2007 Hunter 25 Questions

[Canuck2112]

Hello,

Looking forward to sailing my "new to me" 2007 Hunter 25-2 this season. Sailed a Mac 26M for several years until she was destroyed by lightning last summer. Loved her, but always intended on moving to a non water ballast boat anyways. As I approach the upcoming season, I have a couple of questions for the Hunter experts here....

1) There are two support rods on both sides of the mast, which according to the manual, are to stabilize the mast when raising/lowering. Are these meant to be removed, or can they remain in place while sailing?

2) She'll be kept on a mooring ball (lake). What is the correct method for securing the lines? I have heard several opinions, including the use of the bow eye for the primary (which seems like a bad idea). My educated guess at this point, is to run a line from each bow cleat to the mooring ball. My marina requires that the primary line(s) is attached to the chain under the ball, not the eyelet on top. Can also move a bit farther away in the mooring field and choose a ball where I can attach to the top eyelet. Perhaps that's a better option? With two lines, I'm also concerned about them getting tangled. I'm open to all suggestions!

Thanks, much appreciated.

 

[Timm R Oday25]

Good afternoon . I have been on a mooring for 20 years out on Lake Michigan. Two lines through pool noodles to the bow cleats has worked for us . There is also a unit called a pennant pickup that will make your life much easier . Especially single handling . It is a fiberglass rod about 5 long . The top has a flag and a loop . The bottom has a float with a weight under it . There should also be a 3 foot lead with a clip .
When you leave your mooring , you clip the pennant to the mooring lines .
When you return , you slowly approach the flag and lift up to catch your mooring lines .
these things are a lifesaver

 

[shemandr]

We used to leave enough line from the pennant buoy to the end loop of the mooring line so that the loop would sink 8' or so. At that depth the amount of growth on the loop end would be far less . It was effective in our salt water to limit the mess on the foredeck when retrieving the mooring line.
It is generally correct to attach the mooring line to the chain/eye under the ball and not to the eye on top.
As for the painter why not look at a professionally done one for example:

Mantus Anchors Universal Mooring Bridle Snubber System | West Marine

The Mantus Anchors Universal Mooring Bridle Snubber System offers enhanced boat stability and shock absorption, reducing strain on your windlass and deck during rough conditions.

www.westmarine.com

That is only one example. Others will have different line materials and chafe protection. Note that the mooring lines depicted are lead to the top of the mooring buoy. That can be OK if the buoy has a steel rod through it engineered to stand up to the worst of conditions. Usually it's better to use a shackle rated for the worst anticipated conditions including the shackle pin to connect to the mooring chain directly. The shackle pin is often the weak link in the system. So you need to get into the weeds a bit with regard to specs.
Or copy what others in the mooring field do. Their combined experience would be your safety net.

 

[Canuck2112]

Or copy what others in the mooring field do. Their combined experience would be your safety net.

That's part of my issue, as it's a mixed bag in the mooring area. So many different opinions, and most use the bow eye as the primary!

Thanks for the suggestions, I like the painter idea.

 

[Canuck2112]

Good afternoon . I have been on a mooring for 20 years out on Lake Michigan. Two lines through pool noodles to the bow cleats has worked for us . There is also a unit called a pennant pickup that will make your life much easier . Especially single handling . It is a fiberglass rod about 5 long . The top has a flag and a loop . The bottom has a float with a weight under it . There should also be a 3 foot lead with a clip .
When you leave your mooring , you clip the pennant to the mooring lines .
When you return , you slowly approach the flag and lift up to catch your mooring lines .
these things are a lifesaver

Thanks! I always use a boat hook to grab the mooring line, but this pennant sounds much easier.

 

[Crazy Dave Condon]

The cleats on your boat are secured by stainless steel bolts that go through aluminum that are drilled and tapped encapsulated in the fiberglass decks. The bow eye is secured to a circular pipe inside the boat accessible behind the V berth panel that is screwed in place. Use. the bow eye but do take a picture of the backing pipe or plate cand post it here. Please include in tthe response.
As for the mast stabilizer poles they were designed t remain in place

crazy dave

 

[Canuck2112]

The cleats on your boat are secured by stainless steel bolts that go through aluminum that are drilled and tapped encapsulated in the fiberglass decks. The bow eye is secured to a circular pipe inside the boat accessible behind the V berth panel that is screwed in place. Use. the bow eye but do take a picture of the backing pipe or plate cand post it here. Please include in tthe response.
As for the mast stabilizer poles they were designed t remain in place

crazy dave

Thanks, I'll take a picture of the bow eye backing when I'm out there next. Would say the cleats are quite robust, based on the design you mentioned?