Hunter 29.5 Spinaker winches

Daddio

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Nov 22, 2013
39
Hunter 29.5 Elbow marina, Lake Diefenbaker, Sask.
has anyone installed the optional Spinaker winches and related hardware to their Hunter 29.5? I have a 1996 29.5 and would like to add the back winches to the boat. It looks like a fairly straight forward install but you never know. The winches specified are Lewmar 30ST in Chrome. Could a person put on another brand? The Harken radial 35 was a little cheaper. Any thoughts would be helpful.
 
May 27, 2004
2,056
Hunter 30_74-83 Ponce Inlet FL
IMO, if the alternate winches will mount with proper clearance to life lines, etc, and have a good backing plate underneath, it should be fine.
 

Joe

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Jun 1, 2004
8,213
Catalina 27 Mission Bay, San Diego
Honestly, the secondary winches you're planning to install can be pretty much whatever fits your budget. In fact. you will rarely use them the way you think you will, so don't break the bank. My experience is that I'll usually bring the sheet across the cockpit to the windward side so I can watch the luff while I'm tending the sail.... you can't see anything sitting on the leeward side where the loaded winch would be... anyway, I cross sheet and simply use the windward side idle primary sheet winch . So that means you're most likely tailing from the windward side, you don't really need to grind..and the winch is just being used to turn the sheet back across the cockpit. If it were me I'd install standard instead of self tailing winches with a cam cleat on a riser for convenience. Have fun.
 

Daddio

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Nov 22, 2013
39
Hunter 29.5 Elbow marina, Lake Diefenbaker, Sask.
I appreciate the inside Joe. My thought was they would make it easier to single hand by bringing the jib sheets beside the wheel. And I certainly don’t want to break the bank. Putting $3000 can. into winches seems like a lot. I will give some thought to non self tailing. If anyone has pictures of their setup it might give me some ideas.
 

Daddio

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Nov 22, 2013
39
Hunter 29.5 Elbow marina, Lake Diefenbaker, Sask.
The word I actually typed was”insight”.