Hunter 23 Mainsheet/Traveler/Genoa questions

[ChrisM]

Greetings,

I have had Tachyon out long enough for me to start understanding sail trim and have started noticing the advantages/shortcomings of my rigging. The first issue I noticed is that my mainsheet is 1/2" yacht braid (PO). It does not seem to run through the blocks well, and just seems a bit bulky. I think I would like to replace it with 3/8" doublebraid. Opinions?

The mainsheet traveler is Harken and I believe is original equipment. The car has the fiddle block mounted on it but no additional rigging. I have stops on either side of the car I am able to position along the track at each end of the track a block is mounted. As configured, I could rig a line through each of the blocks on either end of the track and attach it to the car, but would achieve no mechanical advantage and currently I do not have cleats in the vicinity to dog off the lines. I suspect that at the very least there should be an extra set of blocks on the car for mechanical advantage. Do any of you have a photo of the mainsheet traveler rigged?

Races are held at the marina every Saturday, and I am fortunate in that I am able to crew on a San Juan 21. It is a quick, lightweight boat that really sails more like dingy. We are able to set the jib sheets by hand. They have asked me to race my boat once I feel comfortable, but it seems that my 150 genoa is almost too much too handle for racing. I need to use the winch handle to trim the genoa in any decent wind. Is there a smaller size of genoa that would probably work better for me in a race? One that I could trim by hand? My genoa is installed on a roller furler, could I leave the genoa in place on the roller furler while using another headsail?

Cheers,

Chris

 

[peptobysmol]

Hey Chris,
Here is a mod from Peter Suah for a traveler upgrade. I don't have a roller fuller for my 23, but can't you reef the furler for heavier winds? I think the advantage of the 1/2 " line is that it offers a better grip since it is thicker. Good luck with the racing

Makes me wonder what ever happened to Peter. He had sooo many great posts regarding the 23.

Brad B

 

[Brian M H23]

This is why I got rid of my furler. I have the original 110 headsail, and a 140. It's so nice to be able to just..well..change sails! I don't sail in any sort of offshore snot where you are worried about falling overboard, so what's the big deal about going up there to collect the sail? The upside is that, from the cockpit, i can just drop the halyard, and pull the downhaul, and the sail is DOWN - I don't need to fight the wind to get it to roll around the furler, and no more risking un-twisting my forestay (happened once).

 

[MrUnix]

According to Hunter, the main sheet originally installed on the H23 was 3/8 XLS, so you would be fine if you went that way.

My mast is still down so I'll leave it for the experts to help you out with the rest

Cheers,
Brad

 

[C Jones]

Chris, My old main halyard was 1/2" and it seemed to stick a little and just a tug downward would free it up. My new main halyard is 7/16 and no more problems. The 1/2" did have better "hand" but I'm used to it now. I think it was Peter Suah recommended a 135 genoa as the largest for my h23 and thats what i purchased for my new CDI-II roller furler. I went out last night with 15-16 knots and my main fully raised. After 10 min. I unfurled about 10% of my genoa and then kept unfurling until I had it to about 60%. This seemed to be the perfect amount for the conditions. Just crusing at 15- 20 deg. Try this and see how it works for you. My 135 hangs around the mast on occasion in low wind tacking or to slow tacking. I bet your 150 will do it as well. Now on a run with a whisker pole you should be able to hold your own with equal class boats and equal length boats running a spinnaker. I do. You are going to find your h23 beats most boats in low wind. Try reefing your genoa. I have only used my winch handle a few times racing with good wind. Just cruising turn to the wind a little and set it. Good luck Charles

 

[ChrisM]

Thank you all for the advice. I think I'll order a new 7/16" line for the main sheet, it should help out tacking in low wind. I'm going to play with furling the genoa a bit this weekend if we get the right weather. Storms moving in late tomorrow. Charles-you are correct that the 150 genoa hangs up in the mast, and the shrouds... it is a struggle in light wind. The headsail sheets are currently 3/8" and seem very heavy. I might buy some 5/16 or even a 1/4" high performance line to use for light wind.

Cheers,

Chris

 

[cephius (Dave)]

Chris,
If your Genoa is working well why would you want to reduce the sail size just to avoid using a winch in a race. All large racing boats rely heavily on winches. What is the racing value in trimming by hand?

 

[ChrisM]

Dave,

I guess from the racing I've been involved in so far, typified by short courses on light boats, the advantage is being able to round the mark quickly and get the headsail set immediately. This has been the deciding factor in the races I have participated in, at least from my standpoint. All of the skippers were reasonably matched. I guess I'm just wondering if the 150 genoa is getting a little greedy and if a smaller headsail is a better choice for an all-purpose sail. I'm guessing the sails on my boat are at least 10 years old, possibly older, and don't seem to achieve the nice shape I am seeing on other sailboats on the lake. The PO also had the mainsail trimmed by 10 degrees so that the boom would hang higher in the cockpit. I am not sure what that is doing to the whole sail plan. I am not going to make any sail purchases until over the winter, and I plan on getting the opinions of many sailors on what they would suggest as my best application of greenbacks for performance.

Cheers,

Chris