Folks, need your help with a technical question. What characteristics will determine how close to the wind a boat will sail? I have noticed some boats sailing much closer to the wind during tacks while mine and others must sail at a much wider angle.
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Start racing
The better the keel the closer you can get to the wind. So some boats just go to windward better because of their hull design. Sail shape, balance and tuning make a big difference. Old sails, the wrong size sails, and a poorly tuned rig can cause you to lose windward peformance. One thing I did to my boat was to set up a 100% jib that can be sheeted in side the shrouds. This closer slot helps me a little upwind. I find that sail shape going upwind is far more important than sail size. Having someone who really knows your boat help you tune the rig can make a big difference too. The best thing you can do to improve your boat's performance is to start racing. You'll learn so much so fast that you'll be able to make any boat go faster and sail better.
The better the keel the closer you can get to the wind. So some boats just go to windward better because of their hull design. Sail shape, balance and tuning make a big difference. Old sails, the wrong size sails, and a poorly tuned rig can cause you to lose windward peformance. One thing I did to my boat was to set up a 100% jib that can be sheeted in side the shrouds. This closer slot helps me a little upwind. I find that sail shape going upwind is far more important than sail size. Having someone who really knows your boat help you tune the rig can make a big difference too. The best thing you can do to improve your boat's performance is to start racing. You'll learn so much so fast that you'll be able to make any boat go faster and sail better.
Trim and rigging
Most sailmakers have trim and tuning advice on the net,just look one up.Ullman,North,Doyle,et al.
Most sailmakers have trim and tuning advice on the net,just look one up.Ullman,North,Doyle,et al.
Dennis
What boat do you have is a big question. I know your area as I grew up in Denbigh. crazy dave Coondo
What boat do you have is a big question. I know your area as I grew up in Denbigh. crazy dave Coondo
Pointing
I race a H240 out of Little Creek. I point as high as most boats we race. The swept back spreaders allow for a tight sheeting angle. What type of boat are you sailing. Several things will effect pointing ability. Condition of sails, type of keel, sheet angle on jib are tracks inboard or outboard.
I race a H240 out of Little Creek. I point as high as most boats we race. The swept back spreaders allow for a tight sheeting angle. What type of boat are you sailing. Several things will effect pointing ability. Condition of sails, type of keel, sheet angle on jib are tracks inboard or outboard.
Need for speed
Many factors effect a given sailboat’s pointing ability and speed upwind. Proper headstay and headsail halyard tension is at the top of the list and unfortunately, difficult to achieve with the rig on water ballast Hunters. As a remedy to this problem, has anyone ever fitted a pair of running backstays? While I am asking, does anyone have knowledge concerning retrofit of a centerboard trunk fairing to “clean-up” the underwater profile of their boat? This opening surely causes a great deal of speed robbing turbulence and the fix should be quite simple, just glue a strip of Mylar with a slit in it over the opening. The ballast discharge problem should also be addressed in a similar fashion.
Many factors effect a given sailboat’s pointing ability and speed upwind. Proper headstay and headsail halyard tension is at the top of the list and unfortunately, difficult to achieve with the rig on water ballast Hunters. As a remedy to this problem, has anyone ever fitted a pair of running backstays? While I am asking, does anyone have knowledge concerning retrofit of a centerboard trunk fairing to “clean-up” the underwater profile of their boat? This opening surely causes a great deal of speed robbing turbulence and the fix should be quite simple, just glue a strip of Mylar with a slit in it over the opening. The ballast discharge problem should also be addressed in a similar fashion.
Also "Clean" Underbelly
A "clean" underbelly. By that I mean aerodynamically clean as well as smooth. The less drag there is the better you'll point. In addition to what previous posters wrote: 1. SMOOTH bottom! The smoother the better. The bottom paint should be as smooth as possible. Serious racers dry-sail their boats and don't have bottom paint at all. The next step is totally smooth bottom paint. I remember seeing the crew of a sled "sanding" their bottom paint prior to a major race with 600 grit. Isn't that polishing??? 2. Feathering or folding prop, or better yet, an outboard. 3. Fairing the bottom. If you have a keel it should be faired. There are very few production boats that come really well faired. The keel should have all the uneven areas smoothed up, the foil should be symetrical, the keel to hull shape should be proper. Talk to an expert in your area about this. The idea is to reduce drag. The less drag there is the better the boat will point.
A "clean" underbelly. By that I mean aerodynamically clean as well as smooth. The less drag there is the better you'll point. In addition to what previous posters wrote: 1. SMOOTH bottom! The smoother the better. The bottom paint should be as smooth as possible. Serious racers dry-sail their boats and don't have bottom paint at all. The next step is totally smooth bottom paint. I remember seeing the crew of a sled "sanding" their bottom paint prior to a major race with 600 grit. Isn't that polishing??? 2. Feathering or folding prop, or better yet, an outboard. 3. Fairing the bottom. If you have a keel it should be faired. There are very few production boats that come really well faired. The keel should have all the uneven areas smoothed up, the foil should be symetrical, the keel to hull shape should be proper. Talk to an expert in your area about this. The idea is to reduce drag. The less drag there is the better the boat will point.
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