I did a good amount of sailing in my "new" E25 this summer and loved it. When the wind blows up here my boat heels to about 20 degrees. That's when I feel it's time to let some wind out of the sails or head up into the wind a bit. I wonder about the experiences of others. Am I being too cautious? Would a 15 degree heel be better for a bit more speed? When should I really be scared? Thanks in advance for the input. Mark
How far can you heel?
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Heel
The amount of heel you can manage, without losing a lot of boat speed, will vary from boat model to boat model. You will have to get some good numbers from owners of similar boats to yours. But experimentation works good. My 28' S2 for example doesn't like a lot of heel. It can be sailed with the rail in the water, but will not be going fast. About 15% on it is the limit for max boat speed. From 15 to 20 it stays about the same, but above 20% and the boat speed goes downhill in a hurry, not to mention weather helm comes on pretty fast, starting around 20%. Much over 20% and it becomes a handful just to keep her from rounding up. But rather than take someone elses word for it, even if they have the same boat as yours, experiment with your own boat. There will be subtle differences in the boat, as well as your sailing style. Besides, the experiments can be a lot of fun.
The amount of heel you can manage, without losing a lot of boat speed, will vary from boat model to boat model. You will have to get some good numbers from owners of similar boats to yours. But experimentation works good. My 28' S2 for example doesn't like a lot of heel. It can be sailed with the rail in the water, but will not be going fast. About 15% on it is the limit for max boat speed. From 15 to 20 it stays about the same, but above 20% and the boat speed goes downhill in a hurry, not to mention weather helm comes on pretty fast, starting around 20%. Much over 20% and it becomes a handful just to keep her from rounding up. But rather than take someone elses word for it, even if they have the same boat as yours, experiment with your own boat. There will be subtle differences in the boat, as well as your sailing style. Besides, the experiments can be a lot of fun.
E-25 Heeling #'s
Mark- Here is what I have found out about the heeling of a E25CB. The boat loves 15-20 degrees. Speed is almost identical here. 25 degrees you lose about a half to a full knot. You can sail it here, but its work. 35 degrees and the rails are in the water and helm is huge. I race my 25 a fair amount and I try to keep the boat at 15, it seems to be its sweet spot. I have sailed in 40 mph winds, not by choice, with about 10% headsail. The boat stayed at about 25 and I kept getting pushed over to 35 and all the boat did was head up into the wind and flatten out. I would recommend you to go out and push it. You will know the feel, maybe this will comfort you or aquiant you with youre boat. I dont recommend you to make it a habit to sail in those conditions, but weather happens fast and you surely can get caught in the soup. As to your question 25 plus gets a little hairy for some. Rob Hessenius 73' E-25CB
Mark- Here is what I have found out about the heeling of a E25CB. The boat loves 15-20 degrees. Speed is almost identical here. 25 degrees you lose about a half to a full knot. You can sail it here, but its work. 35 degrees and the rails are in the water and helm is huge. I race my 25 a fair amount and I try to keep the boat at 15, it seems to be its sweet spot. I have sailed in 40 mph winds, not by choice, with about 10% headsail. The boat stayed at about 25 and I kept getting pushed over to 35 and all the boat did was head up into the wind and flatten out. I would recommend you to go out and push it. You will know the feel, maybe this will comfort you or aquiant you with youre boat. I dont recommend you to make it a habit to sail in those conditions, but weather happens fast and you surely can get caught in the soup. As to your question 25 plus gets a little hairy for some. Rob Hessenius 73' E-25CB
Sweet spots
Each sailboat has a windspeed range that it "likes" - for some, it's 5 to 8 knots, for others it might be 15 to 20. Boats that like less wind are said to be tender because they heel easier and react more quickly to the wind. A "tender" boat is not a bad boat - on a light air day it can run off and hide from a boat that is stiffer and able to handle much more wind. If you are sailing, say, a "Northshore 31" that's at its best in 12 kts of wind, then for any wind speed below that you will be trying to use every bit of the wind to power the boat, and you will not be worrying much about how much it heels up to that point because it won't heel excessively. Contrast that with a "Sunnyside 28" that is at its best in 8 kts of wind. For winds above that strength, you will be trying to trim the sails so as to bleed off some of the power and not be "overpowered" - heeled too much, heavy weather helm, etc. So 10 kts of wind will be, in a sense, too much for the latter boat but too little for the former (to perform at their absolute best.) Many good boats, like your Ericson, feel a little tender at first when the wind gets up, but they settle into a groove and go very well unless the wind REALLY gets up. 12 to 15 degrees of heel is pretty normal on a breezy day, more than that might make the boat feel like it's really going but it's actually slowing down. Sometimes, like when you are racing, you will have a little too much sail up for the gusts and in a blast the boat might heel enough to take water over the cockpit combing. If there aren't any fish in the water, don't worry too much. The boat can take more than you can.
Each sailboat has a windspeed range that it "likes" - for some, it's 5 to 8 knots, for others it might be 15 to 20. Boats that like less wind are said to be tender because they heel easier and react more quickly to the wind. A "tender" boat is not a bad boat - on a light air day it can run off and hide from a boat that is stiffer and able to handle much more wind. If you are sailing, say, a "Northshore 31" that's at its best in 12 kts of wind, then for any wind speed below that you will be trying to use every bit of the wind to power the boat, and you will not be worrying much about how much it heels up to that point because it won't heel excessively. Contrast that with a "Sunnyside 28" that is at its best in 8 kts of wind. For winds above that strength, you will be trying to trim the sails so as to bleed off some of the power and not be "overpowered" - heeled too much, heavy weather helm, etc. So 10 kts of wind will be, in a sense, too much for the latter boat but too little for the former (to perform at their absolute best.) Many good boats, like your Ericson, feel a little tender at first when the wind gets up, but they settle into a groove and go very well unless the wind REALLY gets up. 12 to 15 degrees of heel is pretty normal on a breezy day, more than that might make the boat feel like it's really going but it's actually slowing down. Sometimes, like when you are racing, you will have a little too much sail up for the gusts and in a blast the boat might heel enough to take water over the cockpit combing. If there aren't any fish in the water, don't worry too much. The boat can take more than you can.
My Thanks
Thanks so much to those of you who have replied to my query. It all helps me enjoy my boat and my time on the water. Mark
Thanks so much to those of you who have replied to my query. It all helps me enjoy my boat and my time on the water. Mark
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