upgrading headsail

Sep 23, 2014
3
hunter 33 Breton Bay
hello all,

I have a 2005 hunter 33 with B&R rig. It has a roller furler main, and headsail

The headsail is a 105%( I believe as that is what came from the dealer)

I was thinking of upgrading to a 115-120% headsail(from Doyle)

Has anyone attempted this? Wondering the benefits for upgrading the headsail against overpowering the rig. Looking for a little bit of better pointing ability and light air speed..

Thoughts?

Thanks all

J
 
Jul 27, 2011
5,134
Bavaria 38E Alamitos Bay
A 120% furling genoa with a foam luff should reef down to 100% and still be fairly functional. I'd go for it unless your typical sailing conditions are near 20 kt true wind speed; then you might wish to stick with the smaller headsail.
 

Bosman

.
Oct 24, 2010
346
Solina 27 Wabamun, Alberta
If you do not have provisions (tracks with cars long enough) to accommodate longer foot headsails (this was the case on my boat), you may consider vertical battens. You get about 10%-20% more sail area while maintaining the same foot (my jib area went from 11,5 sq meters to 14,18 sq meters), better foil shape and in case of my boat, improved pointing ability and higher speed. I got mine locally from AF Sails in Edmonton at very competitive price.

More info on vertical battens:
http://www.elvstromsails.com/index.php/easy-sailing-6/headsail/5-en/easy-sailing/46-max-jib
http://news.mesailing.com/msp/2012/02/vertical-battens.html
 

Attachments

Nov 8, 2010
11,386
Beneteau First 36.7 & 260 Minneapolis MN & Bayfield WI
hello all,

I have a 2005 hunter 33 with B&R rig. It has a roller furler main, and headsail

The headsail is a 105%( I believe as that is what came from the dealer)

I was thinking of upgrading to a 115-120% headsail(from Doyle)

Has anyone attempted this? Wondering the benefits for upgrading the headsail against overpowering the rig. Looking for a little bit of better pointing ability and light air speed..

Thoughts?

Thanks all

J
Your boat has outboard shrouds, and therefore was designed to only fly non-overlapping headsails (<110 - 105, depending). Anything bigger the the luff will run into the shrouds. You cannot sheet around them.
 

meb135

.
Nov 17, 2012
92
Hunter 33 Shediac Bay
Your boat has outboard shrouds, and therefore was designed to only fly non-overlapping headsails (<110 - 105, depending). Anything bigger the the luff will run into the shrouds. You cannot sheet around them.
Hartalee, I'll second what Jackdaw said. I have a 04' 33 and looking at replacing both sails. The headsail is limited to < 110 and there's no way around it. However, if it's more square footage you're looking for, avoid the high cut style and go with a headsail that follows the height of your lifeline.
That's what I will be doing.

Marc
 

BayMan

.
Sep 12, 2012
203
Hunter 450 Unspecified
Hartalee, I'll second what Jackdaw said.
Make that 3.

We try to race a 33 (yeah I know) and often wish we had a real Genoa but don't think it's possible. How about an asymetrical?
 
Dec 19, 2006
5,832
Hunter 36 Punta Gorda
Headsail

I know of a few Hunter owners who have added a larger Headsail but from 110
to maybe not more than 120/125 and have done this only with a sailmaker
coming to the boat and measuring and checking everything.
Nick
 
Oct 29, 2005
2,363
Hunter Marine 326 303 Singapore
How about head sail with vertical batten as what Bosman mentioned? He gets about 20% more sail area with same foot length.
 

braol

.
Apr 16, 2014
348
Hunter 27 Rebel 16 Great Lakes Naval Base, IL
If you're not racing for trophies or money then reef away! I'd love to know how many cruising sailors have spent how much money on a slightly larger/smaller sail for such marginal gains. If you have a Farr or a J-boat and you're racing to Mackinac, you should have several different sails for multiple conditions and they should all be in relativly new condition and they should NEVER be roller-furled. But for the vast majority of us it really doesn't matter...or at least it doesn't deserve all the attention and discussion this topic garnishes on a regular basis.
There is sail theory and then there is your own individual boat. I think it is best to apply the theories to your boat and then experiment with different levels of headsail reefing while observing your knotmeter and feeling the helm balance. This will give you a very good idea of the best trim for your boat for a variety of conditions. Leave all the worry and expense of trying to find that perfect sail to the racers, even they don't always get it right...and when they do the wind changes and they have to pick another sail to hoist up.
With multiple sheeting options and million dollar materials and design, a race boat is faced with high speed but very narrow operating ranges for each of it's headsails. Sometimes a 7kt wind speed change requires a different sail and a helmsman has to steer a very narrow 'sweet spot' of just a few degrees. Us cruisers need not really worry about such things like we sometimes do.
A 150% with roller furling capability should about do the trick for most conditions we see...oh, and maybe a hank-on 80-100% if you're really looking to do some brisk weather sailing without the concern of the 150 slapping around or getting away from you. An H33 is a heavier boat with a big headsail (especially if it's a 150) and so a #3 like I mentioned should really reduce drag and get you flying if you are sailing in anything over maybe 12-15kts.
Save all the fuss and put in some comfy cushions, a bimini top, and a wine fridge and cash in your pocket rather than different headsails. And maybe check for a used #3. I have a H27 and have an older 90% from a Catalina that I got for next to nothing that works wonderfully if not perfectly.
 
Sep 23, 2014
3
hunter 33 Breton Bay
Marc,

If you are getting more square footage out of your head sail, by extending the leech down the safety rail, do you mind sharing what dimensions you used?

Justin