Hunter 290 with no arch

[MattyShmatty]

Hi there,

We just entered into the sailing world and purchased a 2001 hunter 290.

I am sure I will have many questions, but the first one is does anyone know why our boat does not seem to have the famous arch with the traveler on it? Our traveler is above the entry to the cabin. There are no holes where the arch would have been... And the boom seems to be lower then those with the arch conflicting with the bimini.

See pics at 2 new photos by Matt “MattyShmatty”

Thanks in advance...

 

[sail sfbay]

Welcome to the forum!!

The arch was apparently standard but not provided on some, possible by the owner who wanted the traveler on the cabin. Same question about the lack of an arch came up on this thread:

Hunter 290 without arch

I'm looking at buying a 2001 Hunter 290 (this one). This boat does not have an arch, unlike every other 290 I can find pictures of. Did Hunter offer the 290 without an arch or was it removed? The traveler is mounted on the cabin. There is no evidence of repairs. The other related issue is that...

forums.sailboatowners.com

 

[MattyShmatty]

Hey, thanks for replying! Yes I saw the other thread but it didn't seem as though there was a conclusive reason his didn't have it. I'm mostly curious about the boom height. I'm 6'2 and I'll probably hit my head on it if I'm not paying attention because it seems to be sitting low, whereas the models with the arch seem to be higher? Can I raise the boom? (like I said I'm new to this)

Welcome to the forum!!

The arch was apparently standard but not provided on some, possible by the owner who wanted the traveler on the cabin. Same question about the lack of an arch came up on this thread:

Hunter 290 without arch

I'm looking at buying a 2001 Hunter 290 (this one). This boat does not have an arch, unlike every other 290 I can find pictures of. Did Hunter offer the 290 without an arch or was it removed? The traveler is mounted on the cabin. There is no evidence of repairs. The other related issue is that...

forums.sailboatowners.com

 

[Justin_NSA]

Is it an optical illusion or does that bimini cover the end of the boom?
I think you would have to cut your sail to raise it. The P dimension must be different on yours and boats with the arch

 

[MattyShmatty]

Yes, the bimini covers the boom which is another weird one... I would want to be able to sail with the bimini set up. So Id have to modify the sail then to achieve a higher boom?

 

[Justin_NSA]

I think so. If you just raise the boom you won't be able to hoist the main and have full extension.

 

[Ron20324]

[QUOTE="MattyShmatty, post: 1651950, member: 153639 I'm 6'2 and I'll probably hit my head on it if I'm not paying attention because it seems to be sitting low, whereas the models with the arch seem to be higher? Can I raise the ...boom? (like I said I'm new to this)[/QUOTE]

Sounds like you bought the wrong boat and need to start shopping around for what fits your needs..

 

[MattyShmatty]

That's an odd comment Ron, We researched many different boats for almost 2 years before pulling the trigger on the 290. It's the perfect boat for our needs except for this one seemingly minor and modifiable aspect, I am trying to make a modification to further suit our needs. This specific boat seems to be slightly different then the majority of the 290's out there and am trying to figure out why. Not sure I understand your reply.

Sounds like you bought the wrong boat and need to start shopping around for what fits your needs..

 

[Ron20324]

Well, you did not say up front you spent two years, but still bought a boat that does not "fit" your needs. When I bought a brand new B323, the dealer said there was one on the docks with the OEM canvas package. I went and looked, and decided it would have let rain and sun flow in under the high bimini. I opted to make my own for alot less than $5200 and it "fits" my needs. Would you buy a car with too little leg or head room or buy a house with not enough bedrooms to house your family? Does it matter "WHY it does not fit you"? Either live with it and and learn or buy what you should have bought in the first plac : bigger.

 

[MattyShmatty]

Again, I will add, This boat "fits" our needs just fine. I am inquiring if there is a way to modify it to make it even better. Being in Canada on the west coast, these boats do not come up for sale often (Maybe once or twice a year?) I didn't and still don't feel obligated to mention how long I searched for our boat, and your boorish comment about one small factor deeming an entire boat "the wrong boat" is probably not what most people would care to hear about on these forums (I'm just guessing), I know I don't. Especially when you are indicating that you "modified" your boat the second you bought it by making a custom Bimini? Which is basically what I am trying to accomplish, a simple and cost effective mod to help it "Fit". Your points of a car and house are irrelevant here as those are not able to be modified. To me it seems that I am able to modify my "I" dimension on my sail for a few hundred dollars and raise the boom, which will allow the extra boom height. Why on earth would i have to "Live with it"

Well, you did not say up front you spent two years, but still bought a boat that does not "fit" your needs. When I bought a brand new B323, the dealer said there was one on the docks with the OEM canvas package. I went and looked, and decided it would have let rain and sun flow in under the high bimini. I opted to make my own for alot less than $5200 and it "fits" my needs. Would you buy a car with too little leg or head room or buy a house with not enough bedrooms to house your family? Does it matter "WHY it does not fit you"? Either live with it and and learn or buy what you should have bought in the first plac : bigger.

 

[Justin_NSA]

You might be able to cut the bimini frame down to get it below the boom but doesn't solve your headroom problem.

 

[MattyShmatty]

Hey Justin, Yeah that wont be good, but I like your idea of modifying the sail. I think the loss of sail square footage is worth it.

You might be able to cut the bimini frame down to get it below the boom but doesn't solve your headroom problem.

 

[Justin_NSA]

You might also have to raise the boom attachment to the mast. Then that might affect your rigid vang. A geometry exercise for sure.

 

[MattyShmatty]

Yes, I think I'll consult a professional about it. The vang looks like it can also be raised.

Thanks for your input Justin

 

[Art12050]

Wow, that’s a strange configuration regarding the bimini. Have you asked the PO what the backstory is?
It‘s easy enough to modify, a canvas shop can do it if you don’t want to tackle it yourself. If you can’t do that due to headroom constraint, you may want to consider eliminating it all together and installing a dodger.
Up here in the Norther latitudes we find a dodger is more useful than a bimini.

 

[Justin_NSA]

Wow, that’s a strange configuration regarding the bimini. Have you asked the PO what the backstory is?
It‘s easy enough to modify, a canvas shop can do it if you don’t want to tackle it yourself. If you can’t do that due to headroom constraint, you may want to consider eliminating it all together and installing a dodger.
Up here in the Norther latitudes we find a dodger is more useful than a bimini.

good point. I lost track this was Canada. Down here a bimini is a must. It still might be worthwhile when it rains.
I agree. That's a weird setup. It can be overcome.
The 290 is a good boat. An older, older than me even, couple in our club had one. Sailed it in all sorts of wind conditions. They retired from sailing and sold it to another couple in the club.

 

[MattyShmatty]

Well I got a response from the PO and his response was this...

"The original owner ordered the boat without the arch he had intentions of using the boat on the Inter Coastal Waterway. You will notice that the deck has two triangle pieces of stainless steel where they could tie rigging to support the mast while it was lowered to go under the low bridges along the route.. With no arch in the way the mast could be lowered all the way to the deck.. The Bimini fits under the mast with the sail raised so there is no interface there"

I suppose I'm a little sad that it doesn't have the Arch as it seems like a pretty cool feature. But the boat is in excellent shape and I could always have one made if I wanna pay the money.

Thanks for the replies guys

 

[seadaddler]

I did own 2001 290 for about 5 years and all Hunters from about 2000 had a Arch unless in this case the owner asked to not have one installed and also lower the boom and modified sail.
Maybe bring everything back to normal with the boom where it was suppose to be and follow with the sail modified.
Nick

 

[coolair]

Looks like a really nice boat. We have a Hunter 280 which is very similar. Please consider carefully before removing main sail area, our boat performance is very dependent on the main and you might be making a trade off that you will not be happy with in the long run.
The Bimini setup is a bit odd. There does seem to be a lot of slack in the
canvas which could allow you to adjust the support angles but hard to tell if you could lower below boom.
Good luck and enjoy your boat!!!

 

[MattyShmatty]

So I am picking up the boat today. Spoke with the previous owner about it and he cleared it up for me. He intentionally has it lowered this way as this is how he stores the boat when he's away. (he lives in Alberta)

He said he lowers the boom to store it this way so that the wind doesn't swing the boom around as much. He said to move the bimini back, release the vang and it'll pop up to where it's supposed to be (well above the bimini) and that the sails are all to factory spec.

So it seems all is well. I will confirm that today when getting the keys.