I am in my first year of racing a Hunter 23 (1986) in the PHRF fleet at Neenah, WI's Nodaway Yacht Club. To date I have gotten to know the transoms of the fleet very well, especially when slogging to windward. Is it possible to be competitive in this boat? Is the PHRF rating out of wack? The rating of 237 seems consistent as I look online at different clubs. Does PHRF take into consideration the fact that the boat seems afraid of wind (ie. does not like to point)? Any speed tips would be great. In any case, I will enjoy the time cruising and racing on this nice little boat.
PHRF racing an H23 (Neenah, WI)
- Thread starter scott k
- Start date
- Status
Hang in there...
First of all, a PHRF rating is typically the performance of a boat in windward/leeward courses in 8-10 knots of air (more or less depending on your area). It assumes the boat is ready to race (IE: full compliment of race sails, trimmed well, clean bottom, no extra weight, and a good crew.) That said , your rating is probably within reason. With that, you should be competitive in any boat, if sailed well. Anyone's first year of racing tends to give good views of other boat's transoms. You learn a lot about your boat and yourself in that first year. But you should also be learning how to sail fast. Look at other boats at they go by...how is there trim different that yours? Adjust and try to keep up with the nearest boat. Keep trying to keep up, and then beat one. It takes a while, but you can move up. Along with that, there is a lot of good info out there on sailing. Try reading, and Don Guillette's book on sail trim is a good start (in the Chandlery on this site). There are also a lot of good articles on SailNet.com (see link). Read and apply, and find things that work for you and your crew. Catch a ride on one of the fast boats in your club. What are they doing different? What can you do on your boat that they are doing here? Above all, don't become discouraged. You will learn quickly, or relatively so. It does take a while to learn the last 15-25% on what makes a boat go fast, and that is what wins races. It is a matter of an inch in or out, that makes the seconds come off the time, and that wins the race. One last thing to think about: At our level, race are not really won, but lost. He who makes the fewest mistakes usually wins. Good luck, Steve
First of all, a PHRF rating is typically the performance of a boat in windward/leeward courses in 8-10 knots of air (more or less depending on your area). It assumes the boat is ready to race (IE: full compliment of race sails, trimmed well, clean bottom, no extra weight, and a good crew.) That said , your rating is probably within reason. With that, you should be competitive in any boat, if sailed well. Anyone's first year of racing tends to give good views of other boat's transoms. You learn a lot about your boat and yourself in that first year. But you should also be learning how to sail fast. Look at other boats at they go by...how is there trim different that yours? Adjust and try to keep up with the nearest boat. Keep trying to keep up, and then beat one. It takes a while, but you can move up. Along with that, there is a lot of good info out there on sailing. Try reading, and Don Guillette's book on sail trim is a good start (in the Chandlery on this site). There are also a lot of good articles on SailNet.com (see link). Read and apply, and find things that work for you and your crew. Catch a ride on one of the fast boats in your club. What are they doing different? What can you do on your boat that they are doing here? Above all, don't become discouraged. You will learn quickly, or relatively so. It does take a while to learn the last 15-25% on what makes a boat go fast, and that is what wins races. It is a matter of an inch in or out, that makes the seconds come off the time, and that wins the race. One last thing to think about: At our level, race are not really won, but lost. He who makes the fewest mistakes usually wins. Good luck, Steve
Racing the H23
Like most boats, the H23 has its own peculiar quirks. The biggest is the wing keel. Like most shallow-draft boats, the H23 doesn't point very well, and the wide (36-inch) spreaders don't help. However, instead of trying to outpoint the competetion, bear off slightly. The boat will gain enough speed to make up for the little extra distance you have to sail to get to the windward mark. The H23 is light. Don't weigh it down with unnecessary stuff. Empty the water tank and the porta-potti, take the battery out and get rid of all the stuff on the shelves. Some people remove their outboards (check the rules on this one first). The H23 sails faster when heeled less than 15 degrees. Get a tiller extension so you can steer from up on the cockpit coaming. The H23 mast is very flexible. Install a backstay adjuster so you can bend the mast when sailing upwind. This will increase mainsail twist, open the leech and decrease the heeling force while keeping the lower half of the sail powered up. Learn the basics of sail trim. Install some telltales on the leech of the main and on both sides of the headsail near the luff so you can see the airflow over the sails. Don't waste money on a masthead wind indicator, it's more important to know what the air is doing over your sails than at the masthead. Keep working at it...it'll make you faster. Peter H23 "Raven"
Like most boats, the H23 has its own peculiar quirks. The biggest is the wing keel. Like most shallow-draft boats, the H23 doesn't point very well, and the wide (36-inch) spreaders don't help. However, instead of trying to outpoint the competetion, bear off slightly. The boat will gain enough speed to make up for the little extra distance you have to sail to get to the windward mark. The H23 is light. Don't weigh it down with unnecessary stuff. Empty the water tank and the porta-potti, take the battery out and get rid of all the stuff on the shelves. Some people remove their outboards (check the rules on this one first). The H23 sails faster when heeled less than 15 degrees. Get a tiller extension so you can steer from up on the cockpit coaming. The H23 mast is very flexible. Install a backstay adjuster so you can bend the mast when sailing upwind. This will increase mainsail twist, open the leech and decrease the heeling force while keeping the lower half of the sail powered up. Learn the basics of sail trim. Install some telltales on the leech of the main and on both sides of the headsail near the luff so you can see the airflow over the sails. Don't waste money on a masthead wind indicator, it's more important to know what the air is doing over your sails than at the masthead. Keep working at it...it'll make you faster. Peter H23 "Raven"
- Status