Mid March- the snow ia melting in Downeast Maine and soon it will be warm enough to start preparing the boat for the summer. The long winter nights have have been filled with thought of upgrades and I would like to hear about experiences which other people have had with the following issues. These issues woudl apply to a 1987 Hunter 26.5 1) Boom brake vs Preventer: I sail this boat quite often by myself and I worry about jibing. Two of the solutions I am considering would be either a boom brake or a preventer system. Does anybody have any experience with either of these solutions? 2) Whisker pole: Late in the season last year, I came into possession of a boat hook which had been on the boat originally. The interim owner indicated that he thought it might have been used as a whisker pole. I think he is right as there is a line in the base of the pole and it is the correct length, and looking at the mast I found traces that there was an eye there at one time. The pole is wooden, heavy and I would think difficult to put in place, although I haven't actually tried it yet. It seems that whisker poles in the catalogs and on the internet are pretty expensive. Does anybody have any ideas about the use of a whisker pole? It might be that the weight of the pole would be an advantage to keep the shape of the sail. 3) Mooring Posts: Cost is probably going to force me off the slip I have been on. I have access to the mooring that the boat was on before. It did well with cleats before. As I am either sailing by myself or with inexperienced crew, I wonder whether installing a mooring post and chocks would make sense for ease of making the initial pick-up. I don't want to put anything on the deck that is likely to trip me up, if there isn't an advantage in doing so. I might add that on the current mooring, and the current cleats as they exist, the boat rode out a 50 knot wind that caused many other boats in the harbor to break loose or drag their moorings. I don't think that holding power is so much of an issue as the question of convenience when apporaching the mooring which I do under power, not under sail. 4) Bow roller for the anchor: This boat has an anchor locker which opens up like a book. I have considered putting in a bow roller for the anchor but it doesn't seem as if there is enough room to allow it to be securely mounted. Does anybody have any experience in this area? I woudl appreciate any experiences or advise that people have in these areas.
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WHISKER POLE
C J We drove up to Rockport last weekend to look at the new-to-us boat that we’ve just bought, an AE28. Saw our first robins of the year alongside I-95. We’ve been sailing a 2001 h260. We experimented for one year, using a boat hook as a whisker pole. We did this in very light air, just to see what happened. Last year, we graduated to a “real” Forespar pole. It was just over $100.00 and worked out very well. Can't comment on your #1. Paul s/v Pretty Lady
C J We drove up to Rockport last weekend to look at the new-to-us boat that we’ve just bought, an AE28. Saw our first robins of the year alongside I-95. We’ve been sailing a 2001 h260. We experimented for one year, using a boat hook as a whisker pole. We did this in very light air, just to see what happened. Last year, we graduated to a “real” Forespar pole. It was just over $100.00 and worked out very well. Can't comment on your #1. Paul s/v Pretty Lady
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