General technical articles

The Association is made up of approximately 100 members based throughout New Zealand with a wide range of skills. The following articles submitted by our members have been published in our monthly newsletter.  We also produce a Handbook which includes relevant on board information.

While every effort is made to ensure technical correctness the H28 Yacht Owners’ Association accepts no liability for safety, loss or damage of any kind.

The condition and setting up of the sails will also have a great bearing on pointing ability. There is a very good book on sail trim called "New Book of Sail Trim" edited by Ken Texter. Boat Books in Westhaven have this in stock @ $48.95 and the ISBN Number is: 0713644264- 5. This is no doubt available from other good book shops as well. Boat books phone number is (09) 3585691.1 would recommend getting your hands on a copy.

The H28 responds well to subtle changes in the positioning of the genoa cars and the tension on the halyards of the main and genoa. Also the backstay tension will affect the on wind performance and we find on our boat to obtain best upwind speed in 12knots or less we have very little backstay applied. Over this we need to apply more tension.

Fit tell tails (wools) to your genoa and mainsail on both sides. (Available from your sail maker or chandlery in made up packs).

The over sheeting of the headsail will also cause the main to stall and back wind up the luff due to the slot between the main and headsail being closed up. The rule of thumb here is; if in doubt let it out!

The amount of kicking strap applied will control the twist in the leach of the main and this will also influence the amount of weather helm and pointing, as will the position of the mainsheet traveler, which you should be able to pull up past the boats centre line and to windward. This pulls the boom on to the centerline of the boat without flattening all the shape out of the mainsail and effectively opens the slot between the sails that I mentioned above.

All of these points and more are fully covered in the book I have mentioned. Quite often your sails will only need re-cutting which is much cheaper than a new suite. I have mentioned some of the main areas and it is really only through experimenting with settings on your own boat that will get peak performance when sailing.

Kerry Blaymires.

Following on from a talk and general discussion held at one of the H28 social meetings, I have been asked to outline a typical maintenance schedule for a winter haulout.

This is probably best achieved by breaking it down into the major areas and listing the things to look for and tips to remedy any problems that may have been found.

Note: I realise that we may be seen to be running the risk of trying to teach old hands "how to suck eggs" and that is certainly not the intention. Any additional comments or alternative solutions are welcome and if you forward these to our news letter editor for all to benefit from.

Editor's Note:  Kerry Blaymires, a key figure within the H28 Yacht Owners Association, tragically lost his life in a yachting accident off the Taranaki Coast in May 2004.  Kerry had a great deal of expertise which he freely shared and he is sadly missed by all who knew him.

A number of H28s have been built by their owners. The degree of construction completed by the owner ranges from completing the interior of a hull and deck kitset to laying up the fiberglass hull.

The cost of building an H28 is estimated to be in the region of $80K to $120K. This sounds like a lot but the people who have recently built H28s think this cost is about right. This compares to a price of $40K for a good second hand H28. However in building your own H28 you will effectively have a brand new boat with none of the maintenance problems or costs associated with a second hand boat. It's also worth considering building if you are likely to want to make extensive modifications. The hull and deck can be built maybe for $30 to $40K but fitting the vessel out is the bit that costs the most. Things like rigging, tankage, engine, sails all add up. The time to build an H28 can range from one to seven years depending on how much of the work is done by owner.

Some of home built H28s are stunning and a real credit to their owners.

Note cost estimates are in New Zealand Dollars - 1 $NZ ~ 0.52 $US

Plans for most L. Francis Herreshoff designs are now kept by:

Ships Plans Division

Mystic Seaport

PO Box 6000

Mystic CT 06355-0990

Telephone: 860-572-0711 and ask for Ships' Plans Division, or try 860-572-5360

Further details can be found at the North American H28 Class Association web page.