Jib track on 260

[Calvin266]

Has anyone out there added a jib track on their 260. I have a slightly oversized jib that is in desperate need of a small track but it looks to me to be a potentially very messy job. Any pictures, suggestions etc greatly appreciated.

 

[crazy dave]

I would not do it

Just an opinion. I can take your boat on against the best to include a J 24 flying a spinnaker and whoop their pants. I never got the ovesized jib as it is more cumbersome. It can be done but placement of the tracks with the bolt pattern is most important so you will not drill into bulkhead, wires and so forth.If you do, there are a couple of ways. I would drill with a drill bit one size larger with a drill bit and then go thru the ceiling liner. Next, I would temporarily take the each bolt to have it protrude the ceiling liner enuf for a nut with the cover nut on it. Then I would get a stainless steel tube and cut to length the length between bottom of deck and the ceiling liner. Run the bolt thru and put washer larger than tube and bolt tight. That way you will not depress the ceiling liner and you do not have to drill large holes to put a nut underneath the deck as the stainless steel tube is an extension of the underside of the deck. try that out and it should work but remember to placement on the deck first.

 

[Hunter 23 303]

Hey Dave, what PHRF # do they give the 260 in NC?

A Hunter 260 whooping the pants off a J-24? Not on our lake, we have the J-24 @ 174 and the Hunter 260 @ 219, and they never come close boat for boat and not on PHRF either.

 

[Calvin266]

Sounds like a good idea, thanks

By the way, I did not intentionally buy a larger jib. My sailmaker took a picture of the 260, applied some math to it, and built me the biggest jib he could that would not intefer with the shrouds or the mast - thinking he was doing me a favor. I have not been able to use it effectively because with the single block point it is impossible to trim correctly. Even so,it really does help downwind. I don't want to send the jib back even though I should. By the way, do you thing that having a jib track would help with trimming the regular sized jib?