A few years ago, (in fact when I bought Nimrod) I had a spay hood made for her.
I suppose it met the criteria I gave "as big as possible".
On a D35 there are a few issues to contend with:
1) The main sheet / track (this significantly limits the ability to bring the hood aft)
2) The hight of the boom (this limits the hight of the hood, and for most people I feel this means that we would look over the hood most of the time), Spray hood???
The track is also a potential hazard either when tacking or gybing and has a nasty habit of getting stuck round the companion way....
So from a distance it looked "OK".
The pic above is with the boom held up.
But the real issue was it was just too low
The smiles are from the crew having just tied up after a very hard slog across the Irish Sea, but look at the height of the hood.
So after being somewhat annoyed with my hood and knowing the boat a bit better.
That old process of don't do anything until you really know the boat!!!
I knew I needed a new mainsail, the old one (possible original) was fairly shot.
So that gave me an option to raise the boom.
That reminds me I have to clean the old sealant off.
I raised the boom aprox 6" from the old position. I believe originally she would have had a sliding gooseneck.
And if you going to do that why not take the opportunity to move the main sheet!!
I must admit I have spent a HUGE amount of time on the track.
I had a very expensive piece of SS cut and angled to fit the deck.
I have had a dual mainsheet, Port or Starboard.
But do you know what.
Its just not necessary. I have played with strops onto U bolts of varying lengths and found the one which works well for me.
I will be taking off the U bolts for the last time this winter and having a wire strop made.
You can see the blocks from where I had a different set up.
The result is neet and fits nicely infant of the hood (the angle on the boom is good) and when it blows and you have a reef in then its at the end of the boom).
The other leads are for reef lines / outhaul / jib / Kicker etc as needed.
The old Track location has been filled and now holds no hazards (and that includes passing drinks out, we have all been there!)
But the big deal was increasing our living area.
Not a problem if your in the warmer climates but for us in the damp / wet North, a tent is fantastic.
This shot was taken one damp Sunday morning having had a great night, we get to enjoy the evening outside rather than all sitting below decks.
The boom is actually on the bottom of its stop and is apron 3' above the hood.
The tent zips to the hood and each side / or the back can be rolled up independently.
We sailed back from Wales with the hood up. Now thats big boat stuff eh!
T shirts rather than Full OilSkins
Works for me!
The tent can be quickly removed but as there is quite a lot of clear panels I opt to roll it round the supports. It make for fast deployment and doesn't get in the way.
Having said all that
I much prefer the hood down when possible
