I just purchased a Hunter 19. In addition to cleaning and general maintenance, I was trying to step the mast on my own. I read the owner’s manual and was somewhat taken aback in how difficult this process was. Does anyone have any tricks that would make this process easier? Please advice.
Stepping the Mask
- Thread starter nesch
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Is this a water ballast and if so, send me a private email to davecondon@mindspring.com with your phone number and I will call you. I know the system too well for the 19 as it was my design to Hunter.
crazy dave condon
crazy dave condon
A second person to help
Seriously, it's trivial to step the mast on these boats with two people. If you want to do it solo, then you probably want to rig up a mast raising system. Do a search on this site and you will turn up a bunch of different designs. Here is a link for one geared towards the H23.5, but the concept is the same for all.
Cheers,
Brad
I have an email from him but no response if it is water ballast or not. When he advises year and water ballast, I will calll him. I just sent him another email. Hunter had a 19 in the 80's with some home built kits which is why I am trying to make sure which boat as I went thru this last yeear.
I figured out how to step the mask. Now, I am trying to figure out how much tension there should be on the shrouds/side stays. How tight should they be?
Get a loos gauge
Do you have a manual? If not go to: http://www.ayesail.net/sailing/Hunter/Hunter19_23_26/index.html
Spend a couple hours, do it once and you're set. Put a level on the cabin top and get the boat level, fore and aft and side to side. This requires the most level spot on the driveway and raising one side of the trailer about 2" with a jack. Go to page 27 of the manual. Tighten the shroud turnbuckles till the shrouds feel a bit tight. You will be setting: 1. Mast rake (mast leaning toward the back of the boat). 2. Mast plumb (level side to side). 3. Mast bend, which you cannot measure per se, but will eyeball. The main halyard (rope that raises the main sail) with the adjustable wrench attached through the hole is your plumb-bob for all of these. Using the loos gauge, you will be tightening the upper and lower shrouds alternately. My 26 is set to 600 lbs on the uppers and 350-400 on the lowers. Try 400 lbs on the uppers to start on yours, BUT WORK UP TO IT! The upper shrouds are doing most of the work and are bending the mast (1" if I recall) the lower shrouds are controlling the bend by not allowing it to bend more than 1" at 400 lbs downforce. If you put the 400 lbs on them right away and the mast bends more than 1" and then you start to crank the lowers to bring it back to 1", you will be putting more force on the uppers as you, in effect, make the mast longer (straight vs bent) and that 400 lbs is going to go way up! Be patient. It will take some time working back and forth to get it right.
The loos gauge isn't cheap, but this retired Engineer likes to know the numbers.
Do you have a manual? If not go to: http://www.ayesail.net/sailing/Hunter/Hunter19_23_26/index.html
Spend a couple hours, do it once and you're set. Put a level on the cabin top and get the boat level, fore and aft and side to side. This requires the most level spot on the driveway and raising one side of the trailer about 2" with a jack. Go to page 27 of the manual. Tighten the shroud turnbuckles till the shrouds feel a bit tight. You will be setting: 1. Mast rake (mast leaning toward the back of the boat). 2. Mast plumb (level side to side). 3. Mast bend, which you cannot measure per se, but will eyeball. The main halyard (rope that raises the main sail) with the adjustable wrench attached through the hole is your plumb-bob for all of these. Using the loos gauge, you will be tightening the upper and lower shrouds alternately. My 26 is set to 600 lbs on the uppers and 350-400 on the lowers. Try 400 lbs on the uppers to start on yours, BUT WORK UP TO IT! The upper shrouds are doing most of the work and are bending the mast (1" if I recall) the lower shrouds are controlling the bend by not allowing it to bend more than 1" at 400 lbs downforce. If you put the 400 lbs on them right away and the mast bends more than 1" and then you start to crank the lowers to bring it back to 1", you will be putting more force on the uppers as you, in effect, make the mast longer (straight vs bent) and that 400 lbs is going to go way up! Be patient. It will take some time working back and forth to get it right.
The loos gauge isn't cheap, but this retired Engineer likes to know the numbers.
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Re: Get a loos gauge
Thank you for all of your help plus great advice. You are right, it takes patience and time. I have one more question; I have a thin rope that is attached to the mast, which appears to have been cut. It runs outside of the mast, if I were to tie the ends together it would be connected into a loop. It is not the Main Halyard. I think this rope may have used to hoist a Burgee. I know that my description may not be easy to understand; therefore I can take a picture of it and send it to you. I am just trying to figure out what the purpose of this rope is.
Thank you for all of your help plus great advice. You are right, it takes patience and time. I have one more question; I have a thin rope that is attached to the mast, which appears to have been cut. It runs outside of the mast, if I were to tie the ends together it would be connected into a loop. It is not the Main Halyard. I think this rope may have used to hoist a Burgee. I know that my description may not be easy to understand; therefore I can take a picture of it and send it to you. I am just trying to figure out what the purpose of this rope is.
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