It's a well known fact that not all sailboats are created equal, especially when it comes to those, hidden from view appendages, called keels and centerboards. Boats that are well endowed below the waterline may have an advantage over those that have less. Keels and centerboards are designed for two basic functions: To keep the boat right-side up and to prevent the boat from being blown sideways. Very few hulls (if any) have the ideal keel design that performs both functions perfectly, while some just don't even come close. The 2007 Hunter 25 shallow draft keel provides adequate stability but falls a bit short in terms of pointing performance.
To improve upwind performance, I figured that a forward mounted centerboard could do the trick. My inspiration came from two dramatically different sailboats with retractable bow centerboards, the Haber 32CA Cutter and Wild Oats XI racer. Of course, I was not going to do any hull surgery, so my only option was to mount it out in front.
The design calls for a symmetrical lifting centerboard, suspended below the bowsprit and hinged on the bow eye hook. While lowered, the centerboard needs to be held tight against the bow to maintain lateral stability when sailing to windward. Lateral stability is maintained by exactly matching the concave back of the centerboard stem to the convex bow profile and holding it firmly in place by two lines running up and over the bow gunwale then back to a cleat in the cockpit. On a downwind run, the centerboard is lifted out of the water by a line attached to a block on the bowsprit. The concave joint on the centerboard is lined with neoprene for a tighter fit and to prevent wear.
In addition to improving the pointing ability, this added frontal appendage reduces lee helm when flying my Code 0 and Jib simultaneously. The following video shows the build project and the unit in action. It looks a bit strange when out of the water but works fine when lowered!
I'm looking forward to your comments.
Andre Bachman
To improve upwind performance, I figured that a forward mounted centerboard could do the trick. My inspiration came from two dramatically different sailboats with retractable bow centerboards, the Haber 32CA Cutter and Wild Oats XI racer. Of course, I was not going to do any hull surgery, so my only option was to mount it out in front.
The design calls for a symmetrical lifting centerboard, suspended below the bowsprit and hinged on the bow eye hook. While lowered, the centerboard needs to be held tight against the bow to maintain lateral stability when sailing to windward. Lateral stability is maintained by exactly matching the concave back of the centerboard stem to the convex bow profile and holding it firmly in place by two lines running up and over the bow gunwale then back to a cleat in the cockpit. On a downwind run, the centerboard is lifted out of the water by a line attached to a block on the bowsprit. The concave joint on the centerboard is lined with neoprene for a tighter fit and to prevent wear.
In addition to improving the pointing ability, this added frontal appendage reduces lee helm when flying my Code 0 and Jib simultaneously. The following video shows the build project and the unit in action. It looks a bit strange when out of the water but works fine when lowered!
I'm looking forward to your comments.
Andre Bachman
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