heavy Sea

[Klaus Kölmel]

I would like to talk to somebody who expearieced heavy wether on a 310.How is the behavior of the 310 ?Is the 310 able to go for a longerdistance ?How to handel the 310 in heavy wether ?Wats about the stability of the 310 ? Thanks for your answer Klaus

 

[George Lamb]

Engine Size is Key

I did get stuck in bad weather on a 310. The winds were so high we could not run any sails at all. This left us with the option of motoring. Unfortunately, the motor on the boat that I was on was undersized, we were not able to keep the boat "nose in" to the waves, and were often blown sideways, and as such at the mercy of the 6 to 8 ft swells.The boat handled the waves just fine, but is was a very scary experience. I was afraid that my first mate (and wife) would never go sailing with me again after that. Luckily she is still quite keen.Moral of the story, if you do decide to put yourself in a potentially high wind situation make sure you have enough engine to control the boat!

 

[Ralph Johnstone]

Gale force winds

We managed to start out on a crossing of Georgia Strait with a small craft warning. This is the kind on wind our 1999 H310 normally thrives on. Within several hours, the forecast was upgraded to a gale warning and we were looking at 38 knot winds on a beam reach. The inmast main furling and jib furling were showing about 25% sail and we had the ride of our lives. It was a rough ride but there was never a doubt as to the performance of the boat.Definitely the thrill of a lifetime.s/v Island Hunter

 

[Stephen Ostrander]

engine size

If Hunter put larger sized engines in their boats to anticipate every contingency, all boats would be overpowered 95% of the time. Then you would have more weight and more fuel consumption 95% of the time. Every boat I've been on, when motoring into a wind and waves, will get knocked back, and I'm talking about boats other than Hunters Island Packet, for intstance) I don't consider the 310 to be underpowered for her size, but I have no experience on the 310, only my 33.5.

 

[william]

near gale with 310

We've had our 310 in winds gusting to 30kts, nasty chop with breaking waves an honest 6-8 feet. Reefed, 2 reefs in main, 10% of standard roller furled genoa. Good control and a tolerable to windward and reaching. The hull rides high and has a lot of windage, especially with the bimini and arch. I think you would be wise not to depend on any engine to get you out of trouble in rough seas, but rather to reef early and continue with balanced rig.