Making the boat lighter.

[Mudisox]

I decided to remove and clean out some of my larger lockers up front. Mainly Longish ropes that I have accumulated along with odd lengths of chain that "might come in useful".
On removal back home I decided to weigh them all. Total was 114kgs! And I had already taken the two large Gas bottles back for the winter.

The dangers of having too much space.

 

[KevinV]

I decided to remove and clean out some of my larger lockers up front. Mainly Longish ropes that I have accumulated along with odd lengths of chain that "might come in useful".
On removal back home I decided to weigh them all. Total was 114kgs! And I had already taken the two large Gas bottles back for the winter.

The dangers of having too much space.

Well done!

Now, what lighter anchor can we recommend for you?

 

[oldmanofthehills]

The problem is that lighter anchor chain needs a new gypsy on the winch, and probably much more expensive chain. I had considered going from 8mm to upgraded 7mm and found it would cost well over £450 to save relatively few kilos.

It is good to clear out rubbish, but in reality 114kg is like have an adult and small person aboard, and I wouldnt expect that to slow the boat

 

[Baggywrinkle]

"That might come in handy one day" .... the road to a cluttered life. I have a basement, shed, and attic full of stuff like that. Even worse, when my brain tells me I've got something somewhere.... I can never find it, so I buy another, and a few weeks later the original turns up. ... I'm heading for retirement in a few years and I am determined to get rid of everything and start a clutter-free life. My boat was fortunately clutter free because the amount of space wasn't as overwhelming as a house.

 

[ProDave]

And only the other day I was reading of someone that found when the crew went forward, i.e. more weight on the bow, the boat went faster by 1/2 knot.

so does emptying your bow locker really make your boat go faster?

 

[SaltyC]

And only the other day I was reading of someone that found when the crew went forward, i.e. more weight on the bow, the boat went faster by 1/2 knot.

so does emptying your bow locker really make your boat go faster?

Too true, the club boats wondered why I sat on the pulpit on light wind days! ( reduced wetted area)

May have been more effective to empty the cockpit locker!!

When selling and emptying found items I didn't know were there after 15 years of ownership! Unfortunately, still in garage as may come in.

 

[johnalison]

And only the other day I was reading of someone that found when the crew went forward, i.e. more weight on the bow, the boat went faster by 1/2 knot.

so does emptying your bow locker really make your boat go faster?

It is traditional lore that weight in the ends of the boat affect motion adversely and can cause loss of speed in a seaway. My water tank is in the forecabin and holds up to 250L but I can’t say that I have discerned any obvious difference between full and empty when sailing, though the difference is easily visible when looking at the boat from a pontoon. We did a 3-day regatta once and took as much off as we reasonably could when cruising abroad but didn’t go to the lengths of a competitor who we saw sawing off his anchor chain.

 

[B27]

"That might come in handy one day" .... the road to a cluttered life. I have a basement, shed, and attic full of stuff like that.....

Only one shed?
Beginner!

 

[Baggywrinkle]

Only one shed?
Beginner!

I do have 3 store rooms in the basement, and have recently started storing sh!t in the sauna.

 

[Chiara’s slave]

You guys don’t know you're born with weight saving.

 

[michael_w]

I reckoned that my Contessa 33 when in full ocean crossing mode was carrying 800 kg over her normal cruising trim. Quite a lot on a boat that had an empty weight of 4250 kg.

 

[Chiara’s slave]

I reckoned that my Contessa 33 when in full ocean crossing mode was carrying 800 kg over her normal cruising trim. Quite a lot on a boat that had an empty weight of 4250 kg.

Our empty weight is 2000kg. We don’t cut the handles off our toothbrushes, but do know how many warps and fenders we are carrying, how much water and waste, and always match the number of life jackets to the number of crew. And when racing, we’ll probably pump out both tanks and carry water in bottles in the middle of the boat.

 

[michael_w]

'Weight in construction is only useful to the designer of a steam roller.'
Uffa Fox

'Simplify and add lightness'
Colin Chapman

 

[Chiara’s slave]

'Weight in construction is only useful to the designer of a steam roller.'
Uffa Fox

'Simplify and add lightness'
Colin Chapman

I hardly need say how sincerely I take that advice.

 

[capnsensible]

Our empty weight is 2000kg. We don’t cut the handles off our toothbrushes, but do know how many warps and fenders we are carrying, how much water and waste, and always match the number of life jackets to the number of crew. And when racing, we’ll probably pump out both tanks and carry water in bottles in the middle of the boat.

It's common practice here when prepping for a race to veer out all the anchor and chain onto the sea bed by the pontoon. The last link is secured to a pontoon cleat for recovery with some thin line.

 

[Chiara’s slave]

However, it’s hardly a safe practise. Our anchors aren’t heavy compared to their contribution to safety at sea. I’d just sail with fewer people sooner than leave an anchor, saves more weight.

 

[Supertramp]

However, it’s hardly a safe practise. Our anchors aren’t heavy compared to their contribution to safety at sea. I’d just sail with fewer people sooner than leave an anchor, saves more weight.

Well said. I have raced on a boat where we kept less than a gallon of diesel in the tank for lightness and that went wrong. Save weight but not at the expense of safety.

As a cruiser I carry spares for everything I can think of such as blocks and jack's to change engine mounts, two changes of oil for the engine, full spanner and socket set and so on. It's a part of being self sufficient and able to be independent. Don't ask about anchors and chain!

But returning to the OP, a regular clear out and review is a really good thing.

 

[B27]

It's common practice here when prepping for a race to veer out all the anchor and chain onto the sea bed by the pontoon. The last link is secured to a pontoon cleat for recovery with some thin line.

There are safer forms of cheating.

 

[johnalison]

We met an English catamaran once in the Baltic and had tea/drinks on each other’s boat. I didn’t recognise the cat’s class but it was quite sporty, a bit like a larger Iroquois. One of them admired our crockery, which is bog standard chandlery white glass stuff, until they picked up a plate and remarked that they couldn’t possibly have such stuff on board as it was far too heavy.

 

[Birdseye]

The problem is that lighter anchor chain needs a new gypsy on the winch, and probably much more expensive chain. I had considered going from 8mm to upgraded 7mm and found it would cost well over £450 to save relatively few kilos.

It is good to clear out rubbish, but in reality 114kg is like have an adult and small person aboard, and I wouldnt expect that to slow the boat

Any weight will slow the boat by immersing more of the hull and thus creating more drag. Whether you would notice is a different matter but some of the guys I race with do so with empty water tanks and maybe half a gallon of diesel because they believe that weight is an issue. Fine but none of them diet and most are overweight as is common in this rich country.