Hunter has had B& R rigs since 1983. The current incarnation with
inboard and out board chain plates, deeply swept back spreaders and
compression struts enables them to eliminate the back stay. In my
opinion an absolutely horrendous rig, but then, I sail a Freedom


On Thu, 20 May 2004 18:46:41 -0400, DSK wrote:

Glenn Ashmore wrote:
That's right. The newer Hunters have adapted the B&R rig from the
Hunter's Child. Chopped a lot of weight aloft by reducing the mast
section, adding mast support struts, deep swept spreaders reverse
diagonals and jumpers on some. It does save weight but adds a lot of
windage, causes a lot of chafe on the main down wind and is impossible
to adjust headstay tension.

It's possible to adjust headstay tension & rake with a B&R rig, it's
just not quite as simple as with a more conventional rig.

The B&R rig is poorly adapted for keelboats though. It was all the rage
among skiffs for a while, for example the world champ Int'l 14s had them
for a few years. But they have evolved past that now. It is a rig for
use in light fast boats that don't ease the main out very far going
downwind, because they always have apparent wind well forward.

Why Hunter decided to put it on their cruising boats, I don't know. Looks?

Fresh Breezes- Doug King