Adjustable Backstay

[Rodney]

My H23 does not have an adjustable backstay. It has a split backstay which came with the boat new in '87. I ordered a Split Backstay Adjuster from West Marine (West Mar. Mod 113938, Johnson Marine JOHNS#38-203). It came in, but has no provisions for attachment. Does anyone have a picture of their backstay adjuster that shows how to rig it? I can find no rig & purchase system in the West Marine catalog that looks appropriate. Would this be a Hunter item?From what I've been reading in the archives about rigging, I've determined that (1) the backstay adjuster is pretty important, and (2) I'm the only sailor in the world without one.

 

[Jon Bastien]

Not the only one!

Hi Rodney, You're not the only one without a backstay adjuste- My 23 doesn't have one either. It's one of those items I "just haven't gotten to" yet. HOWever, There are photos in the photo forum posted by Greg Stebbins that give a pretty good idea how your backstay adjuster should look when it's installed. You may want to contact Greg to ask how he did it, what other parts he used, etc... To get to the photos, go to the Photo Forum, and at the top left-hand side of the page, there is a pull-down menu to select which boat you'd like to search for- Select the 23. Near the bottom of the resulting list is a post titled 'Some of the Hunter 23 stuff. I'm still working', with about 20 pictures in it. Check 'em out!--Jon BastienH23 '2 Sheets to the Wind' (For Sale!)H25 'Adagio'

 

[Rodney]

I looked at Greg's photos...

Thanks Jon, I found Greg's photos, and bingo, he has the same adjuster that I just bought. (I wonder if he's around somewhere?). His pictures don't show the bottom of the tackle system. I wonder how & where it's attached, and I wonder if the system is available as a package or did he rig it up with off-the-shelf ropes & blocks? I live 350 miles from the nearest sailing supply source, everything must be mailorder.I'm encouraged to hear that I'm not the only guy without an adjustable backstay. I'm going to rig mine up soon, and then I'll become: The Only Guy in the World Without a Boom Vang.

 

[Ron Barrow]

I think Greg is on vacation in the mountains,

Or was that someone else? Check the archives on the Backstay Adjuster. There was a good discussion a couple of months ago. It might be in the Hunter 33.5 archive. Parts will be of the same nature, maybe smaller for the 23. Greg attaches to the turnbuckles on the backstay with "D" schackles. I tried this on my 33.5 and it works great!Happy tensioning!Ron"Counterpoint" (33.5)