Shroudless Masts

[PsySailor]

What do you guys think about Shroudless Masts?

I'm looking at a Hunter Vision that this type of rig, and I'm just wondering what kind of sailing characteristics and durability I can expect.

Thanks in advance.

[HeartsContent]

Clearly, it's not going to be as stable as a mast with shrouds so it would be expected to carry less sail and if you have sailing performance on your list this would probably not be your boat.

There seem to be a LOT of these for sale and there cannot have been that many made. I would avoid it like the plague.

Sorry in advanced to any existing Hunter Vision owners.

[kwaltersmi]

As I recall, the Vision will exhibit some flex in the mast underload by design, so she may be a bit less tender than a more traditional rig. These masts also tend to be much thicker than traditional stayed masts because they have to be stronger. Therefore, you'll have more weight aloft and potentially a higher center of gravity. On the positive side, there's no standing rigging to maintain, clutter the deck and create potential deck leaks. They're personally not my cup of tea and I recommend a "try before you buy" approach.

[PsySailor]

I noticed they are A LOT thicker masts that taper ascend. I did some digging and found that most builders are using carbon fiber to keep the weight down (so perhaps not that much more weight aloft.)

Definitely will need to hear more from people who've sailed both types of rigs.

[killarney_sailor]

Do some research on Sailnet it has been discussed. I had a Nonsuch 30 and loved it for the kind of sailing that most people do. Less work, decent performance unless you absolutely need to point really high - I had considerable success in no spinnaker class racing with mine.

The masts are seriously tapered and the top of the mast can bend up to 4'. The bending absorbs a lot of load when gusts hit so the ride is smoother. BTW, I can tell you nothing about the Hunter version of an unstayed mast.

[djodenda]

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[curtcee]

You could try looking at what this guy has to say.

State of the Art

Curtis

[Jeff_H]

While the Hunter Vision would never perform like a race boat, the Vision actually sailed quite well. Unlike Freedom's carbon fiber freestanding mast, the vision's mast was aluminum and so was fairly heavy as compared to a conventional rig. Unlke the comments above the Hunter Vision mast was intended to be flexible and so, like many modern rigs, self-depowering in a gust. That is a good thing. It means that the boat will feel a little less tender than most rigs.

The Vision had a nice interior layout and lot of nice features.

Jeff

[bljones]

If it's the North South listing, it is a boat better suited to your purposes than the Catalina.

I have never sailed a free-standing rig, but it strikes me as being a good cruising rig. With no stays to tune or replace, it cuts down on maintenance, and may also cut labour costs when/if the stick is pulled.

[SloopJonB]

Originally Posted by Jeff_H

the vision's mast was aluminum and so was fairly heavy as compared to a conventional rig. Jeff

Considering the significant weight of all the rigging you no longer have aloft, how much heavier IS it? I imagine the mast section, while WAY larger than a stayed rig, is probably not much different re: wall thickness - sort of like an I beam with a deeper web is it not?