IMPROVING THE PERFORMANCE WITH A BACKSTAY-LESS RIG

UK Miami worked with Gerry & Liz Marston to optimize their Hunter 29.5 for light air racing in the Miami area. Many of the modifications are applicable to the current Hunter models and other boats with no backstays.

The most obvious change is the Fat Head mainsail, which adds 11.6% more sail area than their previous racing main. To handle the loads of this greatly enlarged sail, UK's Tape-Drive construction system was used. The black sail cloth is Technora, an aramid like Kevlar but lasts longer. The tapes are Carbon Fiber, which has almost no stretch and is not affected by the sun's UV rays.

The results of the new sails and a number of other common sense changes were outstanding. The boat has been tested in a wide variety of conditions and wind strengths, and there are no control problems upwind or downwind. The Fathead on the main twists off in the heavy going and the spinnaker does not over power the boat downwind. It's incredible how much faster the boat is in all conditions.

E-mail Mark Wood at UK Miami ([email protected]) for a write-up of all the changes that were made so that we can help you get the most out of your boat.