Adding runners to Hunter B&R rig?

[massnspace]

I am considering adding running backstays to my Hunter 23.5 trailerable sailboat. It has a Hunter B & R rig (fractional/no backstay).

Why? Mainly to be able to tension up the forestay/furler….if that would work. The forestay seems saggy to me, even after I temporarily use the mainsheet to pull a lot of tension into it when raising the mast. Once, when sailing downwind in heavy air the forestay became very loose and the whole rig made a strange vibrating/oscillating noise. And it was then that it occurred to me that maybe it was possible the vibrations and looseness could actually allow the forestay fitting to pop out of the mast and I could loose the rig after turning upwind.

The previous owner actually started this job, but based on other mistakes on the boat I fixed I am not convinced he did it correctly…..specifically the location of the mast tangs, which are pretty far below where the forestay attaches.

Questions:
-Does the B&R rig lend itself to these type of control lines?
-Where on the mast should the tangs be installed?
-This is a trailerable boat that is hard to get the forestay tensioned when raising the mast….does it matter if the rig is always going up and down?

Thanks for any advice on this.

David
Seattle

[Jammer]

Hello again, David. My previous boat was an H26 which as you are probably aware is just an H23.5 that was scaled up 10% by some junior draftsman, with no changes to speak of.

Some larger B&R rigs do have runners as part of the design though the H23.5/H26 do not.

With the H23.5/H26...
- You do have to get the shrouds tight. There should be little if any slack in the leeward shroud while sailing close hauled.
- While sailing, the mainsheet provides most of the aftward pull on the mast, not the shrouds.
- The main provides most of the drive anyway as this is a fractional rig.
- It is not possible to maintain sail shape on the jib when the main is reefed, or downwind.
- Use the topping lift and the mainsheet to support the mast when the main isn't set. This is one way to sail downwind on a windy day.

On stepping and unstepping the mast, my advice is to mark the threads on the turnbuckles for the shrouds after tuning the rig while sailing, and then tighten to the mark whenever you step the mast. Use tape, and also measure the pin-to-pin distance carefully with a ruler and put it in your notes in case the tape comes off or slips. Oil the threads and use a wrench when tightening.

I would not add runners. It's added complexity and clutter on a boat where simplicity and an open cockpit were the main design goals.

We had a fantastic time with our H26. We trailered it to Lake Vermilion on two occasions where I was able to step, launch, land, and unstep without outside assistance at an ordinary MN DNR boat ramp. I believe my H26 was the largest sailboat that has ever been sailed on Lake Vermilion and is likely to remain so for some time as there is no mast crane and few docks with deep water. We sailed all over the lake and spent several nights aboard. Back on Lake Pepin where we sailed most often, we spent many days anchored at sand bars with friends with kids swimming who were not comfortable in deep water -- with the board up we could anchor in 30".

I wouldn't give up those experiences for anything, and it was the H26 that made them possible.

With that in mind, my H26 never sailed well and had awful handling getting in and out of the slip. I could have improved matters somewhat by purchasing a new mainsail but in reality the nature of the fractional B&R rig, the water ballast, and the hull shape is going to keep these boats from sailing well by any sort of objective standards, and this is especially true in heavy chop.