Hunter sailboat on Sailnet Homepage

[aasault]

What''s up with those braces on the mast of that red Hunter on sailnet''s homepage? I''m relatively new to sailing, but I''ve never seen that before.

Art

[SailorMitch]

I can''t explain the one that appears to be forward of the mast, but some Hunter''s have struts supporting the masts as part of the patented B&R rig they use. These rigs don''t have backstays. The spreaders are swept much more aft than "normal" and use struts (my term for them) port and starboard to support the aft side of the mast. So you give up a backstay, which allows for a much larger roach on the big mains on those rigs, but gain two tripping hazards at the base of the mast. The Hunters also have the stainless steel arches for the mainsheet, stereo speakers, etc. Some folks call those arches "roll bars." The arches are a lot less noticeable in stainless than when Hunter made them from FRP.