rigging an 89 hunter 30 isomat mast for a spinaker

[Steve Voyce]

I have an 89 hunter 30 with an isomat mast. At the bottom of the mast on the port side is an exit point for a spinaker halyard. When I stand on the deck or the dock I cannot see any provisions anywhere above the forestay for the the halyard to exit. I'm interested in any info or suggestions on how I should run this halyard.Internal? External? Back to the cockpit? How far up the mast? Where to buy required hardware? What model of isomat do I have? What is going on inside this mast? Thanks Steve V.

 

[Frank Walker]

Look Closer

Steve, On my 88 30 there is a block built into the jib halyard/forestay assy. It is right above the exits for the jib halyards. I kept getting the spinnaker halyard caught by the furling swivel so I moved about 12 inches up the mast and installed a new exit block. This arrangement works out better, but it was a little trouble and expense. I ran my spinaker halyard back to a spare stopper but there are lots of other options depending on how the rest of the boat is rigged. You can buy additional standing eyes for the cast mast base from Rig Rite, Layline or probably others. If one of the four internal turning blocks is avaliable just use that. There is a special car for the pole that fits in the track made into the front of the mast. That is also avaliable from the above suppliers. A chute does wonders for the light air down wind performance for these boats. I just bought an import asymetrical from Crusiing Direct and have been very satified for the money.

 

[Steve Voyce]

You are right Frank

I was down at the dock today and with binoculars I can see an exit point for the spinnaker halyard right on top of the forestay.Can I drop a small line down the mast with a weight attached fishing it out at the bottom, then use it to pull in a new halyard? Or is there a better way to run this halyard inside?

 

[Frank Walker]

Port or Stbd

Steve, that is what most do. One little trick to keep lines from crossing in the mast is to get a few friends to heel the boat over on the desired side so that the weight slides down the side of the mast. Good Luck.