Took my new (to me) 1995 H26 out today for the first time. (BTW thanks again to all who advised me on the purchasing process--you think I was a pest THEN!) I made several errors, beginning with not being informed as to conditions at our intended launch site. The lake level was down so much that none of the four ramps were suitable. It took us about 3 hours to exhaust all options there, which put us at our backup site (St. John's River, Palatka) about 3:30. Threatening skies delayed us another 45 minutes, after which we hurriedly stepped the mast--our next big mistake. On the way up, the starboard shrouds became entangled, bending the spreader down nearly a foot. We untangled the shrouds and bumped the spreader up, but I was sure we’d damaged it. (We did—see below.) Next mistake—I hooked the headstay to the jib tack point. No wonder everything was so loose. Didn’t discover that until attempting to hank on the jib while underway. Improvised by hooking jib tack to headstay shackle. Sailed very well for 45 minutes. All my worries about excessive tenderness were settled. I guess it depends on what the meaning of "tender" is. (My recent experience is on a 16' fractional rig daysailer with 5 foot of beam, fiberglas centerboard, 150% genoa and no way to reef, so the H26 seemed like the Rock of Gibraltar to me.) Our sail was cut short by a ferocious cloudburst with hail and multiple nearby lightning strikes (in other words, typical Florida late afternoon June weather.) Waited out the storm in the truck with the boat tied up to the pier. Retrieval was uneventful. Unstepping was not. We rigged up the gin pole by the book, but somehow the mainsheet came out of the cam cleat, and I wasn’t close enough to grab the line. I had gone aft to adjust the halyard. (Note to self—DO NOT let go of mainsheet once headstay is detached.) The mast made a semi-controlled descent, slowed only by friction in the wet mainsheet, and a mate’s instinctive attempt to catch it as it came down. Miraculously, no one was hurt and the mast was undamaged. Our haste to get the mast down before another storm approached, along with our unfamiliarity with the boat, nearly led to disaster. Another problem, which I intend to quickly rectify, was the bridle wires and gin pole. Neither is original. The gin pole weighs a ton. It appears to be 2 galvanized pipes, one inside the other. The cables are also galvanized, with turnbuckles instead of pelican clips, and seem undersized for the job. Hopefully Hunter still has these items available. Turns out the spreader IS damaged, as expected. Although it is pretty much back in position, the aluminum main body has a 3/8” long crack where it fits the mast bracket. Is this unfit to use, and if so how expensive/difficult to replace is it? Also the one remaining unbent shroud toggle now resembles its mates in every detail, despite our best efforts to make sure the turnbuckles were all straight up as we began raising the mast. Guess we lost track of them after hanging up the spreader. Has anyone come up with a foolproof method to avoid kinking the toggles? Some other things that came up: the clam cleat securing the centerboard kept allowing the line to slip out. Has anyone devised a better method? Is there some reason not to have a rope clutch like the halyards have? Does anyone hate cotter pins as much as I do? What alternatives have you come up with? My trailer’s wiring is an abortion; taped connections, multiple splices and color changes. Lost left brake light and left turn signal (but not left tail light) after retrieval, despite unplugging beforehand. Both (supposedly submersible) lights were full of water, but bulbs were still good. Spent an hour trying unsuccessfully to fix it before running out of daylight. When I rewire it I’m thinking of mounting the lights atop the guide tubes, as I’ve seen on some motorboat trailers. Has anyone tried this? All in all, a humbling first day out. Nine hours start to finish, and 45 minutes of it actually sailing. Never even got to try the autohelm. I need to plan better, get an earlier start, and not rush, especially when doing something unfamiliar. My next few trips will be in more agreeable weather, or the boat will stay on the trailer. But, as the saying goes: How do you avoid mistakes? Answer: Experience. How do you gain experience? Answer: By making mistakes. (And, hopefully, by applying others’ experience.)
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Debra Blatnik
Cotter Pin alternative
I have no idea what they are called, but there are little split rings (sort of like you find on key chains) that are easier to use on thing that you need to remove all the time.
I have no idea what they are called, but there are little split rings (sort of like you find on key chains) that are easier to use on thing that you need to remove all the time.
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David Foster
Checklists?
We are not trailer sailers, but have definitely seen that getting under way, returning to the dock, and several other events need a chacklist. We don't even have to be in a hurry to forget something critical (like when the Admiral pushed off the bow, I engaged forward gear, and then figured out that the tiller was still in the cabin!) You'll soon become competent at the normal tasks - then comes risk management - the sign of real seamanship. Fair winds, David Lady Lillie
We are not trailer sailers, but have definitely seen that getting under way, returning to the dock, and several other events need a chacklist. We don't even have to be in a hurry to forget something critical (like when the Admiral pushed off the bow, I engaged forward gear, and then figured out that the tiller was still in the cabin!) You'll soon become competent at the normal tasks - then comes risk management - the sign of real seamanship. Fair winds, David Lady Lillie
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Mark Burrows
By the book
Tom: It sounds like you made nearly all the H26 mistakes on your first voyage. Most people take about a year to do all that. Congratulations. Now for something constructive. Get an H26 owners manual and use it as a checklist until you are familiar with the setup and take down. You probably want to create an abbreviated list for later use. You probably don't want to take the boat out again until you get that spreader fixed. There are only 5 wires holding up the rig and 2 of them ar on the busted spreader. When raising the mast try to have 2 people for guiding the mast and checking the turnbuckles. No yelling allowed so make sure both people know what is suppose to happen. Ramp conditions are very important to the 26. If the ramp is very steep, keep an eye on the trailer guide poles when pulling out. The rub rail can get over those poles and tip them over. The clam cleat on the centerboard is pretty iffy. You may want to replace it with a regular cleat. We thought about getting a spinlock with three locks and use one for the centerboard. When sailing, play around with the position of the rudder. You can adjust the weather helm a bit by moving it forward and backwards. Make sure the rudder is up when loading onto the trailer. Once on the trailer, use some lines to ensure it won't fall. Tongue weight is important when towing. If the trailer is too lite in front, it will fish tail. You may want to remove the outboard during towing. And remember, this rig is too big to tow legally in most states. Drive casually and try not to stand out. Mark
Tom: It sounds like you made nearly all the H26 mistakes on your first voyage. Most people take about a year to do all that. Congratulations. Now for something constructive. Get an H26 owners manual and use it as a checklist until you are familiar with the setup and take down. You probably want to create an abbreviated list for later use. You probably don't want to take the boat out again until you get that spreader fixed. There are only 5 wires holding up the rig and 2 of them ar on the busted spreader. When raising the mast try to have 2 people for guiding the mast and checking the turnbuckles. No yelling allowed so make sure both people know what is suppose to happen. Ramp conditions are very important to the 26. If the ramp is very steep, keep an eye on the trailer guide poles when pulling out. The rub rail can get over those poles and tip them over. The clam cleat on the centerboard is pretty iffy. You may want to replace it with a regular cleat. We thought about getting a spinlock with three locks and use one for the centerboard. When sailing, play around with the position of the rudder. You can adjust the weather helm a bit by moving it forward and backwards. Make sure the rudder is up when loading onto the trailer. Once on the trailer, use some lines to ensure it won't fall. Tongue weight is important when towing. If the trailer is too lite in front, it will fish tail. You may want to remove the outboard during towing. And remember, this rig is too big to tow legally in most states. Drive casually and try not to stand out. Mark
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Carl
Bin there done that
Tom: It sound a lot like my first try with the Hunter, but I wasn't as lucky. I had an uncontroled demasting. It has taken 4 months to replace my mast. I have the boat back but still missing a piece so no sailing till all the pieces are there. Now to your adventure, just take it slow on raising and lowering the mast it is the most stressful thing done on the boat but it can be done. Is your mast an Isomat or a Z-Spar. If it is a Isomast I might have a quick fix. I replaced my Isomat spar with a Z-Spar and the boat yard might still have the bent spar. The spreaders were in perfect condition and they might sell them to you for a song. There number is 510-521-1176 and ask for Jeff VanKlompenburg of Crusing Specialist in Alameda California. If you have a Z-spar there munber is 904-462-3760 and ask for Julian or Marcus. Good luck with the boat. I will be trying to find a berth or dry dock near a body of water, so I don't have to go through raising and lowering the mast so much but I can't wait to sail in my old haunt Santa Cruz this summer. Carl Bader S/V Wind Shadow ( on the trailer but near the water almost)
Tom: It sound a lot like my first try with the Hunter, but I wasn't as lucky. I had an uncontroled demasting. It has taken 4 months to replace my mast. I have the boat back but still missing a piece so no sailing till all the pieces are there. Now to your adventure, just take it slow on raising and lowering the mast it is the most stressful thing done on the boat but it can be done. Is your mast an Isomat or a Z-Spar. If it is a Isomast I might have a quick fix. I replaced my Isomat spar with a Z-Spar and the boat yard might still have the bent spar. The spreaders were in perfect condition and they might sell them to you for a song. There number is 510-521-1176 and ask for Jeff VanKlompenburg of Crusing Specialist in Alameda California. If you have a Z-spar there munber is 904-462-3760 and ask for Julian or Marcus. Good luck with the boat. I will be trying to find a berth or dry dock near a body of water, so I don't have to go through raising and lowering the mast so much but I can't wait to sail in my old haunt Santa Cruz this summer. Carl Bader S/V Wind Shadow ( on the trailer but near the water almost)
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Bill and Nancy Berg
Practice, Practice...
We've all made mistakes and learned from them,too. The best cure is adequate prepartation. After you get all the parts replaced, practice raising, rigging and lowering on the trailer on a day when you are NOT going sailing. Make sure you've got it right and everything works BEFORE you put the boat in the water. Gainville is so close to the Hunter plant and several good dealers , you won't have any trouble replacing the spreaders, bent turnbuckles. etc. Use the mainsheet cleat to hold the mast raising tackle. Always have another person be spotter. Ring-a-dings work well in some places, like those you remove when you trailer. But Hunter put cotter pins in places that you do not undo for trailering. BEST ADVICE: Get the Hunter manual and use it.
We've all made mistakes and learned from them,too. The best cure is adequate prepartation. After you get all the parts replaced, practice raising, rigging and lowering on the trailer on a day when you are NOT going sailing. Make sure you've got it right and everything works BEFORE you put the boat in the water. Gainville is so close to the Hunter plant and several good dealers , you won't have any trouble replacing the spreaders, bent turnbuckles. etc. Use the mainsheet cleat to hold the mast raising tackle. Always have another person be spotter. Ring-a-dings work well in some places, like those you remove when you trailer. But Hunter put cotter pins in places that you do not undo for trailering. BEST ADVICE: Get the Hunter manual and use it.
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Sean Coerse
Mast stepping
On my H240 I always secure the jib halyard in the spinlock cleat as well as wrap it around the winch and cleat it to the midship horn cleat. If you have to leave the bow during mast raising always cleat the main sheet that is attached to the gin pole, and also cleat it off on the bow cleat to insure it doesn't come loose. The first time I raised and lowered my mast spent a long time going over manuel. Now I do it all the time by myself without rushing, and it doesn't take more than 15 minutes. I bent 4 turn buckles the first year. I ordered 10 new t-bolts from the rigger Hunter uses. Haven't bent one since. I always take duct tape and tape the stays tightly to the life line so they stay standing upright and don't bind. Usually the tape snaps free from the life line when you sinch the last couple of inches up during raising. If not it comes right off with your fingers. I keep my boat in a slip during the sailing season and have dropped the mast several times while in the slip to replace a bulb or windvane ect. The skippers of the larger boats are always envious when I do this by myself and never have to get in one of those chairs to go up the mast. Practice, Practice, Mistake, and more Practice. Enjoy the boat.
On my H240 I always secure the jib halyard in the spinlock cleat as well as wrap it around the winch and cleat it to the midship horn cleat. If you have to leave the bow during mast raising always cleat the main sheet that is attached to the gin pole, and also cleat it off on the bow cleat to insure it doesn't come loose. The first time I raised and lowered my mast spent a long time going over manuel. Now I do it all the time by myself without rushing, and it doesn't take more than 15 minutes. I bent 4 turn buckles the first year. I ordered 10 new t-bolts from the rigger Hunter uses. Haven't bent one since. I always take duct tape and tape the stays tightly to the life line so they stay standing upright and don't bind. Usually the tape snaps free from the life line when you sinch the last couple of inches up during raising. If not it comes right off with your fingers. I keep my boat in a slip during the sailing season and have dropped the mast several times while in the slip to replace a bulb or windvane ect. The skippers of the larger boats are always envious when I do this by myself and never have to get in one of those chairs to go up the mast. Practice, Practice, Mistake, and more Practice. Enjoy the boat.
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Ken Cobb
Piling on
More on the use of a checklist: When I was a weekly trailer sailor I had a laminated copy of my checklist made, for use at the dock. I also had my cotter rings and pins in placed in little labled plastic bags so that I had the right parts ready for each part of the process. My other tip is to dry store the boat near your regular launch point if at all possible, in a dry storage lot where you can keep the mast up between outings. Moving the boat to different launch points each time is probably more work than it is worth.
More on the use of a checklist: When I was a weekly trailer sailor I had a laminated copy of my checklist made, for use at the dock. I also had my cotter rings and pins in placed in little labled plastic bags so that I had the right parts ready for each part of the process. My other tip is to dry store the boat near your regular launch point if at all possible, in a dry storage lot where you can keep the mast up between outings. Moving the boat to different launch points each time is probably more work than it is worth.
A few suggestions
My last boat before the H23 was a 17' trailerable daysailer. Here's my two cents: Practice raising and lowering the mast on your driveway, street or other level spot close to home with no trees or power lines (Wal-Mart parking lot?). Repeat the entire process from start to finish; windex, boom, sails, running rigging etc. until you have it cold. If you screw up a couple of times...big deal. Nobody else knows what the heck you're doing. Start early while it's still cool. Try to find a slip or mooring somewhere and leave the boat in the water for a few months. It's summer and the snowbirds are gone, so slips should be readily available. There's a large lake in Gainesville, also try Lake Harris in Leesburg (right off US 441 in Lake County) and Lake Eustis in Eustis on SR 19. Get out in the mornings before the thunderstorms build and go learn your boat by sailing it. Fix the little flaws (wiring, etc) as you go along. Bring the boat home only for the really big problems. That was the advice I got when I bought my H23 two years ago, and it has proven to be sound. I am hauling the boat in a couple of weeks, for only the fourth time in two years. I am now comfortable with sailing it under all kinds of weather conditions and at night, and ready to deal with trailering it. Check your local Barnes & Noble for a paperback by Bob Burgess called The Handbook of Trailersailing (I think). It has lots of good ideas and pointers for the new trailersailor, including a neat way to keep the trailer lights out of the water. Good luck! Peter H23 "Raven"
My last boat before the H23 was a 17' trailerable daysailer. Here's my two cents: Practice raising and lowering the mast on your driveway, street or other level spot close to home with no trees or power lines (Wal-Mart parking lot?). Repeat the entire process from start to finish; windex, boom, sails, running rigging etc. until you have it cold. If you screw up a couple of times...big deal. Nobody else knows what the heck you're doing. Start early while it's still cool. Try to find a slip or mooring somewhere and leave the boat in the water for a few months. It's summer and the snowbirds are gone, so slips should be readily available. There's a large lake in Gainesville, also try Lake Harris in Leesburg (right off US 441 in Lake County) and Lake Eustis in Eustis on SR 19. Get out in the mornings before the thunderstorms build and go learn your boat by sailing it. Fix the little flaws (wiring, etc) as you go along. Bring the boat home only for the really big problems. That was the advice I got when I bought my H23 two years ago, and it has proven to be sound. I am hauling the boat in a couple of weeks, for only the fourth time in two years. I am now comfortable with sailing it under all kinds of weather conditions and at night, and ready to deal with trailering it. Check your local Barnes & Noble for a paperback by Bob Burgess called The Handbook of Trailersailing (I think). It has lots of good ideas and pointers for the new trailersailor, including a neat way to keep the trailer lights out of the water. Good luck! Peter H23 "Raven"
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Ryan Parks
Are you hauling with a truck that has a topper?
We thought our entire left side was out also. Then I checked things and realized that when they installed the topper on our truck they spliced into the trailer wiring for the break lights and didn't finish the job. So the problem was in the truck not the trailer. Sounds about like our first few trips with our 95 23.5, this is our second summer and we have learned alot. After 2 or 3 more time it will get easy. Good Luck
We thought our entire left side was out also. Then I checked things and realized that when they installed the topper on our truck they spliced into the trailer wiring for the break lights and didn't finish the job. So the problem was in the truck not the trailer. Sounds about like our first few trips with our 95 23.5, this is our second summer and we have learned alot. After 2 or 3 more time it will get easy. Good Luck
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Tom
Thanks to all for your comments...
I think you’ve given answers to all my concerns. I like the rings better, too. But I’ve seen a modified cotter where one leg is straight, and goes in the hole, while the other is bent out at the end and bells out about midway. This type is springy, not intended to be bent. I have one on the trailer telescope pin. Don’t know if they’re commonly used on boats, or what they’re called. I agree checklists are a great idea, not least because of the mental focus involved in writing them. I’ve already started one on rigging, which includes double cleating the halyard and mainsheet. I did receive an owner’s manual from the seller, and have been reading it. That’s how I came to the conclusion that my mast stepping gear wasn’t original. I also found out my mast is a Z-spar (now US Spar), made right here in Alachua. So I took the spreader to them for evaluation and he suggested I tig-weld it. After that I will do a couple dry run stepping drills, and tune the rig. I had already decided to find a marina, or ramp storage where I could keep the mast up. Unfortunately, none of the lakes near here will work. Newnan’s Lake may as well be renamed Newnan’s Bog, and Lake Santa Fe was the scene of our 4-ramp tour on Sunday. So I’m probably going to keep it on the west coast. I really like the duct tape to the lifelines idea. I’d been thinking about a custom turnbuckle cover, designed to cover the u-bolt and keep it vertical, or weaving some ½” line in and out of the u-bolts to keep the toggles up, but the duct tape passes the KISS test. I will find or order the Burgess book. That’s about the fourth endorsement I’ve heard. I do have a topper, but the lights all worked when I picked up the boat. I’m going to rewire the whole shebang after I read the Burgess book. Thanks again for all your help. This is really a great resource.
I think you’ve given answers to all my concerns. I like the rings better, too. But I’ve seen a modified cotter where one leg is straight, and goes in the hole, while the other is bent out at the end and bells out about midway. This type is springy, not intended to be bent. I have one on the trailer telescope pin. Don’t know if they’re commonly used on boats, or what they’re called. I agree checklists are a great idea, not least because of the mental focus involved in writing them. I’ve already started one on rigging, which includes double cleating the halyard and mainsheet. I did receive an owner’s manual from the seller, and have been reading it. That’s how I came to the conclusion that my mast stepping gear wasn’t original. I also found out my mast is a Z-spar (now US Spar), made right here in Alachua. So I took the spreader to them for evaluation and he suggested I tig-weld it. After that I will do a couple dry run stepping drills, and tune the rig. I had already decided to find a marina, or ramp storage where I could keep the mast up. Unfortunately, none of the lakes near here will work. Newnan’s Lake may as well be renamed Newnan’s Bog, and Lake Santa Fe was the scene of our 4-ramp tour on Sunday. So I’m probably going to keep it on the west coast. I really like the duct tape to the lifelines idea. I’d been thinking about a custom turnbuckle cover, designed to cover the u-bolt and keep it vertical, or weaving some ½” line in and out of the u-bolts to keep the toggles up, but the duct tape passes the KISS test. I will find or order the Burgess book. That’s about the fourth endorsement I’ve heard. I do have a topper, but the lights all worked when I picked up the boat. I’m going to rewire the whole shebang after I read the Burgess book. Thanks again for all your help. This is really a great resource.
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Scott B
Everyone
Anyone that has spent any time around the water has made mistakes. If you're lucky you have few damaged turnbuckles and a bruised ego and that's all. Things around the water can be unpredictable, but mostly it just gets easier and easier. All the advice below is good, and HANG IN THERE!!!!
Anyone that has spent any time around the water has made mistakes. If you're lucky you have few damaged turnbuckles and a bruised ego and that's all. Things around the water can be unpredictable, but mostly it just gets easier and easier. All the advice below is good, and HANG IN THERE!!!!
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