Mast Bend

[Frank Walker]

I am looking into using mast bend to flatten the main in my 1988 30 ft Hunter to provide improved windward operaion before a reef is required. I have read that one mast diameter is reasonable and safe, any other ideas out there.

 

[ted]

suggest being in touch with hunters - specilist can be found on this site.should imagine that to manipulate mast bend on a hunter of your size will be difficult. from my dinghy days, we used to do this with aluminum masts with adjustment of the rigging screws - my experience with single shrouds.i can remember such as the moulded hull boats of such as the british built albacore with wooden masts sometimes sailing with a lot of mast bend you will see that many of the smaller racing sail boats, flying fifteens, etc., etc. can have their masts adjusted for performance and racing. but i know this will be difficult with the normal production larger boats.-too many shrouds, etc.i remember adjusting the shrouds of the firefly i used to sail with an aluminium mast. also the shrouds of the wooden mast of a solo. mainly for racing.look round some of the performace boats around, large and small and you will see further.yes, a great deal can be said for early years in small sail boats!

 

[ted]

p.s.

another reflection -with our small boats, we used to use different battens. one set for light airs which gave the mainsail more shape. the second set, thicker, for heavier airs where we wanted what you require, a flatter mainsail.worth considering perhaps having longer pockets for your battens, having different thicknesses, etc. sailmaker will advise.or perhaps like some mad racing dinghy sailors having five different rigs of sails, with twenty sets of battens to suit every possible wind and point of sail!

 

[John]

not needed

My understanding is that the Hunters have a prebend mast to start with, might check with the factory.

 

[jcherubini]

To bend or not to bend

It all depends on why you are trying to bend it and where and why the main needs to be flattened. --a third of the way up the mast or halfway back on the boom? --or is it just an 14-year-old sail?First suggestion-- make sure the outhaul, downhaul, and mainsheet/traveller are all capable of flattening the sail as much as they mechanically can. Don't impose mast bend because you see others do it. You may not need to at all.Do you have a backstay adjuster? That is a safer way to impose mast bend than with the shrouds (less mechanical advantage = less likely to break something). Also I don't know where the one-mast-thickness rule comes in-- I've seen J-27s and J-29s sitting AT ANCHOR with the mastheads pulled back about 2-3 ft. I have a photo of a 1929 European race with a German 46-footer (looking conspicuously similar to a Hunter 54) and the masthead is bent back about 4 or 5 feet-- looks like a Star boat's mast, bent like a banana. Incredible.Also, be sure before doing anything that the rig is tuned properly according to specs. You can impose a little weather helm, which will improve windward ability, by raking the mast back via the shrouds and uppers. The tack of the main will thus be lower and you may want to draw the gooseneck down more to keep the boom end from hitting you in the face. If you don't slacken the topping lift this will all be for naught.Before messing with standing rigging I would try any or all of this stuff. Let me know if you have questions.JC 2JComet@aol.com