Thanks to those on the list who anwsered my previous post. You advice has proved extremely valuable. An issue came up on reefing. According to the H310 manual(no mast furling) the reefing line comes out of the forward end of the boom by going over the sheave in the boom and going down to thep sheave of a fiddle block at the mast base, up thru the eyelet on the mast, thru the luff reefing cringle on the sail, back down thru the eyelet and thru the bottom sheave of the fiddle block at the mast base and out to the deck organizer. On our boat we don't have a fiddle block for reefing, just a single block. And the reefing line is coming under the forward sheave and out of a top hole in the boom. I assume that the PO rigged it so that the reefing line goes up to the reefing cringle and back down thru the eyelet on the mast and down to the single block at the mast base. I am wondering if this is gives enough forward thrust to the reefing line so that you get a tight foot on the sail. I can replace the blocks on the mast with fiddle blocks, if necessary. Your advice would be appreciated. Just a note. The US distributor of Zspar parts, Rite Rig, used on our boats, had a serious fire a few month ago. Still no tele no, must fax. Hope they get back in business soon. Thanks listees.
Single line reefing-H31o
- Thread starter harv
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Sounds plausible
It sounds like the sheave at the gooseneck end of the boom is taking the place of the top sheave of the fiddle block on other Hunters' systems. No matter WHAT you do, you'll have a hard time getting a decent sail shape from a single-line reefing system. It's designed for simplicity and cheapness, not for sail shape. I suggest trying it out at the dock to see how well it works. It's not something you want to discover when you're overpowered and trying to reduce sail.
It sounds like the sheave at the gooseneck end of the boom is taking the place of the top sheave of the fiddle block on other Hunters' systems. No matter WHAT you do, you'll have a hard time getting a decent sail shape from a single-line reefing system. It's designed for simplicity and cheapness, not for sail shape. I suggest trying it out at the dock to see how well it works. It's not something you want to discover when you're overpowered and trying to reduce sail.
H310 single-line reefing rig
Harv - My 99H310 had Selden spars, and was rigged exactly the same way as you describe on your boat. The lack of an additional 2-to-1 mechanical advantage (like your manual describes) didn't make it all that hard to use, so I don't know if I'd trade having to haul twice as much line for half the effort. Shorter _is_ faster, and fast reefing is very desirable sometimes <g>. A major determinant of sail shape is matching the sail's operating environment to its design (like mast pre-bend, rake, etc.). However, the sail's design, itself is also a major factor. My 99H310's stock UK sails had full battens only at the top 2 positions, with leach battens for the lower two. They'd consistently get me 7.4kts on a beam reach, but pointing higher (less) than 40 degrees was extremely difficult, even with that cabintop jib car track. The custom sails I had Doyle make for my new H36 have 4 full battens on the mainsail. Its shape when reefed at either the first, second or third reefing point is excellent, with single line reefing that has no extra purchase. However, I do have to use ST40 cabintop winches (upgraded from the stock ST30s) to finish off the reefing job. I was out yesterday in 20-to-25kt winds trying out my planned storm tactic of sailing with completely furled jib and triple-reefed mainsail to see how they would balance before trying the tactic in more exciting conditions. I was able to point high enough with that nice, flat 3-reefed sail foot to close haul to within 30 degrees before feathering off too much velocity. If you can't pull the leach reef cringle far enough aft to flatten the sail foot without having the additional mechanical advantage, the difference in sail shape would, indeed, justify adding the extra purchase. Regardless of how flat, full or twisted you want the sail to be at any moment, its effective foot when reefed should be as straight as the non-reefed sail. However, if you have the original sails, you're dealing with a (probably) somewhat blown-out mainsail that wasn't the greatest at flat-footed reefing when new.
Harv - My 99H310 had Selden spars, and was rigged exactly the same way as you describe on your boat. The lack of an additional 2-to-1 mechanical advantage (like your manual describes) didn't make it all that hard to use, so I don't know if I'd trade having to haul twice as much line for half the effort. Shorter _is_ faster, and fast reefing is very desirable sometimes <g>. A major determinant of sail shape is matching the sail's operating environment to its design (like mast pre-bend, rake, etc.). However, the sail's design, itself is also a major factor. My 99H310's stock UK sails had full battens only at the top 2 positions, with leach battens for the lower two. They'd consistently get me 7.4kts on a beam reach, but pointing higher (less) than 40 degrees was extremely difficult, even with that cabintop jib car track. The custom sails I had Doyle make for my new H36 have 4 full battens on the mainsail. Its shape when reefed at either the first, second or third reefing point is excellent, with single line reefing that has no extra purchase. However, I do have to use ST40 cabintop winches (upgraded from the stock ST30s) to finish off the reefing job. I was out yesterday in 20-to-25kt winds trying out my planned storm tactic of sailing with completely furled jib and triple-reefed mainsail to see how they would balance before trying the tactic in more exciting conditions. I was able to point high enough with that nice, flat 3-reefed sail foot to close haul to within 30 degrees before feathering off too much velocity. If you can't pull the leach reef cringle far enough aft to flatten the sail foot without having the additional mechanical advantage, the difference in sail shape would, indeed, justify adding the extra purchase. Regardless of how flat, full or twisted you want the sail to be at any moment, its effective foot when reefed should be as straight as the non-reefed sail. However, if you have the original sails, you're dealing with a (probably) somewhat blown-out mainsail that wasn't the greatest at flat-footed reefing when new.
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