Boat review terminology

[DMW]

Reading boat reviews in the UK and US yachting press I come across certain terms which are not particularly clear. Could I ask for some assistance with what the following actually mean:

1. Tender (when describing a boat's motion under sail - not the little boat at the back)
2. Sheer (to do with the hull?)
3. Tumblehome (also the hull?)
4. Stiff (eg "...she will be stiff and stable, particularly in high winds.")

I expect there are others that could be added to the list, but this will do for starters.

Many thanks

David

 

[yachtcharisma]

Tender - slightest puff of wind and she tips over!

Sheer - when seen from the side, the top of the hull traditionally follows a curve, a little up at the stern, down towards the middle, then up more to the bow. This curve is called the sheer. A "pronounced sheer" - it does it a lot. "Reverse sheer" - it does it the other way, ie bow and stern are close to the water than the middle of the boat.

Tumblehome - Seen end on now, the widest part of the hull is often a little below the line of the decks. Where the hull narrows as it rises up from its widest point to where it meets the decks is, I think, called the tumblehome. But I'm not too sure about that one myself!

Stiff - Not tender!

Cheers
Patrick

Sailing a Corribee in Plymouth
vzone.virgin.net/patrick.fox

 

[Twister_Ken]

1. Tender - the opposite of stiff. Reef early, or you'll get seawater up the the back of your jacket
2. Sheer - the line of the deck edge from bow to stern. Generally considered 'sweet' if slightly concave, boring if pretty much straight and ugly if convex (reverse sheer)
3. Tumblehome - a feature of certain hulls where the maximum beam occurs lower than the deck edge, sometimes described as a 'wine-glass shaped hull'
4. Stiff - reluctant to heel - sometimes expressed as "she stands up to her sail well"

 

[Chris_Stannard]

Chuck Paine, well known for cruising boat designs, had a 20/20 rule. this said that a cruising boat ought to be able to carry its normal cruising sails at 20 degrees or less of heel in 20 knots of apparent wind. Racing boats the first reef often goes in at 16 or 17 knots.

The posistion of the ballast is also important since if you compare two boats with the same ballast ratio, one with a fin keel and the other with a stub with a lead keel at the bottom of it, the second will tend to have a slower and easier motion than the first. It may even be slightly more tender initially.

For comfort a boat that is too stiff, rolls very quickly and can be a right pain in the *** is a seaway, so if you are taking SHMBO and she gets queasy be careful. On the other hand a boat that is to tender may also tip over to easily and be equally alarming.

I have seen very few reviews that refer to comfort in a seaway, they seem to be concerned with how fast the boat will go upwind in the Solent. Perhaps Kim might care to comment.

Chris Stannard