My friend just bought a Hunter 376 and he feels something is wrong with the main because it is so hard to hoist. I looked at it and told him it's just a big sail(he had a Hunter 30 before and the sail was real easy to put up.) Should he be having too struggle to get his main up?Are their any tips for making it easier.
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Have him try this.
Jim: Have him try a couple of these things. 1. loosen the boom vang if he has one. 2. loosen the toping lift if he has one. 3. open the sheet stopper all the way when hoisting the mainsail. Stop it down when you start winching. 4. clean the track (something like WD is a good cleaner to remove grease, gunk. Then wipe it out with non-drinking alcohol (save the good stuff for sailing). 5. spray the sail slugs with McLube. 6. spray the clean track with McLube. McLube is a dry lube and does not attract dirt.
Jim: Have him try a couple of these things. 1. loosen the boom vang if he has one. 2. loosen the toping lift if he has one. 3. open the sheet stopper all the way when hoisting the mainsail. Stop it down when you start winching. 4. clean the track (something like WD is a good cleaner to remove grease, gunk. Then wipe it out with non-drinking alcohol (save the good stuff for sailing). 5. spray the sail slugs with McLube. 6. spray the clean track with McLube. McLube is a dry lube and does not attract dirt.
Archives
Everyone complains about the difficulty in raising the 376 main. Lubrication etc does not help. I now have a block on the headboard with a 2:1 halyard of 10mm line - double the length! Means attaching the bitter end to the masthead. Fortunately there is a suitable hole in the crane to take a 1/4" shackle. Suggest you also look in the archives. Jim, Suggest you DO NOT ease the topping lift as it is important to take the weight of the boom off the sail whilst hoisting. I top mine up high after lowering and then it is ready for the next hoist. Also most people find their topping lift frays through inside the mast at the top. The last foot MUST be cut off at least once a year. I am thinking of having a length of wire at this point with a wire to rope splice to the fall. Regards,
Everyone complains about the difficulty in raising the 376 main. Lubrication etc does not help. I now have a block on the headboard with a 2:1 halyard of 10mm line - double the length! Means attaching the bitter end to the masthead. Fortunately there is a suitable hole in the crane to take a 1/4" shackle. Suggest you also look in the archives. Jim, Suggest you DO NOT ease the topping lift as it is important to take the weight of the boom off the sail whilst hoisting. I top mine up high after lowering and then it is ready for the next hoist. Also most people find their topping lift frays through inside the mast at the top. The last foot MUST be cut off at least once a year. I am thinking of having a length of wire at this point with a wire to rope splice to the fall. Regards,
DON'T RELEASE THE TOPPING LIFT!!
Don't release the topping lift until you've raised the main! You'll drop the boom on the deck. I have a 376 and after a year of stuggling to pull up the main I bit the bullet and had a Lewmar power winch installed. Best money I ever spent. If your friend wants to stay manual, here's what I learned. 1) Release the vang. 2) Release the mainsheet. 3) Pull boom up just past parallel with the topping lift. 4) Pull the reef lines free at the mast until there's enough slack at the mast end of the boom for them to run free as you raise the main. 5)Have one person jump the main with the halyard at the mast while a second person mans the winch. 6)Once the neck veins of the person at the mast begin to bulge use the winch to pull the main the rest of the way up. I also know a number of people that have installed strong track or something like it that creates less friction. I'm thinking of adding that as well. Hope this helps.
Don't release the topping lift until you've raised the main! You'll drop the boom on the deck. I have a 376 and after a year of stuggling to pull up the main I bit the bullet and had a Lewmar power winch installed. Best money I ever spent. If your friend wants to stay manual, here's what I learned. 1) Release the vang. 2) Release the mainsheet. 3) Pull boom up just past parallel with the topping lift. 4) Pull the reef lines free at the mast until there's enough slack at the mast end of the boom for them to run free as you raise the main. 5)Have one person jump the main with the halyard at the mast while a second person mans the winch. 6)Once the neck veins of the person at the mast begin to bulge use the winch to pull the main the rest of the way up. I also know a number of people that have installed strong track or something like it that creates less friction. I'm thinking of adding that as well. Hope this helps.
My experience
On my 33.5 I was having the same problems. My rigger discovered the sheave was missing at the masthead, and he also reduced the aft rake to @ 2 inches from @ 6 inches. I can now pull my main up 98% of the way by hand with the sheet stopper on and several turns on the winch. I have not noticed any difference in performance or speed with the change in the rake. The rigger claims he has solved the same problem or helped it tremendously on other Hunters as well. One other benefit is that the main flakes much easier and the Dutchman system is working very well.
On my 33.5 I was having the same problems. My rigger discovered the sheave was missing at the masthead, and he also reduced the aft rake to @ 2 inches from @ 6 inches. I can now pull my main up 98% of the way by hand with the sheet stopper on and several turns on the winch. I have not noticed any difference in performance or speed with the change in the rake. The rigger claims he has solved the same problem or helped it tremendously on other Hunters as well. One other benefit is that the main flakes much easier and the Dutchman system is working very well.
Reef Lines
The most important thing you can do to make the H-376 sail go up easier is coil the reef lines in place each time you lower the sail. If the reef lines need to be pulled through along with the sail it is a bear to raise. Doesn't hurt to buy an electric winch either
I added bat cars, but that was probably too little gain for too much money. Electric winch is the ultimate answer. Scott
The most important thing you can do to make the H-376 sail go up easier is coil the reef lines in place each time you lower the sail. If the reef lines need to be pulled through along with the sail it is a bear to raise. Doesn't hurt to buy an electric winch either
I added bat cars, but that was probably too little gain for too much money. Electric winch is the ultimate answer. Scott- Status