Darling wife and I looking at 94' 23.5, we would like to know if roller furling set-up on jib will make things worse due to mast going up, and down often for trailering? If roller is a good idea, how much are they? We would really enjoy a set of stern rail seats, How much, and where to get them? Are they difficult to install? They look fairly straight forward. We hope to complete the deal by the end of week, and would like to negotiate these items with dealer. Input is greatly appreciated. We're very nervous about this whole water ballast thing, so hopefully all goes well.
stren rail seats, and roller furling jib
- Thread starter ptsbug
- Start date
- Status
Stern rail seats are the way to go
You order them from Hunter directly. They are the only place to get them (Actually I think you can also order them through this website). They are made to order so it will take a little time to get them. I think they were between $500 and 600. Wait until it cools off to install them becasue it gets hot down in the aft berth even when it's nice out. Can't help you on the roller furl. Personally, I find the head sail to be managable on a 23.5 and don't feel the need to install one. Anything bigger than a 23.5 and a roller furl would be a necesity. Good Luck.
You order them from Hunter directly. They are the only place to get them (Actually I think you can also order them through this website). They are made to order so it will take a little time to get them. I think they were between $500 and 600. Wait until it cools off to install them becasue it gets hot down in the aft berth even when it's nice out. Can't help you on the roller furl. Personally, I find the head sail to be managable on a 23.5 and don't feel the need to install one. Anything bigger than a 23.5 and a roller furl would be a necesity. Good Luck.
Both of the above
The wife and I just got back from a 3 day shakedown cruise on our new(to us) 1994 23.5, It has both of the Items above and I can tell you that 1: rollerfurling (cdi) is NO problem! It IS a bit more bulky of course, but didn't give us ANY problem whatsoever raising and lowering the mast we've done it 3 times now (twice in the driveway and once this weekend at the lake)....Can't say as to the price new...but for ease of furling and reliability, I would say that CDI is the way to go (this is our 2nd boat with a CDI unit and they've been very good.) and 2, the stern rail seats (installed by previous owner) are SWEET! If the boat had come without them, I would have added them without thinking about it. Also a good set of cockpit cushions are worth their weight in gold. Regarding the Water Ballast issue, I too was a bit nervous about it, but it is simple and so far works as advertised! You can definitely tell a difference in the stiffness of the boat when the tank fills. Towing is also MUCH nicer with the extra 1000 pounds out of it. We up-graded from our Com-pac 19 to the Hunter 23.5, after MUCH shopping around and deliberation on exactly what we wanted in a boat...and for two people, the 23.5 is IMHO about the best value on the market in a trailerable sailboat. A boat this nice shouldn't be this easy... but it is! Good luck!!!
The wife and I just got back from a 3 day shakedown cruise on our new(to us) 1994 23.5, It has both of the Items above and I can tell you that 1: rollerfurling (cdi) is NO problem! It IS a bit more bulky of course, but didn't give us ANY problem whatsoever raising and lowering the mast we've done it 3 times now (twice in the driveway and once this weekend at the lake)....Can't say as to the price new...but for ease of furling and reliability, I would say that CDI is the way to go (this is our 2nd boat with a CDI unit and they've been very good.) and 2, the stern rail seats (installed by previous owner) are SWEET! If the boat had come without them, I would have added them without thinking about it. Also a good set of cockpit cushions are worth their weight in gold. Regarding the Water Ballast issue, I too was a bit nervous about it, but it is simple and so far works as advertised! You can definitely tell a difference in the stiffness of the boat when the tank fills. Towing is also MUCH nicer with the extra 1000 pounds out of it. We up-graded from our Com-pac 19 to the Hunter 23.5, after MUCH shopping around and deliberation on exactly what we wanted in a boat...and for two people, the 23.5 is IMHO about the best value on the market in a trailerable sailboat. A boat this nice shouldn't be this easy... but it is! Good luck!!!
Me too
If you're counting votes, I added roller furling and stern rail seats to my 1995 H23.5. I'd do it again at twice, even three times the price. My furler is a Schaefer SnapFurl CF500. I love it. When (un)stepping the mast, I tie an old towel around the drum so it doesn't drag across the window and scratch it. The seats were ordered from the factory three years ago. I had the local dealer install them. I had my lifelines modified: shortened, with Johnson "over-center" pelican hooks on the aft ends. Instead of connecting to the U-bolt at the stern, they terminate (with the hooks) attached to the top of the stern rail seat. I had two short lifelines added (also with pelican hooks at the aft ends) between the aft stanchion and the stern rail seats. Not all stern rail seats have the extra padeyes welded to the seats (at the seat level). These extra lines are between and parallel to the coaming wall and the upper lifelines to fill in the big gap. I had another lifeline (with pelican hook) added to go between the two stern rail seats to close off the stern so one can't topple out backwards over the lower-than-knee-high transom. Now, the cockpit is completely closed in and feels very secure. ...RickM...
If you're counting votes, I added roller furling and stern rail seats to my 1995 H23.5. I'd do it again at twice, even three times the price. My furler is a Schaefer SnapFurl CF500. I love it. When (un)stepping the mast, I tie an old towel around the drum so it doesn't drag across the window and scratch it. The seats were ordered from the factory three years ago. I had the local dealer install them. I had my lifelines modified: shortened, with Johnson "over-center" pelican hooks on the aft ends. Instead of connecting to the U-bolt at the stern, they terminate (with the hooks) attached to the top of the stern rail seat. I had two short lifelines added (also with pelican hooks at the aft ends) between the aft stanchion and the stern rail seats. Not all stern rail seats have the extra padeyes welded to the seats (at the seat level). These extra lines are between and parallel to the coaming wall and the upper lifelines to fill in the big gap. I had another lifeline (with pelican hook) added to go between the two stern rail seats to close off the stern so one can't topple out backwards over the lower-than-knee-high transom. Now, the cockpit is completely closed in and feels very secure. ...RickM...
Stern Rail Seats Absolutly, Furler Not so Sure
I can't add much on the stern rail seats they are worth every cent. Installation is stright forward just don't tighten down anything till all the screws are in and nuts on the other side. If you are going to add a bimmini you do not want to just add pelican hooks to the end. The hooks get in the way of the bimmini. You'll want to add gate eyes at the stanchions and then have the hooks go to the gate eyes. If you are going to trailer sail the boat the furler is more trouble than it is worth. Just add a downhaul to the jib and keep hanking it on.
I can't add much on the stern rail seats they are worth every cent. Installation is stright forward just don't tighten down anything till all the screws are in and nuts on the other side. If you are going to add a bimmini you do not want to just add pelican hooks to the end. The hooks get in the way of the bimmini. You'll want to add gate eyes at the stanchions and then have the hooks go to the gate eyes. If you are going to trailer sail the boat the furler is more trouble than it is worth. Just add a downhaul to the jib and keep hanking it on.
- Status