Bow down

[Manny]

I'm getting the impression this season that my bow is riding noticeably higher under sail but not while motoring. Two things have changed since last season. First, my aluminum water tank has finally given up and it is in the v-berth, so now it's empty. This is an obvious savings of around 270 pounds up front (it's 34 gallons) which I can see making the bow ride higher. The other is I had most of the rigging replaced and the boat is "tuned" differently. I've actually dialed out most of the weather helm and the boat feels much more balanced now. The thing is the boat feels a little slower, but I can't really prove it, there are just too many variables. Anyway, my question is, is it better for performance for the bow to ride high under sail, or better lower. I would think lower would be better for speed, increasing the waterline slightly. But in heavy seas (not a great chance that I would experience that on the Delaware River) would it be best to have the bow higher? Does sail trim affect the lifting of the bow?Manny

 

[Fred]

Manny, there is a waterline

on your hull, unless it's been painted over ar modified. Every design is different, so it's not a question of whether bow up or down is better, but how close are you to level with the designed waterline. That's where the boat should perform best.If you're not sure, others on this list who have the same hull can give you a measurement from deck to waterline in a few locations from bow to stern, and you can make a few marks, then trim her to what the designer had in mind.

 

[Doug]

Sorry

But if there is a difference I'd hardly think you'd notice. The extra weight loss would be much more notiable and add speed not lose it. Rig tuning is an oddly noticeable change as it can add alot of difference to the helm with just a touch in fore and aft pitch of the mast. You probably have it tuned properly now and find the boat handles better and think you are going slower when in reality you are moving faster with less stress on everything including the helmsman.

 

[ClipperChic31]

Wheather to helm or Weather the Helm...

How do you put Weather on your Helm?..must be a Sailor trick..you know you Sailing Guys are so handy at stuff like that. LOL

 

[Alan]

ClipperChic31

I don't know whether to take you seriously or not. Weather helm is definitely something that you can tune in or out of your rig. There are many factors not the least of which is mast rake. The greater the mast rake the more weather helm but it will cost in pointing ability and upwind boat speed.If you take a page from the racing crowd you will learn that taking weight out of the ends (bow or stern) is a definite plus for performance.In a return trip from Key West a couple weeks ago we encountered 12 to 15 foot seas and 40+ knots. The skipper was amazed at how well the boat handled those conditions after taking 1000lbs off the bow and raising the waterline by 4 or 5 inches.

 

[Manny]

Pointing ability

After dialing out some of the weather helm, I definitely noticed a little loss in pointing ability. I might actually try splitting the difference. I was out in real gusty conditions on Friday and I kind of missed the rounding up when I was hit with a couple of HUGE gusts. Manny