Hunter 27 Questions

[KNOTMAKER]

Mr. Henderson,
I have a 2006 Hunter 27. Love it. Very quick and fun. Could use shelves behind settees.

Two questions:

(1) What is the purpose of the jib sheet tracks on top of the cabin. The boat points exceedingly well with the deck-mounted tracks . . . I have the 5-foot fin keel.
(2) I am considering an asymmetrical spinnaker. The boat came with the spinnaker halyard installed. Does the spinnker require a bow-sprite extension to fly the spinnaker, or do you recommend just using the bow roller, as shown in the owner's manual?

Thanks,
Allen Stone

 

[ghen]

The tracks on cabin top are useful for pointing in flat water. You probably need a plastic sail (mylar/carbon or PBO or other material) to fully benifit. We did the 27 with the idea of the 27X (full race version) coming behind it. Some of those details were molded in. We figured the 27 was likely to be a club racer in many cases. By the way, that boat has done extremely well on the race circuit.

The bow sprit provides greater performance. You can have a larger spinnaker, the balance is better when cross reaching in a breeze, the mainsail\spinnaker couple lets more air gas through the slot. The spinnaker will be functional in a wider range of conditions than one attached to the bow roller. The purpose of attaching it to the bow roller is for convenience and ease of handling.

 

[KNOTMAKER]

Mr. Henderson,

Thanks for the info regarding our Hunter 27. I forgot to ask one other question.

With regards to the B & R Rig, is there any need for a whisker pole, in that a dead downwind run is difficult?

Thanks again,

Allen Stone

 

[ghen]

As a rule I would rather play jibe angles and avoid the roll of dead downwind in a seaway. There is one configuration that works well with a whisker pole. In Haiti, I saw the Hatian sailors in their beat up old boats and feed bag sails pole out the jib and actually go upwind very smartly. Their jibs are really small. Take that concept on the 27 and you can make it work in a minimal range of conditions with excellent results. Pole out the jib like wing-n-wing. The pole needs to be long enough that it stretches the sail out rather flat. You may need a downhaul to stabilize the system. Now head the boat not straight downwind but upwind enough that the jib fills but doesn't back. You creat a slot effect that gets in harmony and the boat flies. You avoid the roll associated with dead downwind sailing. When you get it right you know you have it.