Hunter 170 Racing Performance

[Russell Papenberg]

Hi,
I'm calling all H170 owners to share their experiences with their boats under racing conditions. I would like to know how well it performs because I am thinking to go up to regatta with mine. I have noticed that she is quite hard to go upwind with and it takes a whole lot of tacks to do so ( maybe that's just me being a horrible sailor and/or the wind in the Med is too tricky for me ;-) I don't know if her great width (2.10m) would be more of a handicap rather than an advantage. From my experience, she tends to be hard to handle in a low breeze (but again, it might just be my poor sailing skills), and same thing downwind. Perhaps she is best in stronger breezes? Thanks for sharing your stories

 

[BobbyFunn]

Can you inspect the centerboard? How old is boat and sails?

When the boat is on the trailer undo the screw and nylon spacer and then lift the centerboard straight up into the cockpit. Mine weighed about 75lbs. Watch out for it pivoting and sliding onto the bolts or frame of the trailor.

When i pulled mine it had blisters all over it and the profile was all messed up. The leading edges looked like driftwood. Clearly when brand new there was an attempt at a naca'ish wing profile but this looked wierd and each side was a little different. Oh yeah, there was a cup or two of water swishing aroud. This has been on a trailer for years and only goes in the water about 5-10 hours a month:-( . I guess po beached it alot. Since the centerboard leading edge sticks out about 1/2 inch or more the leading edge is toast if the boat is beached. The trailing edge must be perfect for good upwind.

It's easy to neglect the centerboard. I rehabbed mine using wet rudder youtube videos. Like new now.

Otherwise, some might suggest a tighter forestay and better trim.

My first sail out i tried to sail with just the jib since it furls quickly. Fail. That mainsail is key. You need all the mainsail you can get to override the high windage of the bow.

 

[Crazy Dave Condon]

the design of the main is larger than normal with a smaller jib area but Hunter wanted it that way as the belief was more power with a bigger main since this is a B&R rig with no backstay.