anymore advice on the 240

[brendan]

Hi i am looking for anymore advice you can give on the 240 as i am within a few days of buying a 01 boat in lovely condition, and at a good price,i am still concerned about the boats stablity, as i have young kids,i have seen pictures of the boat heeled,and it was heeled,would this put you off buying the 240, many thanks again.

 

[nick8481]

Give and Takes

The 240 is agreat boat for trailering and use in low water area's and getting on a beach,it's not as stable in high wind as my 290 is , my 290 fixed keel also heel's more than my wife would like.You have to make a choice trailer boat or fixed keel for less heeling,also a trailering boat is less yearly expense for a slip or yard storage.

 

[Steve677]

To heel or not to heel

I sail a Hunter 23. I'm out two or three times a week at the minimum during the summer. The H23 is, like the h24, tender. She snaps over to 10/15 pretty easily but then she kind of locks in and accelerates nicely as I trim for my point of sail. I learned that it is very important to have the right amout of sail up for the wind conditions and sail trim is at least if not more important. Even with the right sails up she can heel excessively if I have her sheeted too tightly. Some heel is a good thing as long as it doesn't scare the passengers and averages no more than about 15 degrees (for an H23). After she heels past 15 she loses speed anyhow, so what is the point? I'm guessing that you will find the H24 will handle much the same way. I have a full head sail and the main all the way up if winds are 5 to 15 mph. An occasional gust can be over that and you can adjust or ride it out. When the winds are 15 - 20 I keep the head sail up and reef the main. Be advised that reefing the main is always a good idea if you are concerned about there being too much wind for your passengers. You can always shake it out once they are comfortable with the fact that sailboats heel and that it is perfectly safe to do so, within reason of course. When the winds are 20 to 25 or so I run with a reefed main and a 3/4 size head sail I bought for $35 on eBay (mine are hanked on). If I had a furling head sail I'd probably furl about half of it. When it is windier than that I'm usually not out on the lake anyhow but if I get caught out there when the wind comes up I can haul down the head sail and bring her home on a reefed main alone. She actually handles pretty well on a reefed main alone when the winds are brisk so we don't always head home and sometimes the winds ease and we are back in business.To heel or not to heel? I wouldn't be afraid to take my family out on a 24 water ballast sailboat as long as the sail plan and trim were right for the breeze. Pick up a good book, even "Sailing for Dummies", and study the finner points of sail trim. Enjoy that H24!