Crazy? Mast, rigging for H26

[Sethic]

I’ve purchased an H26 without mast, rigging or sails (hey it was $2k… what could go wrong?)

I’m looking to purchase what I need off of a derelict. I’ve found an oday 23-2 that looks like it will work. Considerations I’ve identified so far:
- H26 is a fractional rig. 23-2 is not.
- H26 has no backstay. 23-2 does.
- H26 has spreaders which are swept back. 23-2 are straight.
- H26 has a SA of 290. 23-2 has 245 (I’m guessing less is safer)
- Shrouds are definitely different lengths. I expect the oday to be much shorter as the mast height is 7ft less

anyway, this is what I’ve thought of so far. Stuff I’m-missing? Am I nuts?

 

[patbratton]

My father told me once to never spend $4,000 to try and make a $2,000 sports car perform like a $3,000 sports car. Cars were a lot cheaper in 1957. I guess what you are trying to do is possible but unless you have a lot of time on your hands and really like to work with rigging and aluminum your are going to get frustrated very quickly. I don't mean to dampen your enthusiasm, nothing great was ever accomplished without it, but I am exhausted just thinking about all the variables to address.

 

[Sethic]

I appreciate the perspective Pat. This thing is loaded. Pedestal steering, autotiller, etc. I’m willing to do the work.

 

[sailme88]

Facebook has a group for wrecked sailboats.. Pic of the group shows a domino effect in a boat yard.. Good place to start..

 

[Richard19068]

My first thought was "yes you are nuts" (to try to get a O'Day 23 mast to fit a Hunter 26). But to each his own.



Might this be a good fit?

US Spar Hunter 26 PS Aluminum Mast & Boom Combo 27'6" mast + 12'4" boom, rigging | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for US Spar Hunter 26 PS Aluminum Mast & Boom Combo 27'6" mast + 12'4" boom, rigging at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

US Spar Hunter 26 PS Aluminum Mast & Boom Combo 27'6" mast + 12'4" boom, rigging

Condition:
UsedUsed
“Some scratches and dirt from outside storage. This is a new old stock item that has not been ”... Read moreabout condition

Price:
US $1,300.00

 

[Sethic]

Thanks for the input all. I really appreciate it. Assuming I found an OEM mast and boom, would the sails matter as much? Obv I’m not trying to sail well her, just sail (safely).

 

[Richard19068]

Assuming I found an OEM mast and boom, would the sails matter as much?

As much as what?

 

[Justin_NSA]

Did you get a motor and trailer with it?

 

[rgranger]

The swept back spreaders is why you dont need a back stay on the H26. The sails splits on the H26 and H260 put more emphasis on the main than do most fractional rigs. You will have to put up a Back stay if use the 23 mast. And that will lessen the amount of sail area you could put on the main, you’ve already lessened the sail area by using a shorter mast …which is most likely going to create a lot of Leehelm once you put the jib up.

I think you’re better off searching for a damaged H 26 or H260 and try to buy the mast off of that boat or maybe buy the entire boat and keep it for spare parts. You’ll end up with a mast that fits, and it’ll be much cheaper than trying to fix all the problems that you’re going to create by using the 23 mast

 

[Orbweaver]

It might be worth asking: WHY are the sails and rigging missing? Does the boat have any damage that indicates the mast was ripped off (low bridge, hurricane, godzilla)?
I'd have done the same thing at that price, but I'd be looking for OE rigging. That was designed specifically for that boat, and I'm not afraid to admit that I'm not smarter than the folks who did the design. You'll be into it far more than you have now, but I'd see that as a fun project.
Note, I do the same sort of thing with vehicles all the time, both 2 and 4 wheel variety. I enjoy the process, so for me the time invested is well worth it. If I counted the time at my billable rate through work...not even close to making sense.

 

[Project_Mayhem]

A cheap boat is the most expensive type of boat. Also, you'd be totally messing with the engineering and safety of the boat as a whole. The vast majority of us, myself included, do not fully understand the forces at play

 

[Sethic]

Trailer.

 

[Sethic]

Did you get a motor and trailer with it?

Trailer.

 

[Sethic]

It might be worth asking: WHY are the sails and rigging missing? Does the boat have any damage that indicates the mast was ripped off (low bridge, hurricane, godzilla)?
I'd have done the same thing at that price, but I'd be looking for OE rigging. That was designed specifically for that boat, and I'm not afraid to admit that I'm not smarter than the folks who did the design. You'll be into it far more than you have now, but I'd see that as a fun project.
Note, I do the same sort of thing with vehicles all the time, both 2 and 4 wheel variety. I enjoy the process, so for me the time invested is well worth it. If I counted the time at my billable rate through work...not even close to making sense.

I hear ya. It looks like a fun project to me.

 

[Sethic]

I’m planning on modifying the mounting points for the spreaders to match the angle of the Hunter. I figure masts use aluminum for the weight, so I have a room to add strength with some steel plate screwed into the mast to support the new mounting points. I’ll keep the weight of that under a pound or so. I’m hoping this keeps me from needing a backstay.

Still need to figure out the mast base, either attaching the 23-2 to the existing Hunter base or replacing the Hunter base with that from the 23-2

The 23-2 mast is 7’ shorter than the Hunter, with a SA 45sqft less (all from the smaller main). Given the shorter mast the 23-2 jib will be at about the same height as on the original rigged Hunter (a fractional rig), so the moment from the jib will be about the same.

My biggest worry at this point is leehelm (and capsizing…) but I figure if these boats can be sailed with no mainsail at all raised then I’m probably ok.
I’ll share pics and leave instructions to post my obit if needed.

 

[rgranger]

...so I have a room to add strength with some steel plate screwed into the mast to support the new mounting points.

That might work... but spreaders often have a bushing that runs through the mast and the two spreaders bolt to each other through the bushing. That keeps the point loading from denting the sides of the mast itself. The Hunter mast did not use the bushing but instead used a slide over bracket that spread the loads out... here are some pics of the hunter bracket...

Here is a pic I found of how the Catalina 22 does it..

... the bushing is the piece in the very center. Here is one on eBay...https://www.ebay.com/itm/165048231110?chn=ps&norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-117182-37290-0&mkcid=2&mkscid=101&itemid=165048231110&targetid=1645685073288&device=c&mktype=&googleloc=2840&poi=&campaignid=16730423415&mkgroupid=135815925780&rlsatarget=pla-1645685073288&abcId=9300841&merchantid=101697201&gclid=Cj0KCQiAw8OeBhCeARIsAGxWtUyTyOLFCBWVxydpMwAwH1wZgiAY01KMqEgNOsGYX5tUhYVi626UEZQaAlVHEALw_wcB

That pin that runs between the two speaders takes the load and keeps a lot of the stress off of the walls of the mast.

There are a lot of different ones out there... and I suspect that you can find a spreader bracket that fits your mast... for example..

 

[JBP-PA]

I’m planning on modifying the mounting points for the spreaders to match the angle of the Hunter. I figure masts use aluminum for the weight, so I have a room to add strength with some steel plate screwed into the mast to support the new mounting points. I’ll keep the weight of that under a pound or so. I’m hoping this keeps me from needing a backstay.

I think you are right, it should be much easier to sweep the spreaders than to try and reposition your chain plates. Typically spreaders are supported by an internal bolt and may not need additional support for a swept configuration. None the less, think about using aluminum plates if necessary instead of steel because of the corrosion potential.
If you are so inclined, you can calculate the CLR and CE to predict your leehelm, and then set your mast rake and sail sizes to compensate. CE is typically 13% to 17% ahead of CLR. As you said, it will still sail, but maybe not sail well.

 

[Sethic]

That might work... but spreaders often have a bushing that runs through the mast and the two spreaders bolt to each other through the bushing. That keeps the point loading from denting the sides of the mast itself. The Hunter mast did not use the bushing but instead used a slide over bracket that spread the loads out... here are some pics of the hunter bracket...

View attachment 212437View attachment 212438

Here is a pic I found of how the Catalina 22 does it..
View attachment 212444... the bushing is the piece in the very center. Here is one on eBay...https://www.ebay.com/itm/165048231110?chn=ps&norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-117182-37290-0&mkcid=2&mkscid=101&itemid=165048231110&targetid=1645685073288&device=c&mktype=&googleloc=2840&poi=&campaignid=16730423415&mkgroupid=135815925780&rlsatarget=pla-1645685073288&abcId=9300841&merchantid=101697201&gclid=Cj0KCQiAw8OeBhCeARIsAGxWtUyTyOLFCBWVxydpMwAwH1wZgiAY01KMqEgNOsGYX5tUhYVi626UEZQaAlVHEALw_wcB


View attachment 212439View attachment 212441

That pin that runs between the two speaders takes the load and keeps a lot of the stress off of the walls of the mast.

There are a lot of different ones out there... and I suspect that you can find a spreader bracket that fits your mast... for example..
View attachment 212442View attachment 212443

Awesomeness! Thanks so much. The store here has the Hunter spreader bracket. I’ll take a good look at the new mast and see if fits.

 

[rgranger]

The hunter mast was a Z-spars... which I think changed names (US spars?). So if your new mast was made by them, it might fit.

 

[Crazy Dave Condon]

First, you need to provide pictures of both shroud chain plates and forestay chainplate to make sure they are not pulled out. Photo of the base the mast sits upon too.

The chainplates are positioned in the area by experienced sailboat engineers who had years of designing rigs. To change position would wold be a big mistake. A good example is the mainsail as it was designed to be bigger than a standard for more power

Deal with Dave in sales at U S Spars as I trust him and he has been around and knows the hunter water ballast boats.

Sailboat/ Hunter Owners has the build list of parts for your boat. They can order OEM RIGGING from the folks who originally made it.
You need to check the thickness of a mast and loads it is designed for to see if another brand will work. Then you have to make sure parts, rigging, etc. will fit and attached in the right position

as for the boat if planning for insurance, you may be required to have an inspection. If purchasing a boat, I would want to know what else is missing for example the mast raising system. I would be very careful
until you know the history of the boat as there is no boatfax info out there

you want to replace the mast and rigging possibly with other equipment; however I would urge caution on your part in the way you are going about this.

I sold 20-25% of the Hunter 26 production and was involved in the design