27X Racing

[AJ23793]

Any Hunter 27X owners out there?I bought hull #5 Late last August and raced it couple times before I had to pull it for the Erie winter.I plan to do 30 or more races, including some distance racing. I don't think there are many of us yet, but if there are other 27X owners on the list I'd like to share racing trim and tactics notes.AJ Miceli"Red Herring" -- Hunter 27XErie, PA

 

[Alan]

AJ, how did you do with racing your 27X? What is your PHRF rating? Have you sailed the 27 as a comparison?

 

[AJ23793]

About the boat

Alan, we did 6 races with various results. We sailed with a temporary PHRF rating of 189 (we'll see what PHRF-LE gives us as a formal rating for this season).I've been sailing a C&C 33 for the last seven years, so I'm still adjusting from masthead to fractional, from wheel to tiller, from three symmetrical spinnakers to a an asym with a sprit, regular rig to B&R rig, etc.The best we did was 3rd in a mixed fleet, and we had a mid-range and a near-last finish, and one DFL. We had to retire from two races due to equipment failures: in one race the electronic wind transducer worked loose and was dangling by its cable in 20-knots of breeze; and in a 62-mile race our battery went dead at about mile 24, so we had to turn for home right away otherwise we would have been sailing in the dark by about mile 50 with no running lights.I did test sail the new cruising 27 before I bought this. This boat is peppier, more responsive, and lighter. One major difference, of course, is the bowsprit and the asym.aj

 

[Ashley Taylor]

Racing in UK

We will be racing a new 27X in England and I would be very interested in swapping notes.We have yet to receive our racing sails but I would like to ask what size headsails you have found most efficient in stronger winds and what angles have proved fastest VMG downwind in various wind strengths.

 

[Alan]

Racing in UK

Due to the fact that this boat is very new and that Hunter gives no info of any kind with respect to sailing performance you will probably be much better off sailing the angles provided by a GPS. Just enter a known waypoint such as the marks of the course and use the VMG function. Sail the highest VMG that you can by gestimating a good course and then bracketing up or down by 5 degrees to achieve the highest reading. Don't forget to allow the boat to settle into any course changes for at least a minute before trying the next heading.

 

[Ashley Taylor]

Racing in UK

Thanks for that Alan.We're fine on the theory, just looking for shortcuts to racing form. We are used to racing with symmetrical spinnakers and will be mostly racing against such. The boat seems quite heavy for sailing hot angles. The extra distance will be hard to make up on a non-planing boat. I guess it will be trial and error and lots of practice.How are you getting on with the position of the sheet winches? We are having ours moved forward away from the helmsman, and footrails fitted for helm amd mainsheet.Our first race is in two weeks. I'll let you know how we get on. When does your season start?Take a look at how we got on with our last boat.www.fowa.co.uk

 

[AJ23793]

Where did Racing In The UK go?

I was just about to reply to the post from the UK, but I don't see it now. Am I missing something?

 

[Ashley Taylor]

Racing in UK

I don't know where my posts have gone.I am still interested in hearing how others are getting on with this boat.

 

[AJ23793]

For UK

There you are, Ashley! Could you re-post your questions, please?As I said in my post, we got a few races under our belt before the season ended last Fall. We sailed with the UK Halsey performance dacron sails that came standard, and with the fractional asymmetrical chute. I think I remember that you said in your post that you were waiting for your "racing sails." Did you order kevlar sails with yours? Hunter didn't offer "plastic" as an option when I bought mine.I recently measured the jib in order to fill-out my handicap application. The jib that came with the boat is about 125%.Our first race of this season is scheduled for May 16th. We plan to be back in the water on May 4th.Regarding performance, as I said in my earlier post, we had to make quite an adjustment from my previous boat. To be honest we struggled in heavier air. We did two races in winds about 15-20kts with puffs 25-30kts. In the first race we were definitely under-crewed with only three crew (including me) onboard. In the 2nd race we had a crew of four, but we still could have used some more rail meat upwind. I'm having a little trouble flattening the main without a backstay (I got used to the hydraulic backstay adjuster on my old boat). By the end of the 2nd race we were finally making sense of some of the trim settings, but the bow still wanted to round up in the puffs. We were working the traveller as best we could, but it's a still work in progress.aj

 

[Alan]

AJ

Have you tried increasing the purchase on your vang and using it very hard in the heavier air? This will allow you to flatten the sail as much as possible and simply play the traveler in the puffs. You will need to be right on top of the puffs to keep the boat on her feet and going fast.

 

[Ashley Taylor]

Hi Guys.We are really looking forward to racing this boat. We have had very little time on the water but we have already found this boat to be far more responsive than our last (take a look at the link below). The boat came with 2 dacron sails that we will use for cruising. We are ordering kevlars locally. Do you have a smaller headsail for windier races? We will be getting a 125% and an 80%. Which haliyard do you use for the spinnaker? We are getting a light runner with maximum windward projection for the top haliyard and a heavy flat reacher for the lower. It will be a few weeks before we receive these sails.Downwind, have you found hot angles to be fast enough to make up the extra distance? Our only assymetric experience has been on planing boats where you get a massive speed increase. Maybe with this heavy boat it will pay to sail as deep as possible. It's going to be an interesting learning experience. We need to throw away much of the last 20 years learning and start agian.How do you get on with the position of the sheet winches? We have asked for ours to be moved forward. We are also having some footrails fitted for the helmsman.Our first race is scheduled for this Sunday. I'll let you know how we get on.Good luck.

 

[AJ23793]

Vang Sheeting

Thanks, Alan. I think that may help. I didn't need to use vang sheeting when I had more controls on my previous boats. I have a friend with Tartan 33 who is a big believer in vang sheeting. I'll certainly remember to try to make better use of it on Red Herring this year.aj