Heeling degree beofre knockdown

[kersse]

Heeling degree before knockdown

Recently took up sailing with a 23' O'Day. At what degree of heeling can I go to before the boat tips? I have a gage near the keel rope that I believe shows degree of heeling. Recently, I have felt that I was going to tip but I was told that I can have water to the windows and still not get knocked down.

Fearfully
Marty

 

[gabriel.donnelly]

Be Brave.

 

[Shoaldrafter]

Marty

Be Brave.

Marty,

When you have too much water in cocpit...

Ed K

 

[Indysailor]

It won't tip over. It may feel like it's going to tip, but it won't. The rudder will come out of the water and it will turn into the wind. The most I have heeled is about 30 degrees and I've found that it sails all right at about 20, but sails best at less than 15 degrees. Having said that, here are a few observations.

1) I bought a new main and had my genoa repaired and recut. The result is that my boat's behavior has changed a lot. Instead of heeling, then moving forward, it will do the opposite. If your boat has old sails and the rigging is loose, the boat may heel more easily.

2) I've only been sailing a few years, but I'm a heck of a lot better at it than I was when I started. Experience gets you used to heeling and teaches you how to keep the boat sailing efficiently.

3) If it's breezy, reef the main, or sail with the jib or main only. Better to feel under control and be a little sluggish than to feel like your being knocked around.

You'll get much better advice from more experienced sailors, but don't worry about tipping so much. It's a tender boat, but with more sailing under your belt, it will get easier.

Not sure about the water in the windows comment. These boats have a lot of freeboard- I can't imagine how far over you'd have to go to bury the ports.

 

[kersse]

Great feedback thanks to all. My sails are older but I had them checked and they said they were good to go for a few more years. I have a furler and my genoa comes back past the mast. I did see a youtube where they boat heeled and a person in the cockpit feel to the heeling side causing the boat to tip but I did notice that the rudder came out of the water and the boat turned into the wind and snapped back up.

Thanks

 

[wayneR]

I agree with the above responses, the boat will come back. Having said that, it sails best when it is NOT heeled excessively. Boats sail fastest at about 15 degrees heel. It feels faster but is not at greater heel. Learn to put a reef in either the main or jib or both to keep the heel minimal. If you are uncomfortable reef, don't be macho. Most O'day's need a reef over 15-18 knots (I've owned a 272 and 34). If there are lots of white caps, consider a reef. Good luck and have fun!!

 

[Scott On Eagles Wings]

Our first week of sailing we were on Lake George and I did not realize the wall of white comming our way was not fog, but a very sever storm. We got caught with full sails up and we got knocked down instantly. The sails were in the lake the kids were hanging on and the wife was screaming "we are going to die". I poped both sheets and she came right back up. The winds were greater than 60 miles. Sail the boat and enjoy and if you see a wall of white comming at you drop your sails.

 

[kersse]

Scott,

Thank you for that message. That is what I needed to hear. The other day we got in to the slip 10 minutes before 60 miles an hour winds and hail hit the Patapsco. I was terrified at what I had just missed. Nice to know that if we had got caught we would have recovered.

 

[adirondackbob]

Kersse,

Scott, Wayne, and Indysailor are all right on target. When we bought our O'Day 23, we were completely new to sailing, and even modest heeling felt a bit scary at times. A season or two of dealing with the fluky winds on Lake George (as Scott knows all too well!) helped us understand how stable the 23 can be and how to trim our sails to adapt to the increasing wind. It also helped us understand that the 23 isn't very comfortable in winds above 20 mph. So we learned to reef early, which usually made for much more enjoyable sailing. And we were never embarrassed to dowse our sails when the wind felt too strong--even if the sun was shining! Those few years of experience helped us understand better how to adjust to stiff winds on our current boat, a Catalina 30.

Good luck!

Bob