This question was submitted by Tim R. If you have any suggestions for him please leave a comment...... THANKS FOR YOU HELP!
We purchased a new 2008 Hunter 31 last year and are really quite happy with the boat. Last year we kept her at our yacht club (on a mooring) but this year we decided to put a mooring in off our house so we could watch our pride and joy any time. It soon became very clear that the boat is not just "active" on her mooring, she dances like a whirling dervish!! This became serious when Hurrican Bill and more recently Danny came sweeping through.
She sits on a mooring ball with 2, 15 foot lines attached to the bow cleats. The motion seems to be led by the bow catching the wind, and veering off to one side or the other. The boat will twist until she sits at about 45 degrees to the wind and the bow is tight against the mooring line on that side. She then rolls (during "Bill" this was up to 20 degrees of centre) and starts the journey back towards centre. At centre, she continues her travels until she reaches the limits of the other side, rolls in the opposite direction and then starts all over again. Total cycle can be about 90 seconds in a good wind. The high freeboard seems to create a great deal of windage. We also have in-mast furling with about one foot of main exposed (the UV protected bit)
So far, I've tried a small "riding sail" mounted at he aft end of the boom and held in place by the topping lift. This seems to have quelled the motion a bit but she's still bouncing around quite wildly. Our dealer (himself an experienced offshore sailor) has suggested a couple of things we can try but I'd be very interested in any other suggestions.
I'm getting nervous that with all the action she will eventually wear through her lines and break away, so I'm asking for any advice on how to make her better behaved. Shortening the harness lines? Using only one instead of two? Leading lines through the anchor bracket? Any Ritalin for yachts?
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Tim,
ReplyDeleteMy wifa and I have lived on a Hunter 45cc since May of 2006. Like your 31, the hull design and bulb keel make her light, fast and super responsive under sail. After 18,000 nautical miles, however, we've learned that the design characteristics, which make the Hunter such a great boat to sail, also make it one of the most notorious "swimmers" when at anchor or on a mooring.
To combat our boats penchant for swimming, we've done the following:
1. We constructed a single mooring line of 3/4" nylon, three strand line, rove to a s/s shackle. The shackle goes to the mooring and the bitter end comes over the anchor roller, through chaffing gear (old 1" fire hose) and ties to the cleat adjacent to the anchor windlass. This reduced the unequal pull that comes with using a bridal.
2. Spend some time at the helm when on the mooring playing with the wheel position, because the set of the rudder will dramatically effect the swimming effect on the boat. At some point, you'll fine a position that, with the wheel locked in position, reduces the swimming to a minimum. Mark that position and lock the wheel there each time you anchor or moor the boat.
Through our conversations with dozens of other Hunter owners, discussing this exact same issue, we've all come to realization that, short of using a stern anchor (something you'd NEVER do in a storm or Hurricane situation) the best you can hope for is minimization of the swimming action. Just make sure you do regular line and harware checks and keep that antichaffing gear up to snuff and enjoy that boat on the water as much as you can.
I have a 2002 Hunter 306 and have the same observations, so am interested in any comments also. I am in a mooring field and seem to dance much more than the other boats.
ReplyDeleteRob