Hunter 30T back-stay

[djekels]

This is my wife and my 3rd summer on our beloved Hunter 30T 1993. Ever since we took ownership I have been studying how to set up the rigging and the lines and controls.

Recently I learnt that a back-stay can help with tweaking the main sail to get better shape et cetera.

However our boat does not have one installed and I was wondering if it ever had one and or can we even have one on this boat and if so which one should I install?

-- mouth full ---

 

[Stu Jackson]

In general, most of the boats of our size range have what has been termed "telephone poles" for masts. This means a backstay adjuster won't help with mainsail shape at all like it could on boats with slimmer masts. What a backstay adjuster will do, however, is to help tighten the luff of the jib, always helpful.

 

[Sailgunner]

No. Don't need one and boat not designed for one. I had a 30t. Great boat. Did well in club racing.

 

[djekels]

great thanks for the helpful information

 

[sailor.fred]

I have a backstay adjuster on my 1991 Hunter 30T. It is great for bending the top portion of the mast (remember this is a fractional rig) and giving a better sail shape. The mast on this boat is quite bendable. Sorry that the pictures are not that great but you should get the idea. The boat seems to be designed for such a device.

 

[TommmD]

sailor-fred .. what do you have for an adjuster? A trolley car or a single sided pulley system? I notice you have a bimini, so does it interfere with it?

 

[djekels]

what equipment would I need to buy to setup such a system?

 

[TommmD]

Enlarged the picture & I can see it is a block from the port side: 8:1 or 16:1 with a block at the split.

Here's alist of hardware from a quote I just got.

75mm ESP swivel mastbase block - Harken
57 mm ESP swivel block - Harken
57mm carbo fiddle ratchet - Harken
57 mm carbo fiddle- Harken
1/4 endura 12 (ft)
3/8 sta-set fleck (ft)

I also spoke with a rigger who said he's reluctant to put a block on the backstay; its hard to inspect which translates into a potential future catastrophic failure point.

I'm hemming & hawing right now.