Lighten that boat!

[jimi]

Many sailors go to great lengths to lighten their boat to make it go faster and also if the weight is carried above the waterline to improve stability. However I have a neurotic friend who is ripping the teak decks off his boat in order to improve matters. I have tried to tell him that he's wasting his time as the wood will float thus improving the Stix ratio but he refuses to heed my advice. Is this sensible of him?

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[Rowana]

<<he refuses to heed my advice. Is this sensible of him?>>

DEFINiTELY ! !

Can any of this redundant wood be recycled? Laminated into a new rudder, perhaps??

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[longjohnsilver]

Well I know someone who's idea of lightening his boat is to remove the rudder! I fully expect the keel to go next.

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[jimi]

Nae nned for that! I just empty the holding tank .. I'm maturing a special brew for the RTI in case I participate!

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[Aeolus_IV]

Perhaps if anyone were considering removing thier keel to save weight, they could use Jimi's friends' waste wood to create some outriggers in the style of a tri', thus maintaining their crafts stability...

Just a thought,
Jeff.

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[anchorhandler]

Dont see why not, wood still represents weight which will technically represent a deeper draught which represents more surface area in the water which in turn increases drag/resistance.
Not sure how moving weight above the waterline improves stability though. it all depends on where the center of gravity, center of bouyancy and metacentric height are for the perticular type of boat. (think of the metacenter as a point in space somewhere above the deck. the actual position takes considerable calculations/trials to determine)
As a general rule, the lower the center of gravity, the more stability since the distance to the metacenter has increased.
The worst case scenarion is to have the center of gravity above the metacenter as this would render the boat dangerously unstable.
Hope this helps
Simon


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[Chris_Robb]

could you not borrow this wood from your mate to improve the STIX ration of your remarkable bateau? I am sure he is putting on some more, but would be most happy for you to pay him for the wood.

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[bedouin]

The guy obviously knows you well - ignoring your advice is always a good idea!

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[AndrewB]

Nothing to do with lightness ...

He prefers a lovely modern crisp fresh watertight plastic finish, rather than being 'lumbered' with a nasty old-fashioned mouldering discoloured leaky wooden deck. And who can blame him!



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[jimi]

Re: Nothing to do with lightness ...

Absolutely .. I think this lurch to destruct was preciptated by two events
1) the loss of some bilge based ballast
2) Misinterpretaion of the sticks ratio. TK ..ooops .. my neurotic friend is also a liitle hard of hearing and had mislaid his ear trumpet .. thought Bedders had said sticks ratio .. apparently the NF had to be physically restrained from chopping down his mast before he launched feverishly into the teak decks with an angle grinder muttering manically "Sticks .. Sticks .. Burn baby burn ...!" Two woodbine and a glass of Diamond white restored this gibbering frame to a semblance of a Scottish XV hooker ... He blames the french you know!

<hr width=100% size=1>I Have The Body Of A God... Buddha