Hunter 22 with no mast?

[Littoral]

I just purchased a Hunter 22 in decent shape, and I'm wondering if it's possible\advisable to remove the mast and use the boat with just its 6hp Tohatsu outboard motor for a time? I have never sailed, and though I want to learn I probably will not be able to take classes until next summer. In the meantime, I would like to use the boat for gunkholing around the plentiful creeks where I live, mostly weekending at anchor to watch birds, swim, and generally enjoy being on the water. It'd widen my range to have the mast down, as I would fit under all local bridges. From what I've seen the Hunter 22's mast is fairly easy to step down, and there is room to store it at the marina where I keep the boat in the water. Would it do any harm to the boat to use it for 6-10 months with no mast in place?

I should add that I'm an utter novice to boats bigger than kayak\canoe size, and I've been reading and learning from these forums for a few weeks now -- lots of good info here! I'm an experienced kayaker and an avid birdwatcher, so I bought the Hunter from a friend mainly as a base to weekend, birdwatch, explore little creeks, and kayak from. I do want to learn to sail it at some point, but not for a while.

 

[Hugh Straub]

No reason not to use as you intend. Many sail boats spend much of their time under power. If your Hunter 22 is a centerboard boat, you'll find she is much more manuverable under power with the centerboard down.

Also, assuming your mastless 22 has some ballast, you'll may find she "snap rolls" when in rough water. That is because the weight below the waterline is not offset by the weight aloft of her mast and rigging. A snap or quick rolling motion is not dangerous, but it can be a bit uncomfortable. Of course this is not an issue on the calm protected waters of your gunkhole.

Go for it!

Kind regards

Hugh

 

[Littoral]

Thank you very much, Hugh! Especially for the good advice about snap rolling, I'll keep that in mind.

 

[23 foot Escape]

I just purchased a Hunter 22 in decent shape, and I'm wondering if it's possible\advisable to remove the mast and use the boat with just its 6hp Tohatsu outboard motor for a time? I have never sailed, and though I want to learn I probably will not be able to take classes until next summer. In the meantime, I would like to use the boat for gunkholing around the plentiful creeks where I live, mostly weekending at anchor to watch birds, swim, and generally enjoy being on the water. It'd widen my range to have the mast down, as I would fit under all local bridges. From what I've seen the Hunter 22's mast is fairly easy to step down, and there is room to store it at the marina where I keep the boat in the water. Would it do any harm to the boat to use it for 6-10 months with no mast in place?

I should add that I'm an utter novice to boats bigger than kayak\canoe size, and I've been reading and learning from these forums for a few weeks now -- lots of good info here! I'm an experienced kayaker and an avid birdwatcher, so I bought the Hunter from a friend mainly as a base to weekend, birdwatch, explore little creeks, and kayak from. I do want to learn to sail it at some point, but not for a while.

You can certainly motor around with no issues. As far as sailing lessons go, you can begin in the classroom of the self taught. School of hard knocks if you will. Try sailing with just flying the main, or just the jib alone. No worries about heeling over too far if you pickup too much wind, as you can either round up straight into the wind, or simply dump the sheet to let the air out of the sail. All you need is a decent windvane, and a little patience. Motor definitely. But take some time to sail her, even if you're just doing a couple of knots. You will come to love it. Warm Winds and Fair Seas from The "Escape Pod"

 

[Sleighful]

^ Agreed!