topping lift, boom vang and reef?

[svHyLyte]

Zach--

The older Hunter 27's are very sturdy boats and good sailors with a little bit of work. Our best friends and their two children cruised one to Florida from Maine and lived aboard for a year while he got his business going here. They loved the boat and the kids cried when she was sold in favor of a "big boat"--a Hunter 29 of similar vintage!

For a relatively modest investment you can do a lot for your boat. Check out the Garhauer website for an MT-3 Traveler (complete at $250.00), UR-1 Track Risers for the traveler ($160) and an RV12-1 Rigid Vang ($275). You can (should) loose the topping lift entirely and add the Cunningham I described earlier to tighten the luff when necessary.

Good Luck!

s/v HyLyte

[Cheechako]

Uhh... dont most sails raise the clew end of the boom when reefed?? If so the topping lift discussion is moot. I had wire topping lifts both fixed or with a block on the end of the wire to adjust if needed, but frankly I never did use it much on either boat. Boat reefed fine..Now... remembering to loosen the vang that is an issue!!!

[svHyLyte]

If the topping lift is too short relative to the leach of the sail, the mainsheet cannot be used to shape the sail as the tension from the sheet is carried by the topping lift rather than the sail itself. In re: reefing, the boom should remain relatively horizontal and the sail pulled down/lowered to the boom which-during the process--is supported by either the topping lift, or better, a solid vang. Once the leech reefing line is tightened, and the luff retightened, the topping lift is releaved and the sail--albeit shortened--is again trimmed with the main sheet and vang.

s/v HyLyte

[starbolin]

Is the head of the sail all the way to the top of the mast? You have to loosen the downhaul and really crank on the halyard. There should be nothing in the connection between the halyard and the sail head except a knot. Has someone added a shackle there? There should be a line or a mark on the mast about the level of the boom gooseneck. You should be able to raise the boom above that line then pull the gooseneck down towards the line with the downhaul. If the head of the sail is too low both the leach tension and the luff tension will be incorrect. Being able to control the luff tension is as important as being able to control the leach tension.

If you loosen the downhaul can you slide the boom up and down? I've seen more that one boat where some heathen has screwed the gooseneck to the mast.

[scotty]

yes the head of the sail is all the way up. it seems that the luff is fine when the wind is over 10 knots it fills the sail nicely, but under 10 the luff is loose. i disconnected the fixed topping lift in some light wind, it drops the boom some but the sail now fills nicely in lite wind. i think i am going to get a quick release pin for the topping lift for lite winds. as for a traveler i will be looking for one at some swap meets. i dont know what a cunningham is but i will find out shortly. as for a vang i might i might not.

simply i think the sail is cut a little long in the luff, but i can work around it for now till its new sail time

[Blaine g]

great idea , my topping lift hangs up on my full batten main, thanks