Has anyone had experience using a riding sail to prevent "hunting" (no pun intended) while at anchor? If so, how did you rig and what were results? Where did you purchase or have made?
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they help
Hunters and other boats with fin keels are prone to sailing at anchor. I know some owners who have hoisted anchor riding sails and it helped.
Hunters and other boats with fin keels are prone to sailing at anchor. I know some owners who have hoisted anchor riding sails and it helped.
Anchor Riding Sail
Pete, I plan to buy a riding sail for my h340 this year. The January 2007 issue of Sail Magazine, page 72 has a pretty good article on riding sails and the article deals with different scenario's for flying the sail. There is a chart showing the recommended size vs. boat length. For a 35 ft. boat, a 25 square ft. sail area is recommended and for a 40 ft. boat a 30 sq. ft. sail. I plan to have the sail made with an integral luff reinforcement, either rope or tape.. I plan to hoist it with the main halyard and use a pennant of proper length to secure the tack to a stern cleat. I will attach a sheet to the clew and attach it forward to a midship cleat. I plan to fly it just above the bimini. The Sail Mag article shows various ways of rigging the riding sail depending on the rig. On some boats they are attached to the backstay but with no backstay they show flying it from the topping lift as an option but requires a larger sail for the same effect. I will post pix and report next summer when I find out the results. h340 Wind Drift
Pete, I plan to buy a riding sail for my h340 this year. The January 2007 issue of Sail Magazine, page 72 has a pretty good article on riding sails and the article deals with different scenario's for flying the sail. There is a chart showing the recommended size vs. boat length. For a 35 ft. boat, a 25 square ft. sail area is recommended and for a 40 ft. boat a 30 sq. ft. sail. I plan to have the sail made with an integral luff reinforcement, either rope or tape.. I plan to hoist it with the main halyard and use a pennant of proper length to secure the tack to a stern cleat. I will attach a sheet to the clew and attach it forward to a midship cleat. I plan to fly it just above the bimini. The Sail Mag article shows various ways of rigging the riding sail depending on the rig. On some boats they are attached to the backstay but with no backstay they show flying it from the topping lift as an option but requires a larger sail for the same effect. I will post pix and report next summer when I find out the results. h340 Wind Drift
I use a storm jib
I bought the smallest used storm jib I could find on Ebay for about $100. Hank it on the backstay, hoist with main halyard and sheet it to the mast over the dodger. Used it a few times this past summer, works great. I've seen new riding sails for sale as well, found this link with a google search.
I bought the smallest used storm jib I could find on Ebay for about $100. Hank it on the backstay, hoist with main halyard and sheet it to the mast over the dodger. Used it a few times this past summer, works great. I've seen new riding sails for sale as well, found this link with a google search.
ED
We at least you think is going to go. she sail up on one side untill the anchor is nearly 90 degrees to the boat. what a pain. I made a riding sail from and old sail from a small one design. i cut triange out put old hanks on it and put it on the backstay. clew goes down the centerline over the boom to mast at the gooseneck. this system is easy, small to store and nails the boat into the wind. This is an upgrade i really like. Several friends have picked up old pram sails and cut them down. The work great too. I dont think it needs alot of heavy duty reinforcemet. Its a small sail. I would make it as flat as possible. no draft. you dont really need the lift, as it just adds windage to the stern to keep it headed into the wind.
We at least you think is going to go. she sail up on one side untill the anchor is nearly 90 degrees to the boat. what a pain. I made a riding sail from and old sail from a small one design. i cut triange out put old hanks on it and put it on the backstay. clew goes down the centerline over the boom to mast at the gooseneck. this system is easy, small to store and nails the boat into the wind. This is an upgrade i really like. Several friends have picked up old pram sails and cut them down. The work great too. I dont think it needs alot of heavy duty reinforcemet. Its a small sail. I would make it as flat as possible. no draft. you dont really need the lift, as it just adds windage to the stern to keep it headed into the wind.
Me too
Our H356 sails around the anchor pretty badly. A friend has given us a riding sail and we will employ it next season. We intend to use the "Topping lift" which is actually a spare halyard to rig it. The "Tack" will go directly on the boom. We will stretch the "Clew" forward to tie off around the mast. I can't imagine it will be much different than if we had a backstay. I don't believe you need a very much larger sail area for the topping lift rigging.
Our H356 sails around the anchor pretty badly. A friend has given us a riding sail and we will employ it next season. We intend to use the "Topping lift" which is actually a spare halyard to rig it. The "Tack" will go directly on the boom. We will stretch the "Clew" forward to tie off around the mast. I can't imagine it will be much different than if we had a backstay. I don't believe you need a very much larger sail area for the topping lift rigging.
Banner Bay Pointer
I purchased a riding sail from Banner Bay (Westfield, New Jersey) last year to minimize the swings my Hunter has at anchor. I deployed it at an anchorage with 15-20 kts wind and it worked like a charm. There was a large Hunter directly in front of me at the anchorage and it appeared that my swing with the riding sail was only a fourth of what he was experiencing.
I purchased a riding sail from Banner Bay (Westfield, New Jersey) last year to minimize the swings my Hunter has at anchor. I deployed it at an anchorage with 15-20 kts wind and it worked like a charm. There was a large Hunter directly in front of me at the anchorage and it appeared that my swing with the riding sail was only a fourth of what he was experiencing.
Sea Anchor
Putting a sea anchor over the stern reduces this significantly, much better than a sail as the boat stays constant position in the water rather than a constant angle to the wind. In the UK we have builders merchants that supply sand and gravel in 1 m3 bags that hold about 2.5 tons of material. These make great sea anchors and are either free with the gravel or about £10 depending on the merchant. They are about 3 ft cube with big webbing straps. They work really well
Putting a sea anchor over the stern reduces this significantly, much better than a sail as the boat stays constant position in the water rather than a constant angle to the wind. In the UK we have builders merchants that supply sand and gravel in 1 m3 bags that hold about 2.5 tons of material. These make great sea anchors and are either free with the gravel or about £10 depending on the merchant. They are about 3 ft cube with big webbing straps. They work really well
what about a thunderstorm
My 420 swings alot as you may expect and I would use an anchor sail except for one concern. That concern is possible increased windage from the sail that could make you more likely to drag when a thunderstorm comes rolling thru. Here on the Chesapeake afternoon/evening thunderstorms in the summer are common. Anyone with riding sail experience in thunderstorms? Are you better able to motor into the wind when its blowing hard?
My 420 swings alot as you may expect and I would use an anchor sail except for one concern. That concern is possible increased windage from the sail that could make you more likely to drag when a thunderstorm comes rolling thru. Here on the Chesapeake afternoon/evening thunderstorms in the summer are common. Anyone with riding sail experience in thunderstorms? Are you better able to motor into the wind when its blowing hard?
Take It Down!!
We got caught in a thunderstorm with microburst on July 3. We had our Delta set with 100 feet of chain out. The riding sail was also set. The sail did indeed present a lot of extra windage and drug far and fast. Not fun. Winds hit about 50 kts. Next time I’ll take it down if I see this coming. Dave Robinson S/V Quiet Wings Hunter Passage 456
We got caught in a thunderstorm with microburst on July 3. We had our Delta set with 100 feet of chain out. The riding sail was also set. The sail did indeed present a lot of extra windage and drug far and fast. Not fun. Winds hit about 50 kts. Next time I’ll take it down if I see this coming. Dave Robinson S/V Quiet Wings Hunter Passage 456
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