Chrysler Sailors Forum

Yesterday was a gorgeous day for sailing. The water was like glass early in the morning, but we powered out through the bridges, and were heading north along the shore in a close reach. I looked back and saw a steady stream of much larger sailboats on the same tack coming up from behind, but we were keeping a good distance ahead of them.

And then the winds picked up.... a lot.

We pulled down the genoa and switched over to the jib, and decided to start heading back in. Currents from the canal, huge swells from Green Bay, and a mix of winds coming around the bluffs were really testing my novice sailing skills.

The way back in we saw many more sailboats headed out, all larger, with sails reefed.

I wonder if we'd had a little more weight in the keel, if we could have stuck it out better. The C20 has a space inside where you could conceivably add more weight. I'm nearly ready to fill that space with concrete and lead so we can stay out there with the big boys. Is this a terrible idea? Would the weight help keep us steadier in heavy weather?

Thanks all!

Well speaking from my vast once Novice sailing skills to my new and improved rank Amiture sailing skills with heavy Novice tendencies. I other words we maybe should hear from some of the old salts for the proper answer but I will toss a low salt substitute.

Less sail my friend. Yes, it pains me to to say it but take in a reef or God forbid drop a sail or both sails and motor in. Sigh...

I do love a good wind, water racing over the toe rail, washing my lea side windows with a bit of Salty Sea water. Hair on fire, BIG grin on my face, keel cable singing for all it is worth. Doing maybe 6 knots, but it feels a whole lot faster.

No bring in the sails. ahhh.

Thanks
Alan

Alan speaks wisdom.

Adding weight to a properly designed sloop is rarely good.
better to set proper sail. Smaller jib.multiple reefs in the main are a far superior idea.

However whet about the weight you have?

Do you have a nice battery? Move it low as possible and to the center of the boat.
anchor and chain? You must have them!
Stow them very low and in the center! Right in that spot.
?
Now. About your crew. Quit sailing with teenage girls. Get some big guys. Put them out on the rail. You know, rail bait!


That should help!

Id not add weight to your nicely designed Chrysler!

Scott

I agree!

We often out sail bigger boats that are overpowered and struggling, listing too far and spilling wind anyways.

Proper sail area and some list will get your best speed,,, ya not as exciting, but safer and more comfortable for the crew also.

Good advice has been given, I think you could have stayed out with the big boys. I have had my C 20 out in 4 to 6 full waves with 40 mile an hour winds and had lots of fun. Yesterday in late afternoon I tried to take my C 26 out, but I had three older women on board. So after seeing the waves in the Bay I decided to turn around and head back in.

Very good advice from you all. I suppose I should practice reefing the sail so I can do it while rocking wildly back and forth!

I did hit on a temporary idea, and I might try it just to see how it works. A few 75 pound sandbags will give a flavor of what I was thinking about, without any of the permanence. Take 'em out on light days, double down on heavy weather days....

I'll get my sailing buddies to hike out a bit, until I find my perfect rail bait!

I suppose I am extra cautious because I can't figure out where the foam flotation on my boat is. I can see into almost all the various compartments and cavities below deck, except for little one in the bow and a little one in the back. Surely there must be more flotation than that? I just don't want my boat to turn into a very expensive anchor!

Thanks everybody!

C

Don't know about the C20, but I can assure you the flotation on my C26 consists of concrete and lead...

Sounds like a great time! I was up at Hubbard Lake over the holiday pining away for my boat during one of the most gorgeous weekends i've seen. Unfortunately had truck probs just before going up north and no time to fix. bummer!
BTW, Foam flotation matl. on the 20 is behind the quarter berth storage compartments and between the two deck supports. I was curious and took a hole saw to one side. It was in surprisingly good shape.

Reef early - reef often, the old guys used to say!

Enough can't be said about the benefits of a good storm jib too! One of the best heavy weather sail I had was on a Tanzer 22 with a reefed main and storm jib. The boat was balanced and very responsive to the helm, what could have been a white-knuckler was an enjoyable day on the water!

White knuckles barely describes the sail on Saturday. I woke up on Sunday and had sore everything from getting knocked around, tight shoulders from pulling line, rope burns on my palms, and a hell of a sunburn to boot.

Reefing is in my future! The only way I could manage to get back in was by letting the sails dump almost all the wind. I suppose that gives them quite a beating.

As for the storm jib, is it just smaller? Heavier material? What's the story?

C

Smaller, heavier sailcloth, and most importantly, the sail is much flatter (less draft) so it doesn't generate as much power and can be flattened right out.

The problem with releasing tension on your sheets in windy conditions is you're actually creating a sailshape that is generating more power making the boat harder to control which is what tires you out. To reduce power you want to flatten your sails.

one time I had 2 rather large people on board and they hated switching sides when I tacked and did not want to be on the lee side so I had a brain storm and sat them on each side of the keel trunk great ballast it would have been better to have them on the windward rail adding about 700# but the river is narrow and tacking is frequent.

Adding weight sounds like a simple idea, but keep in mind the resistance you give the boat to the wind with weight does not come free. Something on the boat has to make up the difference... upper and lower shrouds and chain plates are the first things that come to mind for me. Can you say dis masted? Over powering the rig can have unintended results.

I think unless your standing rigging hardware is in bad shape your not going to have any issues with it. Especially on the 22, it is way over designed. That said finding a way to add weight on a swing keel that would be effective is tricky at best. I have added weight under the forward storage area but that was more to balance out the motor hanging off the stern. There just is not any good way to do it short of building a heavier swing keel...........hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

This topic reminds me of my Buc 18. The previous owner replaced the original wood center board with a powder coated steel one. Although I never sailed her with tho wood one. She seems quite stable for her size.

I regularly add weight to my keel before sailing. A burger, fries and a very large cold beverage get added to my keel most times before sailing.

Oh you mean the boat! No don't do it. Burp.

Thanks
Alan

Alanhod wrote:I regularly add weight to my keel before sailing. A burger, fries and a very large cold beverage get added to my keel most times before sailing.

Oh you mean the boat! No don't do it. Burp.

Thanks
Alan

LOL, good one Alan..