Hey, we purchased a hunter34 1983 deep keel and was wondering if this model has keel hardware problems, the stainless studs and nuts look very beefy. We bought it last summer on the hard and have to sail it aprox 6 hours to bring it to my hometown marina. Just wondering if any issues there and another question is that if the forestay fails will the mast come down? Being a b and r rig with spreaders towards aft. Thanks for all of your insightful thoughts. Michel.
Need input.
- Thread starter cherub78
- Start date
The downhaul of your headsail and furler might provide some support depending on the configuration. Do you have any extra halyards?
The keel hardware on the H-34 is really stout; I've not heard of problems. The attachment to the hull is especially robust with flange "ears" that are wider than the top of the fin. The boat can develop a bit of a "smile" (small gap between keel and hull) especially the forward part. My boat had one after striking an underwater pipe/piling. At the next haulout, the keelbolts were retorqued (with weight of boat on the keel) and I have not had a recurrence in the +25 years since. Note that if there is a slow water leak around any of the bolts, be cautious about possible corrosion on the studs due to crevice corrosion.. Of possible concern would be the shroud anchor points inside the boat. Carefully inspect the bottom of the big tie rods inside the side storage cubbies..
Forestay: If the forestay fails, the mast may well fail, but it depends on the design of the furler bottom attachment. The B& R rig is not different from other rigs in that regard.. The Backstay is a different story. The later Hunters had a "backstay-less" rig but they were designed that way. The H-34 spreaders are shorter and not swept back as much so that rig would have a tougher time remaining stable without a backstay.. If your topping lift is stout enough and the main is sheeted in close to centerline, there is a chance that the rig will not fall.
Forestay: If the forestay fails, the mast may well fail, but it depends on the design of the furler bottom attachment. The B& R rig is not different from other rigs in that regard.. The Backstay is a different story. The later Hunters had a "backstay-less" rig but they were designed that way. The H-34 spreaders are shorter and not swept back as much so that rig would have a tougher time remaining stable without a backstay.. If your topping lift is stout enough and the main is sheeted in close to centerline, there is a chance that the rig will not fall.
jssailem
SBO Weather and Forecasting Forum Jim & John
- Oct 22, 2014
- 23,794
I am going to say yes. Firstly, while the boat is sitting on the water, it is constantly in motion. The mast will be moving. Even if the mast is keel stepped, the mast extrusion was not designed to support itself against the deck. The B & R rig is designed to pull the mast aft against the forestay. Each of the standing rig lines completes a triangle between the deck and the mast, balancing the forces against the other two rigging lines. This maintains the mast vertical (in column). Should any of the sanding rigging fail, the mast will fail.
This is why sailboat owners regularly inspect their standing rigging. If they find a problem, they immediately run a halyard from the mast to the deck as backup support for the standing rigging cable. Then they make the needed repair.
Thanks for the replies, project, I will check that downhaul, new to the boat and still learning about it. Kloudie, I did have a small smile forward, you are right, so I just filled the small void with 5200 for the trip back in the spring. Jssailem, good advice to check everything on the b and r rig, however its stepped and I can only remove it in the fall of 2026. Cheers!
If the forestay does fail, DO not drop the headsail.... because that will be all that's left holding the rig together until you can get the boat turned downwind. giving you time to add whatever additional halyard and/or spinnaker topping lift you have available.
The rather obvious answer, though, is to have an expert inspect your rig. No one here is going to authenticate the safety of your boat sight unseen.
The rather obvious answer, though, is to have an expert inspect your rig. No one here is going to authenticate the safety of your boat sight unseen.