What is the standard rig and sail inventory for a Hallberg-Rassy 34?
I'm looking at a Hallberg-Rassy 34 with a furling genoa and a conventional mainsail. What rig and sails were standard, and should a spinnaker or storm jib be included?
Answer
The Hallberg-Rassy 34 has a fractional Seldén sloop rig with two pairs of swept-back spreaders, and its basic sail inventory is a conventional mainsail and a furling genoa. A spinnaker, cruising chute and dedicated storm sails are extras, so do not assume they were supplied as standard or come with a used boat.
Mast and standing rigging
Check the boat's build year and original equipment list against the mast and boom fitted. The HR 34 was built from 1990 to 2005. A boat may now have replacement spars, altered reefing arrangements or sails bought by successive owners.
The usual arrangement is a 7/8 fractional rig, with the forestay meeting the mast below the masthead. The aluminium mast has two pairs of swept-back spreaders, stainless-steel wire standing rigging and a backstay. This is a single-masted sloop carrying one headsail ahead of the mast, rather than a cutter with a separate permanent inner forestay.
- Mast and boom: Seldén aluminium spars, normally with a conventional mainsail arrangement.
- Headsail handling: a forestay-mounted roller-furling system, commonly Furlex.
- Standing rigging: forestay, backstay and shrouds; the swept spreaders support the mast without routine running-backstay handling.
Do not order replacement wires from a generic HR 34 list. Check terminal types, furler components and previous alterations against the installation aboard. Have the mast properly supported before disconnecting any standing rigging.
The basic sail inventory
The basic cruising wardrobe comprises two sails: a mainsail and a roller-furling genoa. On a conventional installation, the mainsail runs up the mast on slides and reefs down onto the boom. Check the number and position of reef points in the sail, then make sure the corresponding reefing lines and boom fittings are present.
The genoa rolls around the forestay foil. It serves as the everyday headsail and can be partly furled as the wind increases, though its shape becomes less efficient as more cloth is rolled away. A replacement may have a different overlap, a higher clew or a padded luff. Two HR 34s need not carry identical genoas.
The model's commonly quoted sail area is approximately 55 m² with mainsail and working jib. This is a reference sail-plan figure, not necessarily the combined area of the mainsail and overlapping genoa aboard a particular boat. For replacements, a sailmaker should measure the rig, furler and available hoist rather than cut sails from that total alone.