Does anyone know how hunter measures mast height? My Hunter 41AC lists a mast height of 62' 10", with an in-mast furler. Is that from the top of mast to the deck?the waterline? the top of the stripe? the bottom of stripe?
Hunter Mast Height
- Thread starter simpsonc
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Mast height are typically from standard water line, but it depends on where the information was obtained.
That sounds like a clearance height (from water) to me, but I can be wrong.
James L
On mine, it's the height from the top of the Mast Truck to the waterline. But, remember to add the VHF antenna height to the mast height number to get overall clearance.
I just went under lots bridges from Norfolk to Charleston and had the same question. The one on the Alligator-Pongo Canal it is reported to be 64'. The best recommendation I have is that you measure your air draft. My H49 specs says that I should have a 63'4" and was told that it included the windvane. I also have a 48" SSB/DSC wip in addition to the VHF 36" antenna. We scrapped all but 2 of the 65' bridges with the 48" andtenna, some with the VHF antenna. It was a great source of anciety to say the least because of a lot of those bridges did not have hight boards. Very scary........... We lost the spike on our windex when it was hit by the VHF antenna. It may have been loose because it was bended a couple of times by the resident Osphreys.
The other teaching moment is that even though the guides/charts say 65' clearance they are subject to tides. Also the hight boards are very difficult to read in NC if you see the whole number - that is the clearance, In SC it has tick marks besides the number. In 2 occassions we had to wait 4 hrs to have at least 64' in the hight board - Both the Moorhead City and Beaufort bridges (altought we went around the Beaufort bridge got stock at the next one) and the second one is the Island of Palms in Charleston.
I am going to get a laser measure to check as I go under the bridges to see what the hight clearance is from a point on my bow.
I had 170 gals of diesel and 200 gals of water aboard almost all the time.
The other teaching moment is that even though the guides/charts say 65' clearance they are subject to tides. Also the hight boards are very difficult to read in NC if you see the whole number - that is the clearance, In SC it has tick marks besides the number. In 2 occassions we had to wait 4 hrs to have at least 64' in the hight board - Both the Moorhead City and Beaufort bridges (altought we went around the Beaufort bridge got stock at the next one) and the second one is the Island of Palms in Charleston.
I am going to get a laser measure to check as I go under the bridges to see what the hight clearance is from a point on my bow.
I had 170 gals of diesel and 200 gals of water aboard almost all the time.
I have surveyed my 2003 H356 and with light, VHF antenna, wind instrument and I am 58.5 feet above the water line. My specs say 55'3. What that actually is measured to is from water to the flat end at the top of the mast. You need to add the light - can add 12 to 14 inches and your wind device. These are both expensive items to replace. The VHF antenna can be deflected by the bridge structure. On mine, it is 3.25 feet iabove the flat part of the mast and just over 2 feet above the light. I have scraped my antenna a number of times on bridges on Kentucky Lake. I know exactly how much I can push it because I have very accurately measured all these heights. It is about $2500 to replace all the stuff on top of the mast. I know that for a fact! It will also vary some based on loading and waves. I have never been sure about whether the published clearance is to the light that sticks down below the structure or the structure itself. I have been officially told it is to low steel, and the light could be below that.
Another interesting element is the type of bridge. Arch bridges are measured from the low steel near the support and offer more clearance in the middle. Flat bridges such as a typical railroad bridge generally have X brace horizontal stiffeners under the roadway. If you know you are going to scrape the antenna without hitting anything else, then try to go through in the center of the X. There are beams on both outside edges that will hit your antenna, but once clear it will spring back up into the void created by the interior x beams. You will then make contact with the center and when exiting on the other side. If you don't go through in this manner you will scrape along and make more contact and can create a spinning antenna. The spinning and whipping antenna can get your windex and might contact and ruin your wind machine. Best advice is know exactly how tall you are, monitor tide or water level from "normal pool" or Mean High Water and go through with NO WAVES. If in doubt be very careful. Also consider some weight on the end of your boom, swing it out and heel you boat 10 degrees. This will pick up several inches of additional clearance.
Another interesting element is the type of bridge. Arch bridges are measured from the low steel near the support and offer more clearance in the middle. Flat bridges such as a typical railroad bridge generally have X brace horizontal stiffeners under the roadway. If you know you are going to scrape the antenna without hitting anything else, then try to go through in the center of the X. There are beams on both outside edges that will hit your antenna, but once clear it will spring back up into the void created by the interior x beams. You will then make contact with the center and when exiting on the other side. If you don't go through in this manner you will scrape along and make more contact and can create a spinning antenna. The spinning and whipping antenna can get your windex and might contact and ruin your wind machine. Best advice is know exactly how tall you are, monitor tide or water level from "normal pool" or Mean High Water and go through with NO WAVES. If in doubt be very careful. Also consider some weight on the end of your boom, swing it out and heel you boat 10 degrees. This will pick up several inches of additional clearance.
An alternate and quicker method is to parallel the overhead obstruction so the mast head is within several feet horizontally of the obstruction. Then look up and see if you have clearance. if you don't you also do not hit the obstruction. this does not work so well on short horizontal spans as you can't get the angle unless you have room to U-turn the boat. Traffic usually interferes with the maneuvering.
When purchasing a new boat either from Catlaina or Hunter and I would tend to think Beneteau if using Seldene, they can shorten the mast which will require loosing some sail area but not enough to really affect the performance. IN the past it depended on the sailboat manufacturer whether or not there would be an up charge for that but Seldene did not charge anything for that as they were most happy to do it. Hey, a sale is a sail. It was done for me when I delivered a sailboat on Ft. Loudon/Tellico lakes near Knoxville coming up the TN. River. Height at full pond on Ft. Loudon dam is 51 feet.
When we went thru the locks, in addition to the fenders so the boat would not scrape against the lock wall,, I had people up forward and back pushing the boat away from the lock wall as well as you go up slow. When the gate opened and horn sounded giving the ok to proceed onto the lake, I gunned the throttle and the look on the customer's face was precious. He asked me how many times I had gone thru locks and I said this was the first referring to the blind leading the blind. We all had a good laugh and a stiff drink but I had advised I had done my homework. I will never forget that stunt.
When we went thru the locks, in addition to the fenders so the boat would not scrape against the lock wall,, I had people up forward and back pushing the boat away from the lock wall as well as you go up slow. When the gate opened and horn sounded giving the ok to proceed onto the lake, I gunned the throttle and the look on the customer's face was precious. He asked me how many times I had gone thru locks and I said this was the first referring to the blind leading the blind. We all had a good laugh and a stiff drink but I had advised I had done my homework. I will never forget that stunt.
I understand where you may be coming from; a boat the is weighed down will sit lower in the water than an empty one. The measurement is usually taken from the waterline to the top of the mast on a boat that does not have much other cargo than water and fuel. As you weigh the boat down you can adjust for the inches the boat may go down and don't forget to consider the antennas and instruments that protrude abovethe mast when considering clearance.
Thanks to all for the quick replies. I ended up sending up a crane and a tape measure. Virtually empty, with 100 gal of H2o and 50 gallons of fuel, my hunter 41 AC measures 5 ' 10" from top of cabin to waterline; 56' 9" from top of cabin to top of mast (without wind instrument). 58 feet from top of windex to top of cabin
Long story short; 63' 10 inches from waterline to top of wind machine.
Still worried about the 64 foot ICW bridge
Long story short; 63' 10 inches from waterline to top of wind machine.
Still worried about the 64 foot ICW bridge
Put some weight on the boom and heel 10 degrees.
You should not have a problem with the 64 foot bridge. If you are worried still, put some weight on the end of your boom, swing it out and heel your boat 10 degrees. You will pick up much needed inches and will clear easily. Watch out for the light. I' ve been told they stick down below the published height.
You should not have a problem with the 64 foot bridge. If you are worried still, put some weight on the end of your boom, swing it out and heel your boat 10 degrees. You will pick up much needed inches and will clear easily. Watch out for the light. I' ve been told they stick down below the published height.
10 degree heel will pickup almost 1' of clearance on 64'
Jerry Clark is right on ... you can pick up a few inches by heeling the boat over as you go under the bridge. If the top of your mast is 64' off the water you can pickup almost 1' of clearance (11.7" to be precise) by heeling over 10 degrees.
We have a boat in our marina that came from a location with many bridges. He had a camera installed at the mast head and mounted the display at the helm station.
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