I would appreciate any and all feedback comparing 23.5 and 240 to h23 as far as launch, retrevial, ease,Have current h23 in slip , considering , trailering, this is not as fun as wife anticipated. Just trying to keep her happy Mike
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compare H-23 to others
I have been trailering my H-23,Gwahir, for four years. I pull her from the middle of NC to coastal NC and Charleston, SC. The cast iron wing keel will give you much more stability at anchor or in a slip than water ballast(water has no weight, thus no stability, in water). The swing keels of water balloon boats will allow the boats to ride lower on the trailer, thus trailering slightly easier and launching easier. The higher freeboard of the newer boats will give them more windage going upwind, but will help going downwind. The newer boats have more interior headroom, but at the sacrifice of wide sidedecks. My wife began to enjoy sailing more when I insisted I needed help steering. She found she could control the heeling, her major fear of sailing. Now she steers most of the time. My advice, trailer your boat frequently, involve your first mate more, think very long before you give up your H-23. Keith and Wanda aboard Gwaihir, H-23
I have been trailering my H-23,Gwahir, for four years. I pull her from the middle of NC to coastal NC and Charleston, SC. The cast iron wing keel will give you much more stability at anchor or in a slip than water ballast(water has no weight, thus no stability, in water). The swing keels of water balloon boats will allow the boats to ride lower on the trailer, thus trailering slightly easier and launching easier. The higher freeboard of the newer boats will give them more windage going upwind, but will help going downwind. The newer boats have more interior headroom, but at the sacrifice of wide sidedecks. My wife began to enjoy sailing more when I insisted I needed help steering. She found she could control the heeling, her major fear of sailing. Now she steers most of the time. My advice, trailer your boat frequently, involve your first mate more, think very long before you give up your H-23. Keith and Wanda aboard Gwaihir, H-23
water ballast
Just a quick correction. Water ballast does indeed have weight in water. It's not quite as stable, however, because the weight is in the bottom of the boat instead of the bottom of the keel.
Just a quick correction. Water ballast does indeed have weight in water. It's not quite as stable, however, because the weight is in the bottom of the boat instead of the bottom of the keel.
Happiness is . . . .
Mike, after reading and thinking about your post, the question that comes to mind is whether changing boats will solve the problem. You said you're just trying to keep your wife happy. If thats the issue, be direct, ask her what she likes,and does not like, about sailing in general and your current boat. Consider joining a yacht club, participate in racing or cruising activities. Let your wife drive the boat - my wife drives 60-70% of the time while I trim. We have little on board tension because neither of us is relegated to a secondary role. Y You mention trailering as a consideration, but also that you have a slip. Try sailing from your slip for a while so that you don't have to deal with rigging and launching. I can't give you the requested comparison, but I hope you stop to think about the question, because the question will shape the answer. Jim Kolstoe, h23 Kara's Boo
Mike, after reading and thinking about your post, the question that comes to mind is whether changing boats will solve the problem. You said you're just trying to keep your wife happy. If thats the issue, be direct, ask her what she likes,and does not like, about sailing in general and your current boat. Consider joining a yacht club, participate in racing or cruising activities. Let your wife drive the boat - my wife drives 60-70% of the time while I trim. We have little on board tension because neither of us is relegated to a secondary role. Y You mention trailering as a consideration, but also that you have a slip. Try sailing from your slip for a while so that you don't have to deal with rigging and launching. I can't give you the requested comparison, but I hope you stop to think about the question, because the question will shape the answer. Jim Kolstoe, h23 Kara's Boo
Misconceptions
There are some misconceptions about water ballast, as Jeff and Dan have already pointed out. There is a common misunderstanding about mass and weight. They are not the same, as all astronauts know (no, this is not rocket science
). With boats, there is also Specific Gravity to confuse the issue. Specific Gravity is the weight of an object in the water. Water has a Specific Gravity (SG) of 1. Anything heavier sinks, anything lighter floats. All sailboats (all the ones we're interested in) float. There is nothing inherently wrong in having ballast in the bottom of a boat instead of in the bottom of a deep keel (bulb). In fact, there are many advantages. Shoal draft, less strain when grounding, and easier motion underway, are some of the advantages. That's why many of the sailing work boats of the last century had shallow keels and inside ballast. They were safer boats. The main disadvantage of inside ballast is that it can't handle as much sail power, and therefore isn't as fast. In short, deep keel sailboats are racing sailboats. That's good, but only if you want to race (without handicaps).
There are some misconceptions about water ballast, as Jeff and Dan have already pointed out. There is a common misunderstanding about mass and weight. They are not the same, as all astronauts know (no, this is not rocket science
). With boats, there is also Specific Gravity to confuse the issue. Specific Gravity is the weight of an object in the water. Water has a Specific Gravity (SG) of 1. Anything heavier sinks, anything lighter floats. All sailboats (all the ones we're interested in) float. There is nothing inherently wrong in having ballast in the bottom of a boat instead of in the bottom of a deep keel (bulb). In fact, there are many advantages. Shoal draft, less strain when grounding, and easier motion underway, are some of the advantages. That's why many of the sailing work boats of the last century had shallow keels and inside ballast. They were safer boats. The main disadvantage of inside ballast is that it can't handle as much sail power, and therefore isn't as fast. In short, deep keel sailboats are racing sailboats. That's good, but only if you want to race (without handicaps).specific gravity,
wow . I guess i started something , I was not very clear in my original post, I bought the h23 several years ago, expeceting to trailer it, We had several unpleasant experiences getting boat back on trailer, so we went the route keeping in water,wife sails , trims, lowers , raises sails, just fine , we are just thinking about going out of state etc, and dont want to go the same routine again, was liking the looks of 240 , Other than the retrevial of boat it is a wonderful boat, could not ask for more, , thinking of having axle droped,, thanks for input, Mike
wow . I guess i started something , I was not very clear in my original post, I bought the h23 several years ago, expeceting to trailer it, We had several unpleasant experiences getting boat back on trailer, so we went the route keeping in water,wife sails , trims, lowers , raises sails, just fine , we are just thinking about going out of state etc, and dont want to go the same routine again, was liking the looks of 240 , Other than the retrevial of boat it is a wonderful boat, could not ask for more, , thinking of having axle droped,, thanks for input, Mike
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