I have a '77 H30, with a roller furling 130% genoa. I am presently having the mast refurbished and the rigging replaced. I am having a halyard and inner forestay tang added for future use, about 4' below the masthead. Without any further rig modifications, I will use it for a storm jib. This boat is known for a lot of weather helm. I have only sailed it for four hours, so I don't have any first hand experience. The mast is very close to the center, so the concept of a cutter rig is just a matter of a bow sprit. I have not found any threads about this in the archives. I have talked to Stephen Fredrick (a '81 H30 owner), who removed the skeg and built a new rudder. This has removed his weather helm problems. I have this on my future project list.
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Tim
weather helm...
Everybody complains about weather helm on virtually every small boat. Before you spend a zillion $$$ and hours on a project that (sorry) is likely to subtract from the resale value of your boat, sail her for a season. A baggy main and a habit of reefing the jib first cause most weather helm problems. My 81 H30, with a recent set of sails, has an appropriate weather helm (you do want some you know.) As another opinion, I *LIKE* the skeg protecting the rudder. Its stronger and you cannot get a lobsta' trap line up around the rudder post. (Are there lobsta's in Tampa?)
Everybody complains about weather helm on virtually every small boat. Before you spend a zillion $$$ and hours on a project that (sorry) is likely to subtract from the resale value of your boat, sail her for a season. A baggy main and a habit of reefing the jib first cause most weather helm problems. My 81 H30, with a recent set of sails, has an appropriate weather helm (you do want some you know.) As another opinion, I *LIKE* the skeg protecting the rudder. Its stronger and you cannot get a lobsta' trap line up around the rudder post. (Are there lobsta's in Tampa?)
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Peter Albright
Skeg Strength
Tim, I hope the skeg bolts on the '81 H30 are stonger than the '77's look. I do plan on sialing, before I make any major mods. Once I get the engine in, and the mast back on, I will be working on replacing the cracked tabbing on the bulkheads, then the wiring & the plumbing. Before I close anything up, I want to include any structural mods.
Tim, I hope the skeg bolts on the '81 H30 are stonger than the '77's look. I do plan on sialing, before I make any major mods. Once I get the engine in, and the mast back on, I will be working on replacing the cracked tabbing on the bulkheads, then the wiring & the plumbing. Before I close anything up, I want to include any structural mods.
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Fred Moore
weather
I have been sailing a h30 (1980) every weekend for the last 3 months. I find that I can sail the boat with no helm at all using proper sail balance. If you have only sailed the boat for 4 hours, don't spend any money on improvements you don't know you need. It is quite rewarding to find the boat sailing at about 15 degrees heel, and 7-8 knots without fighting the wheel Sometimes weather helm is a problem with the tuning of the rigging. If you need experience there I recommend Brian Toss's video on the subject.. This is one task everyone should master, not only easy, but valuable. Good luck Fred
I have been sailing a h30 (1980) every weekend for the last 3 months. I find that I can sail the boat with no helm at all using proper sail balance. If you have only sailed the boat for 4 hours, don't spend any money on improvements you don't know you need. It is quite rewarding to find the boat sailing at about 15 degrees heel, and 7-8 knots without fighting the wheel Sometimes weather helm is a problem with the tuning of the rigging. If you need experience there I recommend Brian Toss's video on the subject.. This is one task everyone should master, not only easy, but valuable. Good luck Fred
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Steve Fredrick
Lots of Hoopla
Peter, Glad to see your continued interest in the improvements we discussed. As a note, remember that the H-30 is the only boat in the Hunter line with a skeg rudder. The new boats have quite large spade rudders that are absolutely feather light on the wheel, and Oh, by the way . . ., Hunters Child went round the world with Steve Pettengill at the helm, by way of the Southern ocean, all with a spade rudder. Weather helm is, though, a function of hull shape, angle of heel, mast rake, and condition of your sails. It all goes together. Ted Brewer has some excellent articles on this point, as does Bob Perry. The shoal draft version has more helm than my deep draft, unfortunately. Also bear in mind that your rudder is nearly as deep as your keel which makes it considerably more vulnerable than mine. On the other hand, that skeg is a joke. If you don't think so, take it off and then let me know. Any spade rudder can be engineered so that it has more than adequate strength for an impact. The bottom portion can be built so that it can break away in the event of severe impact. You might consult Steve Dashew's "Cicumnavigator's Handbook" for his views on skeg vs. spade. Also remember that my project was accomplished with the aid of a very experienced boatbuilder, Precision Yachts. I have often wondered about adding an inner forestay only as an attachment for a storm staysail. I think it could be done without outrageous cost, but you wouldn't need it unless you intend to do some offshore stuff, and if you're going there, the list is endless. No, you won't ever recover the money you invest, but neither would those kind of additions detract from your resale value. Feel free to write whenever. Steve
Peter, Glad to see your continued interest in the improvements we discussed. As a note, remember that the H-30 is the only boat in the Hunter line with a skeg rudder. The new boats have quite large spade rudders that are absolutely feather light on the wheel, and Oh, by the way . . ., Hunters Child went round the world with Steve Pettengill at the helm, by way of the Southern ocean, all with a spade rudder. Weather helm is, though, a function of hull shape, angle of heel, mast rake, and condition of your sails. It all goes together. Ted Brewer has some excellent articles on this point, as does Bob Perry. The shoal draft version has more helm than my deep draft, unfortunately. Also bear in mind that your rudder is nearly as deep as your keel which makes it considerably more vulnerable than mine. On the other hand, that skeg is a joke. If you don't think so, take it off and then let me know. Any spade rudder can be engineered so that it has more than adequate strength for an impact. The bottom portion can be built so that it can break away in the event of severe impact. You might consult Steve Dashew's "Cicumnavigator's Handbook" for his views on skeg vs. spade. Also remember that my project was accomplished with the aid of a very experienced boatbuilder, Precision Yachts. I have often wondered about adding an inner forestay only as an attachment for a storm staysail. I think it could be done without outrageous cost, but you wouldn't need it unless you intend to do some offshore stuff, and if you're going there, the list is endless. No, you won't ever recover the money you invest, but neither would those kind of additions detract from your resale value. Feel free to write whenever. Steve
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Tom M.
Not cutter but SCUTTER
Dear Pete,First of all, I don't have a 30footer, I have a 82 27 footer, which I converted to a scutter, a scutter rig allows you to use your 110 to 150% genny, and instead of trying to reef the jib, which never works well, you can roll up the headsail, hook up the inner forestay,and raise a smaller staysail, and when not in use, loosen the quick release, move the inner forestay, with hanked on sail to the aft lower shourd. Now what does it take, You first have to add a deck plate, which must be anchored below deck to ( what I used is a 3"W x 1"H x 36"L steel beam contoured to deck) my deck plate is a 3/8" "U"bolt,and below the beam, w/2 couplers (long 3/8"nuts) I installed another "U"bolt and from that added a 1/4" 1-19 wire w/turnbuckle int the base of the v berth w/ another short beam below as strong as i can make it, my mast hound was 2 masthounds disassembled put together and rebolted, the tangs for the intermediate shrouds I bought, the 2 chainplates for the intermediate shrouds were 2 3/8" "U"bolts set into the toe rail 6" aft of the aft lower shroud, then I strung my wire, I elected to not add any club foot, but added 2 4' genny tracks to my cabin top, inside of the grab rails, w/ cars and springloaded blocks, the sheets led back to the cockpit, and secured w/ clam cleats, if you want to check it out, I'm at Tracy's cove marina in so. Pasadine, just before st. pete beach. good luck
Dear Pete,First of all, I don't have a 30footer, I have a 82 27 footer, which I converted to a scutter, a scutter rig allows you to use your 110 to 150% genny, and instead of trying to reef the jib, which never works well, you can roll up the headsail, hook up the inner forestay,and raise a smaller staysail, and when not in use, loosen the quick release, move the inner forestay, with hanked on sail to the aft lower shourd. Now what does it take, You first have to add a deck plate, which must be anchored below deck to ( what I used is a 3"W x 1"H x 36"L steel beam contoured to deck) my deck plate is a 3/8" "U"bolt,and below the beam, w/2 couplers (long 3/8"nuts) I installed another "U"bolt and from that added a 1/4" 1-19 wire w/turnbuckle int the base of the v berth w/ another short beam below as strong as i can make it, my mast hound was 2 masthounds disassembled put together and rebolted, the tangs for the intermediate shrouds I bought, the 2 chainplates for the intermediate shrouds were 2 3/8" "U"bolts set into the toe rail 6" aft of the aft lower shroud, then I strung my wire, I elected to not add any club foot, but added 2 4' genny tracks to my cabin top, inside of the grab rails, w/ cars and springloaded blocks, the sheets led back to the cockpit, and secured w/ clam cleats, if you want to check it out, I'm at Tracy's cove marina in so. Pasadine, just before st. pete beach. good luck
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