Waht a difference some new sails make!

[Rodger Beard]

I know that some might wonder why a Vision owner would post in the Hunter Racing Forum <G> but I just thought I'd drop a line to file a report on my new sails. As I type this I still can hardly believe what a difference they made.The sails that I had before on Attitude Adjustment, my Vision 32' were still in good shape really (but please don't tell my wife) though they were the stock, heavy canvas type from UK that came with the boat when it was built.The new sails are also from UK, but they're made from that top of the line artifical material known as Technora, with Gold "Tape Drives" (re-enforcement stripes) made out of kevlar. They weigh in at 3 1/2 oz (while the old sails were around 9 1/2 oz).Rick Creadle of the Newport Beach, CA UK loft finished installing both the main and head sails well after dark on Saturday night. Because it was so late we didn't have time for a test sail so no final adjustments could be done. Well, I couldn't wait for the follow up sailing apointment with Rick this coming Thursday so son Patrick and I went out in 4 1/2 - 5 knot winds yesterday afternoon. We did only about 2.5 - 2.8 knots and I was kinda' bummed to tell the truth.Then this morning I went out again with an ole salt friend in some 13-15 knot winds. Whoa, what a difference! We did a consistent 6.8 - 7.1 knots and held 7.6 knots just before coming in.I don't know what my hull speed is (yeah, know there's a formula...) but I seem to recall hearing that it was around 7 knots so I guess that 7.6 was a surf ride. (Though in candor I was so excited I didn't really notice.) I do know this for sure - the fastest I'd ever sailed Attitude Adjustment before was 5.8 and this was on a broad reach in a 15 knot winds. Today I did 6.9 knots pointing at 30 degrees! Whoppee!!!I can hardly wait for the upcoming Newport-Esenada race. I hope to make all us Hunter owners proud.Only thing I'm not sure about is whether I "have to" report those new sails and get my PHRF rating of 165 updated. Does anybody out there know if new (better)sails of the same exact size cause the rating to go down? (I should add that I also have Martec folding prop being installed this week.)Regardless, boy do I love those new sails!!!Rodger BeardMonarch Beach, CADPYC

 

[Tim Gabrielse]

PHRF Rating

Your PHRF rating should not change due to just new sails. PHRF rating is based on optimizing you boat within the limits (sail size, spinniker pole length etc). For example, I beleive that the Vision 32 is a fractional rig. If you were to buy a mast head kite, you would be penalized I beleive 6 sec/mile. Also if you bought a 170% jib, you would also be penalized. I have 3Dl on my Legend 37. Yes it does make her go faster, but you still need to trim them correctly for the wind conditions. It still takes crew work.Tim GabrielseBLAZE

 

[Claude L.-Auger]

Sails of same size should not

change your PHRF, but your Martec prop probably will drop it by 6 to 159 as your boat will then be assessed to have less drag. Good Luck

 

[Rodger Beard]

More on my "new race boat"...

I and a crew of 2 went out again today for a couple hours in 15-19 knot winds (rare for Dana Point) this time with the new sails AND with the new Martec folding prop.We hit 8.1 knots in 8-10' rollers, and a very consistent 7.5-7.6 knots. What a ride!Reefed the new main for the drill but not out of necessity. We raced for 5 miles on a reach against a C&C 40' (at least 11' more water line I'll guess) and while it was close, they couldn't pass us.I've learned to have a whole new appreciation for my Hunter Vision. It really LOVES heavy weather. Wish we had this sort of wind more often in Southern California!Rodger BeardAttitude Adjustment

 

[P.J.]

Notify PHRF

with respect to your folding prop, and just to be safe you might want a certificate of measurement from your sail maker and include a copy to PHRF. If the sails were made to the maximum spec allowed under your local rules there should only be a rating change for the prop, 3 - 6 sec.Good Luck, Show'em your stern.PJ