Polar chart for a beneteau 343

[Davefromoregon]

Have a couple questions on this topic:
--where do I obtain these for my boat?
--can I create them myself if they are not readily available?
--do most people use them?

I am really trying to be a more effective sailor. I am not trying to race.

The best I have done with this boat is 6.1knots and I believe that I should be able to get closer to 7.4 or so based on hull spead.

The bottom was painted this spring

 

[Calif. Ted]

Basically your polars will show your boat is fastest with the wind on the beam, you should be able to break 7 knots easily in 12 to 15 knots with working sails.

 

[Davefromoregon]

I wonder if the knot meter is off.

 

[Jackdaw]

Basically your polars will show your boat is fastest with the wind on the beam, you should be able to break 7 knots easily in 12 to 15 knots with working sails.

That's not true at all. Anyone can tell you that your boat will hit hull speed on a beam reach. Even a Gecko.

Polars are not about SPEED, they are about ANGLES.

For the non-racer, polars will among other things help you to understand your best angle to go downwind under spinnaker, regular or asym.

Attached is the ORC racing certificate for a 343 in Spain. Part of the ratings calculation is figuring out the polars, and the are shown on the bottom. Note this this rating of for a boat with an asym used with a pole, and a folding prop. But it will get you started..

http://www.cvpa.es/files/rating_binifatdosi_2014.PDF

 

[scottthardin]

Easy to get above 7 knots on a B343.

 

[Grouperhound]

I'm not sure of your location ,but where I am at on the Chesapeake it's not uncommon to have your boat short hauled mid season because of fouling. My boat got really slow this season toward August.

Also the paddle wheel on your speed sensor should be pulled and cleaned regularly. Your boat should have a plug that you can install temporarily while cleaning it. If you have a modern Chartplotter it's even possible to calibrate your speed sensor by inputting an offset. You can run a course in opposite directions and take a two way average from a GPS Speed Over Ground reading. Use the difference as your offset.

It's also not a bad idea to remove the sensor before haul out. The lift straps can damage the paddle wheel if they happen to straddle it, breaking off one of the 4 small paddles. This will give you an erroniously low reading.

 

[Davefromoregon]

I live in Oregon and moor my boat on the columbia River. We can usually go years without bottom cleaning.

My boat was pulled out and painted last fall.

I do think it will be a good idea to check the wheel on the speedometer. I can test it withe my GPS.

 

[Joe2954]

The algae slime that builds up in the river can mostly be brushed off with a "dry diver" or other offset handled brush from the dock or dinghy. You can't do the skeg very well without diving gear or hauling.

 

[Davefromoregon]

The algae slime that builds up in the river can mostly be brushed off with a "dry diver" or other offset handled brush from the dock or dinghy. You can't do the skeg very well without diving gear or hauling.

What is a "dry diver"?

How often to you haul your boat?

 

[kappykaplan]

What is a "dry diver"?

How often to you haul your boat?

Check out this URL:
http://dridiver.com/

 

[Joe2954]

I have the boat hauled every other year unless I need to swap props during the colder months. Most summers I can do a pretty good cleaning the hull in the water using snorkel and/or a hookah once the water warms up ( no wet suit). I have also swapped props in the water.
Although the boatyard warrantees their bottom paint for only two years I usually get 3 or 4. Offseason rates are cheaper at most yards.

 

[DaveFromOregon1]

After a long trip, I’ve confirmed the problem is the knot meter. It always showed 1.4-1.6 knots slower than our gps’s

 

[Ron20324]

After a long trip, I’ve confirmed the problem is the knot meter. It always showed 1.4-1.6 knots slower than our gps’s

You must have been going with the current? It's not a problem. The two will very seldom match up. That's the way they work. I always go by GPS's SOG. The paddle wheel is really just to keep the ship's total mileage recorded.

 

[DaveFromOregon1]

You must have been going with the current? The two will very seldom match up. That's the way they work.

I’m pretty sure it is the knot meter. We would put in 10-12 hour days so the tide would have gone both directions.