Hunter 34 speed problems

[Ben Townsend]

I have consistently noticed that my Hunter 34 on a starboard tack my speedo reads nearly 1-knot less that on a port tack. My gut is that the reading is accurrate that I am not getting the boat speed on my starboard tack that I am getting on a port tack. I have tried to make adjustments with nothing making a significant change. My wind direction indicator I also believe is giving me an inaccurrate reading as I can point higher on a port tack than a starboard by about 10-15 degrees. Any suggestions?

[Michael Cohn]

Your rig is out of tune, or the sending unit for the knotmeter was badly placed (where is it relative to the keel, and is it on the centerline?). WDI sending unit may also be misplaced/miscalibrated, or, you are seeing the effects of the sea state on each tack..MC

[Clement]

With a steel tape measure, clip the end to your main halyard and run it up to the top. Then measure the distance to the base of an outbaord shroud or some other point on the toe rail. Note the distance and measure to the EXACT same point on the opposite side of the boat. It is not unusual for boats to have the mast a few inches off-center. The previous reply mentioned that your rig might be out of tune, and this is the first thing you do. If you don't have a Loos gauge, buy or borrow one. If you have to adjust the shrouds, this is the only way to go.

[Scott Johnston]

Could this be attributed to the natural starboard list that most of our 34's have? With more weight on the starboard side it would make sense that the boat will heel less, given equal force, when on a starboard tack. If anyone can verify this I would like to know. We are running our first race this upcomming weekend - a mini offshore race from GA to FL. Any hints toward H34 perfomance/strengths/weaknesses would be appreciated. We could use this 'starboard faster than port' item as a tactical advantage.Thanks,Scott83-H34 Island Hops.

[russ]

virtually all boats perform better on a certain tacki race a 34 and the favored tack is starboard given the loading biasin very light air however, i like to stay on port to take advantage of the artificial heeling effecti also moved my speedo wheel from next to the keel to 10" ahead on the centerline for more accurate readoutsruss

[Michael Cohn]

I would suggest that a properly loaded, properly rigged boat performs the same no matter what tack it is on, given that the sea state on each tack is essentially the same.I would certainly NOT be satisfied with a boat that had measurable performance differences as a function of what tack it was on; things need to be checked and adjusted here.In particular, a poorly tuned rig is a rig that is likely to end up in the water - this issue needs to be dealt with immediately.MC

[Derek Rowell]

I have up to a 2 knot difference on the two tacks on my H34. My impeller is mounted under the lift out forward hatch in the sole by the head entrance and thus is on the port side of the keel. I have always attributed the apparent speed difference to the circulation flow around the keel as it develops lift on the two tacks. In other words, bad transducer placement.Derek

[ken mc Elhinney]

the speed wheel is located on the port side just aft of the keel,when you tack on port the flow is clean,starb tack water flow disturbed this is the reason, your inst. are okey.

[Clement]

If the mast is centered vertically side to side, then it could very well be poor placement of the speedo impeller. check you speed with a GPS for confirmation.

[Paul R. Mitchell]

Check to see that your wind direction indicator is in fact centered. I noticed that our 27 pointed higher on port tack than on starboard -- I could pinch up nicely inside the tail of the windex on port tack and beginning to luff on starboard. Then I noticed that the windex was off about 5 degrees. I guess I'll have to climb the mast in the spring :-(Paul