Experience buying new sails for H170 or H18?

mark2

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Dec 10, 2012
54
Hunter 18 Raleigh
Hi all, we are looking to buy new sails for our Hunter 18 and wondering what others have experienced... I think the originals were made by North Sails. But I find other online lofts that cost 1/3 less than new North Sails. Wondering if others have purchased sails and what the experience was.
 
Jun 2, 2004
3,390
Hunter 23.5 Fort Walton Yacht Club, Florida
We go through a lot of sails for the 420s in our youth sailing program. We bought sails from Intensity once and thought they were a great deal at about half the cost. Turned out to be false economy they lasted about half as long nothing wrong with the sail except the cloth is thinner and just did not hold up. If I was buying sails for a boat I was not going to have in a year or two I might go with he cheaper sails but not if I was going to keep the boat.
 

JRT

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Feb 14, 2017
2,037
Catalina 310 211 Lake Guntersville, AL
Did you consider SBO?


Honestly at those prices they sure seem like a good value, my 310 is significantly more:) I had Precision make sails for my O'Day 25 and they were great.
 

mark2

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Dec 10, 2012
54
Hunter 18 Raleigh
Ah well, bad news... we have a 170 boom so we cannot fit an H18 sail on this boat. Have to rethink this.
 

JRT

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Feb 14, 2017
2,037
Catalina 310 211 Lake Guntersville, AL
Ah well, bad news... we have a 170 boom so we cannot fit an H18 sail on this boat. Have to rethink this.
Sails are made to your rig measurements, online you have to measure but it is easy and they help you.
 
Sep 22, 2018
1,869
Hunter 216 Kingston
Ah well, bad news... we have a 170 boom so we cannot fit an H18 sail on this boat. Have to rethink this.
I don’t understand how you could have a 170 boom on the revised version of the boat the H18? I’m not positive about the 170-18 remodel but on the 216-22 remodel the sail area was increased along with other changes. Are you considering the option of changing the boom to the H18 or perhaps the mast is from the 170 as well???
 

mark2

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Dec 10, 2012
54
Hunter 18 Raleigh
The boom is definitely 170, I put it side-by-side with the boom from our old (170) boat and they are identical. The mast is not identical, I have noticed the following differences:
- The main sheet luff has no plastic slugs, the luff rope slides up in the mast slot. The slot is considerably smaller. The boat came with a sail that has the 170 logo on it and the plastic lugs were clearly cut off to make it work in this mast.
- The step attachment is completely different, you have to position the mast on the step, insert and secure a pin, then pivot the mast up. Not nearly as simple and easy as the 170.
- There are 2 internal ropes in the mast, one for the main sheet and the other (I think) for the optional spinnaker. On the 170 all the ropes are external. The mast has no attachment point for a topping lift. Could use the spinnaker line but it comes out the front of the mast, not ideal.
- Standing rigging is an open question. The Hunter 18 specs indicate 52" tip-to-tip on the spreaders, but this boat clearly has 170 spreaders that are several inches shorter (compared to our 170, identical). We bought some H18 spreaders but they don't work because at 52" spread the upper stays are too short to allow the mast to stand fully upright even adjusted to the highest pin in the chainplate. We can either (1) get longer chainplate for larger adjustment rage, (2) use the 170 spreaders, or (3) cut the H18 spreaders to the 170 size. I think all the standing rigging is a bit off, but the owners manual has no clue on how it should be adjusted (mast rake, amount of slack in the stays, etc).

My theory: Original boat was a 170 (which is what the hull ID indicates). It suffered from major cracking and at some point they got Hunter to swap out the 170 hull for a new H18 hull. Most of the rigging and sails were moved over. The mast is probably H18 because the mast step differences did not allow that reuse. Everything else was adapted - the main sheet lugs were removed, standing rigging adapted, etc. Original specs for the H18 was a larger main sail, but I understand that currently the 170 and 18 main sails sold by Hunter are identical in size, just a different logo. This is Hunter's (now Marlow-Hunter) attempt to make the 170/18 sails interchangeable so mash-up boats like this will work with either one.

We have ordered a new main sail from here at sailboatowners.com.

The adventure continues... :)
 
Sep 22, 2018
1,869
Hunter 216 Kingston
Wow that’s kind of complicated. I’m sure you have likely seen this but Wiki will let you toggle back and forth between the 170 and 18. According to that data there is quite a difference in sail area.


It’s odd that you have a 170 hull plate on an 18 hull? I’ve never seen either one first hand but the visible difference in the review I read seems to the hard chime on the 18 that isn’t present on the 170.

Having the right spreaders on a B&R rig seems rather important to me especially if you ever plan on using a spin.

The topping lift could be addressed by adding an eye strap or pad eye on the side of the mast as long as it’s strong enough to hold the boom up and I guess someone’s weight if they lean on it.
 
Last edited:
Sep 22, 2018
1,869
Hunter 216 Kingston
These are a couple of walk arounds that I found. It might help with the standing rigging


 
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Jun 8, 2004
10,024
-na -NA Anywhere USA
Mark2
Sounds like we need to talk as I would be the one who can walk you thr this. Introduced both boats Send contact info. Former dealer introduced both boats now retired