Cutter Stay on an H34

[heart of gold]

All of us owners of the old H34 know how tender they can be in windy conditions. A couple of my friends have cutter rigs (not Hunters)and at the point that they reef they roll up the head sail and run on the staysail and a reefed main. This balances out the boat and they are able to carry on under control and sail pretty fast. Has anyone out there added a cutter stay to an H34? and if so how did you attach it at the deck and where did you attach it on the mast? Did you install running backs?

 

[Allan12210]

Thought about it a long time ago when we buddy boated with my friend who had a Tiawanese Cutter rig. It was pretty nice. However on our boats the mast placement is too far forward and it would require some real engineering to support the load of the extra stay. The deck, even with a backing plate inside would not be good to be pulling up on.

We have learned to deal with the nature of the boat. When it gets really windy we just sail on the jib alone (110 with 2 turns on the roller maximum). The performance seems fine and we don't round up.

Besides, like you, where would I put my dinghy with an extra forestay?

 

[kloudie1]

Previous owner had rigged a wire luff staysail to fly on the spin pole uphaul halyard. He cautioned me about not using it except in light air. there are no running backsThere is a 4"X 6" stainless backing plate under the deck .. I have always figured that if I were to use it much, I would rig a removable stay from that backing plate through the vee birth top plate to a substantial anchor plate on the back side of the storage locker. This would tie it into the structural grid.. When not in use, the wire would lay under the berth cushion.. I have not used the staysail enough yet to warrant doing that work.

 

[robertsapp]

Do you have an anchor locker on that boat? I've always thought the aft end of an anchor locker would be a good place to attach a forestay, because it's a vertical transverse member that should provide more rigidity than just mounting to the deck.

 

[splax]

I would like to add a wing to my keel to make it less tender.