Although I find much to like about Hunter sailboats, particularly for lake sailing/coastal cruising, the thought of going offshore without a backstay (or two) gives me pause. Can owner(s) of 36 - 44 foot Hunters comment regarding the strength and reliability of the B&R rig? Additionally, do the swept-back spreaders negatively impact your ability to sail downwind, because they restrict how far out you can let the mail sail go? Thanks in advance for any first-hand knowledge or advice, as this will certainly affect my purchase decision in the future. Peace and blessings!
Reliability of B&R Rig
- Thread starter Boilermaker5175
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im sure some of the 34 hunter guys will chime in soon but i have some advise and clarification from my rigger/neighbor, not all swept back spreaders are b&r rigs, however the b&r rig found on the 34 and 31 hunters of the mid 90's vintage are true, full, b&r and can be very reliable, slightly complicated to tune but still just fine, the main is definitely a consideration when going down wind and the big thing with the b&r that has a backstay (ie the 34) is that its very strong for spinnaker flying where the main isnt used for much drive regardless. now the rig you find on some 33.5 hunters of the late 90's isnt b&r, its swept spreaders but lacks some of the stays found on a true b&r, as to the subtle differences between these rig types i cant say. however i would caution against a backstay free boat just because that makes me very very nervous.
I had a Hunter 380 and now a Hunter 27 with the B&R rig, both with furling mains. I also had a Hunter 35.5 with the B&R rig but it had a backstay. I also had Brion Toss tune my H380 and in doing so he mentioned to me that this was the strongest rig and he would sail around the world with such a rig. And they have.
As far as going straight down wind it can be done but you lose some effect from your mainsail. But here is my argument: going straight downwind is your slowest form of sailing. By heading up a bit you can go much faster and get to where you want to go without worrying about the main jibing. I won boat of the year in my local area once I discovered this notion. Sailing at 160 degrees is much faster and it upsets your competition.
As far as going straight down wind it can be done but you lose some effect from your mainsail. But here is my argument: going straight downwind is your slowest form of sailing. By heading up a bit you can go much faster and get to where you want to go without worrying about the main jibing. I won boat of the year in my local area once I discovered this notion. Sailing at 160 degrees is much faster and it upsets your competition.
Does the H49 have a B&R rig? If so, "Sequiter" sailed around Cape Horn with one! Search on that name for links to the full story.
I think there are a couple different versions of the B&R rig. Those with an in mast roller furling main have a larger mast in order to hold the rolled up sail. Because of the size it is an incredibly strong spar. We have a 41' Hunter with a roller furling main. We sail dead down wind and can usually hold our own with conventionally rigged boats. I agree that off the wind is a lot faster point of sail. We have been hit with 40+ knots carrying full main and jib. A squall caught us in the middle of a race. It wasn't fun but the rig was fine. If a minute later we would have been around the mark heading down wind for a win.
Yes, all new Hunters have the B&R rig
http://www.sailblogs.com/member/sequitur/
Also this guy that went from the US to the Med.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?...19790584705074&type=1&relevant_count=1&ref=nf
And there's also Mike Harker who did an 11 month circumnavigation in a Hunter 49 with B&R rig.
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