Has anyone had significant experience sailing a 26'boat (or close) with AND without a bimini? How is the handling affected? I sail my h26 on the Bay of Banderas in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. I would not sail without a bimini. Too much sun. But I wonder if the bimini is adding to weather helm in higher breezes. At around 15 to 18 knots of wind, I think I'm getting too much weather helm. I am not new to sailing so I think I have a pretty good idea about excessive weather helm. But this is my first boat with a bimini. Thanks for your response. David King "Molly"
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Have an h25 which I have sailed with and without a bimini in winds you describe. No difference in weather helm. Suggest you check your backstay tension. Regards, Cap'n Jim S/V Cygnus
Weather helm
Causes are trim of the main, an old, blown out main, a rig too far aft, and big gennies with lots of sail aft of the mast. You can do a lot by trimming the main (see the guide available on this site. A new main dropped our heel by 5 degrees in 15 knots of wind (and added 1-1.5 knots of speed!) A traveler for the mainsheet is key because it lets you maintain sail shape while easing the angle of attack. Move the rig by hanging a plastic jug of water on your halyard at the dock. Then loosen the backstay and tighten the forestay to move it a few inches forward. (Nominal is 5-10 inches behind the mast at the gooseneck.) Adjusting a B&R rig is more complex. And you need a smaller foresail when the wind picks up - by furling, or hoisting a smaller one. Hope that helps. David Lady Lillie
Causes are trim of the main, an old, blown out main, a rig too far aft, and big gennies with lots of sail aft of the mast. You can do a lot by trimming the main (see the guide available on this site. A new main dropped our heel by 5 degrees in 15 knots of wind (and added 1-1.5 knots of speed!) A traveler for the mainsheet is key because it lets you maintain sail shape while easing the angle of attack. Move the rig by hanging a plastic jug of water on your halyard at the dock. Then loosen the backstay and tighten the forestay to move it a few inches forward. (Nominal is 5-10 inches behind the mast at the gooseneck.) Adjusting a B&R rig is more complex. And you need a smaller foresail when the wind picks up - by furling, or hoisting a smaller one. Hope that helps. David Lady Lillie
excessive heel
Also keep in mind that excessive heel by itself will generate weather helm. The driving moment of the sailplan which is on a vertical plane when the boat is upright turns into a turning moment as that plane approaches horizontal with the boat's heel. Not likely your bimini contributes to weather helm, just a little drag.
Also keep in mind that excessive heel by itself will generate weather helm. The driving moment of the sailplan which is on a vertical plane when the boat is upright turns into a turning moment as that plane approaches horizontal with the boat's heel. Not likely your bimini contributes to weather helm, just a little drag.
you betcha
A bimini can be a pretty good airfoil. The higher/larger it is, the more likely it's a factor. This will be especially true on lighter boats in stronger winds. Weather helm happens when heel causes the center of effort to be off-column with the center of drag. For example, on starboard tack, the center of effort up in the sails shifts to port while the center of drag down in the keel shifts to starboard. These combined forces will tend to spin the boat to the right. Now consider the fact that the bimini is located aft of the beam. Any lift generated by the bimini on a heeled boat on starboard tack will tend to push the stern to port, thus contributing to boat's rightward turning. Although the bimini is not creating the weather helm, it is aggravating it. This aggravation would be less pronounced on center cockpit designs than with aft cockpits. So the question becomes whether or not your bimini is creating lift. Does the fabric tend to "arch" in stronger winds? Probably so. If this is the case, then the bimini is aggravating your weather helm. My guess is that if your bimini was designed to allow stand-up headroom, that the effect on a 26' aft-cockpit boat would be pronounced in winds exceeding 15 knots.
A bimini can be a pretty good airfoil. The higher/larger it is, the more likely it's a factor. This will be especially true on lighter boats in stronger winds. Weather helm happens when heel causes the center of effort to be off-column with the center of drag. For example, on starboard tack, the center of effort up in the sails shifts to port while the center of drag down in the keel shifts to starboard. These combined forces will tend to spin the boat to the right. Now consider the fact that the bimini is located aft of the beam. Any lift generated by the bimini on a heeled boat on starboard tack will tend to push the stern to port, thus contributing to boat's rightward turning. Although the bimini is not creating the weather helm, it is aggravating it. This aggravation would be less pronounced on center cockpit designs than with aft cockpits. So the question becomes whether or not your bimini is creating lift. Does the fabric tend to "arch" in stronger winds? Probably so. If this is the case, then the bimini is aggravating your weather helm. My guess is that if your bimini was designed to allow stand-up headroom, that the effect on a 26' aft-cockpit boat would be pronounced in winds exceeding 15 knots.
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