Hunter 30 sail shape

[Doug]

I am a first time owner of a monohull. I raced a Hobie Catamaran for 16 years and was taught to be very aware of sailshape. The mainsail on my 1989 Hunter 30 always seems to want to be on the upper spreader unless I position the boom to windward of the centerline. Cat sailing, the boom would normally be centered or to leeward if I wanted to depower. (all this is when sailing upwind) Is positioning to boom to windward standard procedure. I also feel if I could downhaul the main I could get a tighter leech but alas, there is no downhaul adjustment....DougS/V Brenda Gail

 

[Bob England]

Mainsail trim

I also have a 1989 H30, but I don't have this problem. Make sure that the topping lift is slack, and try using more tension on the boom vang. I do find that there is not enough mechanical advantage on the vang (mine is only 4:1 and it's a big mainsail). The mid-boom sheeting helps in this regard. Also, my main has a cringle for a cunningham downhaul, although I've never used it. A sailmaker could add one for you. Under certain wind conditions, having the boom windward of the centerline can be proper sail trim.BTW, my boat goes splash tomorrow after a long winter asleep in its cradle!