as well as I have an unused sheave on the starboard deck organizer and a spare clutch in the cockpit. Running all this stuff to the cockpit makes life so much easier when sailing solo (which is most of the time).
H-34 Reef Lines
Here is a not-too-good view of the reef lines coming down to deck block then to the deck organizer, then aft in the tunnel to a cleat .. originally the blocks were Schaeffer, but after they failed from UV, I replaced the blocks with Harken
Here is a not-too-good view of the reef lines coming down to deck block then to the deck organizer, then aft in the tunnel to a cleat .. originally the blocks were Schaeffer, but after they failed from UV, I replaced the blocks with Harken
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Cool Air Robert...
Your comment made me do some research. The boat I thought to be a "356" turns out to be a Legend 35. That would explain the backstay.
Your comment made me do some research. The boat I thought to be a "356" turns out to be a Legend 35. That would explain the backstay.
There are a bunch of things you can do to keep the ol 34 from being overpowered. First, reef early if the forecast calls for more than 15knots. Keep your traveller active. If it gets gusty, just running the traveller down dumps the wind and will make for less weather helm. The main makes a great throttle by doing this(called a fisherman's reef) If you are watching the wind coming your way or sense it building, again reef early. I keep all reefing lines at the mast as you have to go there to hook the reef point on the luff anyway. If your topping lift is attached to the boom, i found that raising the boom a bit makes for a way better reef as you are able to snug the sail down more effectively and it is a lot easier. And yes, turning to windward will make the reef a lot easier, but not always necessary. I installed a new Tide Marine mast track and the main moves up and down really nice. To reef now I partially de power the sail and install the reef. I have a 133% and a 110% for head sails and found that the all round sail for me tends to be the 110 although for deep reaches the 135 comes in very handy. The 110 along with the main makes for a more balanced and easier boat to handle. One person mentioned that he was doing fine on a headsail alone, and this is the other way to sail your 34. being a mast head rig, the main power comes from your headsail anyway. I've cruised many hours on the 133 alone and it sails great. Keep the bottom shiny and clean and this boat will surprise you. I sailed on a beam reach from Van to Squamish the other day and averaged 6+knots hitting hull speed, 7.2knots regularly in 12-18 knots of wind. Not being able to afford a feathering prop yet, I bought a Campbell sailors prop a couple of years ago. It seems to work very well. I think you can watch Maine Sails video of the tests he did on it. Quite impressive. Keep Calm and Sail On
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