changing jib on Hunter 216

Brian M H23 · Aug 8, 2010

You shouldn't need to lower the mast to change the jib...just make sure to tie a long line to the halyard tail (It comes out at the bottom)..as you pull the sail down, it goes up, you need the long line to be able to pull it back down.

Alan · Aug 9, 2010

This type of question has come up more than once. Someone needs to post a few pictures of the headstay setup on the 216. It seems ludicrous that a rig should need to be dropped to be able to remove a sail. If the headstay needs to be removed for whatever reason any halyard will support the mast in the interim. Raising and lower the rig can always be done in the water. No fear of tipping anything there. The mast weight might tip the lift...baloney! The mast is lowered along the centerline of the boat.

Ray T · Aug 9, 2010

It all depends on how strong you are. A strong person can lift or lower the mast. Two average males should be able to do this with no problem. Start by taking the shrouds loose, I am assuming you have the pin on the cabin top behind the mast, this will keep the mast from falling backward. Remove the boom then take the fore stay loose and remove the pin behind the mast. the two of you one standing on each side on the seats can easily lower the mast onto the removable crutch at the stern of the boat. At this point remove the pivot pin at the base of the mast, you need to hold the mast down to do this. Push the mast backward on the crutch until the mast will clear the cabin top. At this point slide the mast forward and rest the end on the fore deck, you can then remove the jib. If you don,t have the removable mast crutch I think the job will be much more difficult because of the leverage involved in handling the mast.

Paul Wash · Aug 9, 2010

The Unremovable Jib...

I don't know about tipping the lift, but I lower my mast with relative ease directly in the slip in the water. I've done this 5 or 6 times over the past 3 years by myself. It’s easier with 2 people but I just release the shrouds, headstay at the drum, jib sheets, remove the boom and main purchase, then pull the “saftety pin” at the cabin top, and swivel the mast on the pin at the mast step walking from the cabin backwards in the cockpit and lay the mast directly in the crutch. Takes about 10 minutes. Since the jib tang will be further aft then you can reach, you can just pull the mast pin out and pull the base of the mast forward on the cabin top/foredeck until you can reach the tang and work on it from the cockpit. Additionally, if you have 2 people you can pass the top of the mast to them and physically take it off the boat if you prefer and can maneuver. And thirdly, if you have a dock where you can situate the mast directly over, you can just position the boat in such a way you can reach the top of the jib from the dock.

The jib/headstay design is just plain silly because it is integrated into the headstay with no adjustments. Just a swivel lead at the top attached to the tang and then an eye attached to the furling drum at the base. To get it off of the mast is simple enough as a project, but to replace the sail, your sail maker needs to figure out how the sail itself has been permanently attached to the headstay wire.

When I replaced mine I had them take the entire setup and they ripped it off of the existing wire and reused it. I also added sunbrella on the jib to protect it since the oem came with no protection, hence it rotted. In hindsight, I would’ve gotten rid of the furling and went to a hank on jib and added a halyard accordingly. I assume Hunter did all this b/c it is a trailer sailor and the foredeck is small for beginner folks to be raising sails or something. Lol.

Attached is a picture of the jib in full, a picture of the top at the tang/swivel, and then a picture of the drum area.

Brian M H23 · Aug 9, 2010

http://www.sailing-obsession.com/216manual.pdf

changing jib on Hunter 216

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