Main hits the spreaders

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Joel

Have now had a few chances to actually sail my 1987 H23. I'm still amazed at how nice it sails. I do have one question for those with this style of H23. The other day when out in the ocean, the wind was coming across the stern at about a relative bearing of between 135-165 degrees. To actually catch the wind, I had to let the main out quite a bit but noticed that in order to get it where I really wanted it, you could saythe imprint of the spreaders in the main. If the wind was coming anymore from the stern, I would have never been able to getthe main out far enough. On other boats I have sailed, I've always been told to keep the sail oof the spreaders. Is this just "normal" for the wing keel H23s? Are the side stays perhaps not adjusted correctly causing the spreaders to sweep aft more than is correct? Everything on the boat is still "standard" equipment.
 
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Tom

Common to backstayless rigs

I believe this is common to all backstayless rigs, because the shrouds have to be swept further back to compensate for the lack of a backstay. Most if not all Hunters have this rig.
 
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Davor

Spreaders

The h23 does not come with a boom vang to control the main. I move the main sail traveler to leeward and use it to hold the boom down. You will still find the main sail touches the speaders when running wing-on-wing. s.v. h23, "Miss Brandy" ps.. TOM, the hunter 23 is a keel boat with a split back stay. You are confusing it with the new 23.5/240 poorer sailing water-balast model.
 
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Joel

Boom vang

My H23 actually has a boom vang. Still trying to learn all the controls for shaping the sails but that will come with time. If you have any suggestions on how to best use the traveller and boom vang on the H23 please let me know. Thanks.
 
Apr 19, 1999
1,670
Pearson Wanderer Titusville, Florida
Yes, the main does touch the spreaders

The H23 rig is designed with swept-back spreaders which with the split backstay create a rig that can be easily be tuned for different sailing conditions. This is especially true if you have the "bendy" Z-Spar mast. The drawback with this setup is that the main lays on the spreaders when running. There are several solutions to this problem: a) ignore it; the sail does not move much once it lays on the spreader, so chafe should be minimal b) if you are really concerned about chafe, put some sail repair tape on the main to protect it where it touches the spreaders c) head up a little; the H23 is slow on a dead run. It's faster to broad reach on one tack, then gybe over and broad reach on the other tack (assuming of course that you have enough room to do this) I am a little suprised that Davor's H23 doesn't have a boomvang, because every H23 I've ever seen has one. If you don't have one, it is easy to rig one using one of the bails under your boom. Good luck. Peter H23 "Raven"
 
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Joel

Thanks

Thanks for all the info. I just need alot more time to learn the ins/out of the H23. I've crewed for others on their boats during races but it all seems so new now that it's my own boat we're sailing. We were able to get out twice this past weekend with my wife and children. They all took turns with the tiller and practising tacks. Alot of fun.
 
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Tim

preventer can help, too

Joel, I had also sailed on boats with a standard "masthead rig" prior to buying my h23. On this "fractional rig" (forstay attaches below the top of the mast), the spreaders are swept and shrouds are led aft of the mast to provide some bend in the mast, which can be further controled with a running backstay adjuster, to alter sail shape. Anyway, since we sail on a lake, which tends to have flukey winds, we rigged a "preventer" to hold the boom out on a broad reach, to prevent accidental jibes. Since the preventer is led down, as well as to the side, it tends to also have somewhat the same effect as a boom vang, which we also have. I have found that it is easy to control the sail flatness, which helps minimize contact with the spreaders, by setting the preventer fairly tight, and then trimming the mainsheet to flatten the sail more as the wind increases and tries to push it onto the spreader more. My rule of thumb is to not let the sail contact the spreader past the end (of the spreader), as this seems like it would put a lot of pressure on one point on the sail. So far it has not shown any signs of wear. I've seen other fractional rig boats with a reinforcement sewn onto the sail where it contacts the spreader. In short, if you don't have a boom vang, I would rig a preventer for now as it will help with the sail flatness and the safety of the crew in the cockpit.
 
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