Trans Atlantic crossing on 356

Will Gilmore · May 9, 2018

I have sailed the other way, my father had taken the route you mentioned. What are you looking for, a check list, route, timing, assurance about the Hunter 356? It looks like a boat capable of doing a crossing.
Water is important.

- Will (Dragonfly)

Jackdaw · May 9, 2018

Salut Gèrard, and welcome,

The rig and sailplan of the boat are not designed for trade winds sailing. The 30 degree sweep of the spreaders will have the main pressed hard into the spreaders, and the small jib will be useless and just flop around when sailing deep. If you fly an spi then things will of course be better, at least up front.

Make sure the mainsail has good chafe patches near each spreader contact point, and has 3 reefs.

While the B&R rig is solid design wise, some might feel more comfortable with a set of running back stays.

If I recall, the boat is only rated CE class B, rare for a 35 footer and may the the basis of your concerns. Check with your insurance company if it OK to venture that far off shore.

Where do you mount your BIB presently?

shemandr · May 9, 2018

I haven't crossed any oceans but I did own a 356 and have a couple of comments regarding its seaworthiness. One is from experience. In a following sea the buoyant aft of the boat tends to get thrown around a lot. It's tiring to steer. So I would make sure I have an autopilot that can deal with that. Either plenty of spare parts or a beefier system. And, of course, a way to provide enough electricity to run it for weeks. Second, I would want a real watertight bulkhead between the aft lazarettes and the cabin and a way to dewater that space.

shemandr · May 9, 2018

Thinking on this today I would go as far as saying you should probably put a new rudder on it. Yours is likely 15 years old and you don't really know what's going on inside. Losing steering is one of the most sucky things that can happen off shore.

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chuckwayne · May 9, 2018

Jackdaw,
The 356 is rated class A.
I would also check the rudder and bearings, along with the strut and cutless bearing. If the rudder is dry and there are no signs of water inside it should be OK - mine is a 2002 and it's bone dry inside (knock on wood).
make sure you have plenty of spares, including water if you don't have a watermaker - 75 gallons is not a lot for 4 people.
I agree with Jackdaw on the chute for downwind and the extra chafe gear on the main

Franklin · May 10, 2018

My 376 is very similar. I left Texas 6 years ago. Sailed to Bahamas, then Colombia, then Panama, then Cayman Islands, then Bahamas again, then the thorny path to Grenada, Then sailed west to Fiji. Boat can do the trip just fine. Sure, you need to keep the main in off the spreaders as much as possible and pole out the jib to windward, but you will not have any issues with speed on that trip, trust me. You will go as fast as you want. Lots of wind on that trip and it only takes 11 knots apparent to reach 7 knots in the water with the jib poled out, and 8 knots apparent to make 5 knots. You will not be able to go dead down wind like that so plan on staying AWA of 165 (no more)...sometimes you can do 175 but it depends on the waves. You can go dead down wind with just jib poled out but will need 15 knots true to make 5 knots in the water.

As for the rudder, yes, the stock rudder causes a heavy helm which is hard on the steerer/pilot and the wide stern can cause an active helm depending of waves, so my suggestion is to add at least an inch on the leading edge of the rudder. I added two inches and it is a perfectly balanced helm now. I can steer with 1 finger and be healed over 20 degrees doing 8 knots with 8 degrees of weather helm and when I let go of the wheel it stays put. My autopilot amps dropped from 3-4 to 1-2. IF you do modify the rudder, make sure you don't go too far. That will cause a unbalanced rudder in the wrong direction which is dangerous.

And yes, 356 is Class A and so is the 336.

chuckwayne · May 10, 2018

Franklin is right about sailing downwind, and an AWA of 160-165 and tacking downwind can be fast and efficient - and safer, because it takes a larger wind shift to cause a jibe.
However, I've found if you have to go DDW, sailing with just the chute works well! We often hit southerlies where the run from Boston to Portland is DDW so we furl the main and jib and just fly the chute. It's very stable with no main to block the wind.

Crazy Dave Condon · May 11, 2018

Cannot go transatlantic with my tricycle on squirrel power

Secret sail · May 16, 2018

My 356 has a class A certification. I will fit a bilge pump into the rear lockers soon. If any water gets in there from damage to the rudder stock for example, the water would quickly fill the back end of the boat. Waterproofing the removable wood panel between the aft state room and this rear locker seems pretty important too. Increasing battery performance with solar panels is a must. Lots of people have wind vanes too. Fitting a better auto pilot is pretty high on my list. The st4000 wheel tiller is quickly overloaded after 118 20 knots down wind.
I think almost any boat correctly prepared can do a trans atlantic crossing.

Will Gilmore · May 16, 2018

Timing is important, Gege. You will be crossing from the Med or the Channel side, sailing to the Canaries, then crossing to the Windward Islands, Martinique? There will be four crew on a 357. Supplies will be a real concern. It doesn't look like the 357 has much water storage, so a watermaker is a must.
We've have had good experiences with dried meals both sailing and hiking. Beef Stroganoff is very good.
Expect (be prepared for) breakdowns in mechanical systems like refrigeration, engine, electrical. Have fuses, filters, refills and extras, tools, manuals and familiarity with repairs.

Be safe, good winds.

- Will (Dragonfly)

jngotasail · Sep 2, 2018

Gerard
Please keep us up to date with your plans and travels