I'll be pretty simple with these, 'cause that fits my mind. The first topic is fore and aft weight distribution and the difference it makes. The smaller the craft the greater the difference, but a noticable difference in speed takes place on anything 30' and shorter.
So, how do you know when you are balanced fore and aft? Some is experimentation, but as for the transom, it should be
a) bottom of the transom on the water line
b) bottom of the transom just below the water line
c) bottom of the transom above the water line
d) it doesn't really matter significantly
Paul
Weekly fundamentals
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Chrysler20%26
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With out a lot of testing between two equal boats in the same conditions it is hard to say but my guess would be in light air try to keep it even and in heavy air you want more weight forward when going upwind and more weight rearward going downwind. With an outboard hanging off the back you are probably already rear heavy, I added about 75 # of ballast forward to counter this in my boat.
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Rivercruiser
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Rocker
New guy. First post. Been lurking a while and learning a lot. Very educational site.
My guess is 'C' for boats with a 'rocker bottom' like the C26. Before outboard motors took the work out of rowing a boat, most all small craft and all sailboats had a 'rocker bottom' to keep the transom out of the water to avoid the 'suck' of the water passing around and under the hull.
And again, thanks to all of you for the great stuff that I have learned about my boat.
Pete
My guess is 'C' for boats with a 'rocker bottom' like the C26. Before outboard motors took the work out of rowing a boat, most all small craft and all sailboats had a 'rocker bottom' to keep the transom out of the water to avoid the 'suck' of the water passing around and under the hull.
And again, thanks to all of you for the great stuff that I have learned about my boat.
Pete
C-26
Hunter 29.5
Hunter 29.5
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Mario G
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LeatherneckPA
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Rivercruiser
- Site Admin
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- Joined: Sat Oct 02, 2010 3:06 am
- Location: Norfolk
To answer MarioG and hp18carr...Thanks for the welcome...I just got the boat recently and it is still on the trailer. No pictures yet. The boat was sailed on fresh water and is in very good condition. At some point someone cleaned and painted all the inner fiberglass they could reach. It is very dry in the rear bilge. Do not yet know about fwd of the keel trunk.
I have purchased a new rudder and am having a spacer made from aluminum to take up the 1/8" worn off the top rudder post mushroom bushing. I welded the cracks in the rudder cheeks the same as seen on some of the pics on this site. The original rudder is cracked through the pivot hole. I will repair it for a spare. It is very heavy. No water has drained out of it. Would someone have glassed in a chunk of lead to give it some weight?
I have all the misgivings about the swing keel pivot that you folks have had and will probably drop it to inspect and/or replace the nylon bushing. I do need to paint the keel, rudder and bottom for saltwater. The boat has a new coat of non-saltwater bottom paint. The keel retract cable has a kink so it will be replaced. Probably with a heavier cable as some of you have done.
When I get home before Thanksgiving I will try to post a pic.
Pete.
I have purchased a new rudder and am having a spacer made from aluminum to take up the 1/8" worn off the top rudder post mushroom bushing. I welded the cracks in the rudder cheeks the same as seen on some of the pics on this site. The original rudder is cracked through the pivot hole. I will repair it for a spare. It is very heavy. No water has drained out of it. Would someone have glassed in a chunk of lead to give it some weight?
I have all the misgivings about the swing keel pivot that you folks have had and will probably drop it to inspect and/or replace the nylon bushing. I do need to paint the keel, rudder and bottom for saltwater. The boat has a new coat of non-saltwater bottom paint. The keel retract cable has a kink so it will be replaced. Probably with a heavier cable as some of you have done.
When I get home before Thanksgiving I will try to post a pic.
Pete.
C-26
Hunter 29.5
Hunter 29.5
Answer to the week's Fundamentals
The answer is that the transom should be above the water. As stated, the bottom of your hull is designed to slip through the water. Having the transom down causes drag. So the bottom of the transom should just kiss the water or be higher. The author, Stephen Falk, even goes so far as to say that a boats sweet spot may have the weight far enough forward that she feels down at the bow. He suggests you sail with another boat and as you shift weight see how it effects speed compared with them. Today it's probably easier to use a GPS and just note the speed changes.
So I addressed this point because of the wrench method of setting the rake of the mast discussed on another thread where I asked how you know when the hull is level. Changing the balance point will effect the attitude of the hull in the water, which effects the angle the mast has to plumb. So shifting the weight may also cause a re-tuning of the rigging - which we will come back to in a later forray.
Enjoy the weekend!
Paul (now leaning towards Quit Chaos)
So I addressed this point because of the wrench method of setting the rake of the mast discussed on another thread where I asked how you know when the hull is level. Changing the balance point will effect the attitude of the hull in the water, which effects the angle the mast has to plumb. So shifting the weight may also cause a re-tuning of the rigging - which we will come back to in a later forray.
Enjoy the weekend!
Paul (now leaning towards Quit Chaos)