bent mast?

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D

doug

sailing in 15 mph, gust 25, with asymetrical up, broad reach, nearly broached on two occassions. returned to dock to find that all shrouds were very loose, that the cockpit cover would not fit because the mast was not seated against the forward recess in the cockpit roof, and that the jib sail was no longer attached at the tack. discussed with Lind, Hunter representive, who suggested that when i retightened the shrouds, the mast would "bow" back up against the cockpit roof. didn't happen. removed the mast, i think i see a slight bend at the spreaders, kinking the mast forward away from the sail track. i'm calling Hunter again today and requesting their advise, replacement mast, etc. any thoughts from you will be appreciated. thank you. doug
 
Jun 7, 2004
99
Catalina 309 Ottawa
spreader bracket

Sorry to hear about your mast problem. While I was reading your post I was wondering if you had the upgrader (ie. much heavier spreader bracket). I have a 2004 H216 and was sent one last year by Hunter as an upgrade. Apparently some people were having mast problems while flying spinnakers and the heavier spreader bracket helped to fix the problem. I don't know how much good the heavier bracket would have been in your case if the rigging wasn't properly setup. Gary
 
Mar 23, 2004
119
- - Paradise, CA
H216 Bent Mast????

Hey Doug, I am very interested in keeping this thread alive or having you report your results. I have one of the earlier 216s with, I believe, the first production spinnaker delivered and I am still unsure of the recommended rigging settings when flying the spinnaker. As background, on their first try the Bitter End Yacht Club broke 4 masts and bent 2 when they rounded the weather mark way back when before the production spinnakers were available. Because of this, the delivery of my spinnaker kit was delayed 6-8 months as the designer waited for the proper "testing" weather to see what was going wrong (He wanted to take the boat out in near-gale conditions and fly the chute.) Two items resulted: 1. The mast reinforcement at the spreaders. 2. Rigging instructions. I don't remember the timing of the two items. It is possible the mast reinforcement came second and negated the special rigging instructions. Anyway, my rigging instructions were to step the mast in the first hole, tighten the outers to 325# (????), and use a mast wedge between the mast pin on the top of the cuddy and the mast to force a bend in the mast. Since then a more formal owner's manual has come out with different rigging instructions. So, the mast reinforcement is a must. But, how should the boat be rigged...as per the owner's manual or as per the independent instructions I received????
 

Alan

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Jun 2, 2004
4,174
Hunter 35.5 LI, NY
Ranger Paul

Have you checked with any of the tech's at Hunter lately? Does it appear that the rig was simply under speced for the sail area? These are questions that need to be answered before any more time goes by.
 
J

Jeff Prideaux

How can we tell

How can we tell if we have the mast re-inforcement? I bought my 2004 boat used from another owner. I doubt if it has the mast re-inforcement. Can someone who has the re-inforcement take a picture of that section of thier mast to show everyone what it looks like? That way owners of the older boats can be able to tell if they have it or not. Is it merely a new spreader attachment or something more integral to the mast? thanks, Jeff
 
L

Lamar Sumerlin

Photos of upgraded spreader brackets

Hi Jeff, I think this is a case of replacing spreader brackets, not mast reinforcement. At least in my experience, nothing was done to the mast. I will try to get up to the boat this week end and take pictures for you of the reinforced spreader brackets that the dealer installed for me. Basically, the reinforced bracket is made of quite a bit heavier gauge material than the original brackets. Lamar
 
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