340 with 150 Genoa

[Floyd]

Can a 135 or 150 furling genoa be put on a Hunter 340(2001)

[Robert Dean]

Floyd,Please do not get discouraged. The list will respond.I am not a H34 owner so I am not familiar with the jib track installation.It is my understanding that a bigger genoa can be put on most any boat.I have a HL35 and use a 150, 135, and 110 through out the season. The big logic step is to know when to use what sail. The bigger the sail, the better it works in less wind. Eg wind less than 9 mph, use the 150. Over 22 mph use the 110 etc.Trust our H34 owners will chime in.Bob Dean

[Carl and Juliana Dupre]

Hi, Floyd. I think that you will find that the outboard shrouds on the H340 are going to get in the way of a large genoa when you try to sheet in. I don't think it would work well; the boat is really not designed for that kind of a foresail.We also have a 2001 H340, and would probably ask how much you have sailed the boat with the standard 110 jib. Even with the standard 110 jib the H340 has a LOT of sail up there, mostly in the form of that huge main. We found the boat to move well even under light wind conditions. In anything over 12-15 knots, we were into a single reef; in fact, we probably sailed more often with one reef this year than we did with full sail.We would recommend that you give your boat some serious sailing time before deciding to add a 135/150 genoa. I can't imagine sailing an H340 with a 150 up front; unless your sailing area is consistently very light air (<<10 knots), get ready for some serious heeling and weather helm!! IOHO that is just too much foresail for the boat, even without the shroud interference issue.Carl and Jules/v 'Syzygy'

[Miles]

I agree with Carl and Juliana about adding a larger headsail, it's probably not a good idea. We usually have to start reducing sail on our 340 around 12-15 knots or it becomes pretty tough to handle. You'd probably end up having to roller reef the genoa and put a reef in the main when ever it started to get even a little windy. Maybe instead of a genoa you should add a spinnaker for light air? It really helps the 340 a lot. If you get a good asymetric one you can carry it pretty high (up to 60 degrees apparent or so) and still have your normal headsail for when you need it. Good luck!