kieronriley
Well-Known Member
why does my boat sail much better on one tack than the other,its a long keel 30 foot morgan giles.HELP,thanks.Kieron
sailing better on one tack
- Thread starter kieronriley
- Start date
yachtorion
Well-Known Member
Is the standing rigging equally tensioned on both sides and the mast straight? Also what do you mean by better? Faster, closer, less weather helm, track better, etc?
ex-Gladys
Well-Known Member
...and is the mast upright? are the jib leads set right on each tack?
tcm
...
hum, i bet the windex isn’t pointing exaccerly dead ahead.
Pye_End
Well-Known Member
How are you measuring the difference? If using a fixed log, is it to one side or dead centre? If offset it could give different readings on each tack.
Victoria Sponge
Well-Known Member
Don't most boats....?
D
Deleted member 36384
Guest
My Rival sails better on starboard tack than port tack, or so I thought. A review of the plotter log showed that she pointed equally well on both tacks and sailed at the same speed. Folks have already mentioned the windex, mine was OK but the wind instrument (ST60) wind vane was later found to be worn on its spindle and not reading correct apparent wind direction relative to ships head. More importantly though I am strongly right handed, being completely cack handed when using my left. When sailing on starboard tack, close hauled, I sit to port and look up the slot at the tell tales. Steering is comfortable and reactions are smooth. On port tack I am a bit more sloppy and it feels much worse to me.
So my advice to the OP is to try and check it out on both tacks using instruments, at the least: tell tales, compass and log (one that reads velocity would be good). If it is different on both tacks i.e. speed is not the same and angle to the wind is not the same, then start looking for issues. As others have said, check the rigging first.
Finally - check out the article in this months (August I think) PBO on the lee bow effect if you sail in an area where currents may be relevant. That could be another cause for feeling that she sails better on one tack.
So my advice to the OP is to try and check it out on both tacks using instruments, at the least: tell tales, compass and log (one that reads velocity would be good). If it is different on both tacks i.e. speed is not the same and angle to the wind is not the same, then start looking for issues. As others have said, check the rigging first.
Finally - check out the article in this months (August I think) PBO on the lee bow effect if you sail in an area where currents may be relevant. That could be another cause for feeling that she sails better on one tack.
prv
Well-Known Member
+1 I suffer hugely from this in a breeze, as the paddlewheel is halfway up the hull between keel and waterline. With a strong breeze on starboard tack it lifts right out of the water and that's obvious, but with less heel it still slows down as it skips between waves. For a while I thought I was sailing slower on that tack.
The bottom of the boat is full of steel punchings in solid poured resin, so the log can't go any lower.
Pete
RupertW
Well-Known Member
Wave action may be part of the answer if you have only been out a few times and noticed this.
I find that most beats have a good tack and and slow one if he waves are not coming from dead upwind. Coasts have a habit of bending winds differently to waves so the same wind angle on both tacks could lead to a nice wave angle on one tack and heading straight into the waves on the other.
So on some trips port tack is better and on some trips starboard is. However if you do the same trip often then you might find that, for example, you mostly beat when going west and that similar wave patterns on that stretch mean that the starboard tack is nearly always slower than the port tack.
All being symettrcial with your rig, storage and so on.
I find that most beats have a good tack and and slow one if he waves are not coming from dead upwind. Coasts have a habit of bending winds differently to waves so the same wind angle on both tacks could lead to a nice wave angle on one tack and heading straight into the waves on the other.
So on some trips port tack is better and on some trips starboard is. However if you do the same trip often then you might find that, for example, you mostly beat when going west and that similar wave patterns on that stretch mean that the starboard tack is nearly always slower than the port tack.
All being symettrcial with your rig, storage and so on.
KellysEye
Well-Known Member
We have a long keeler too and our boat sails better on starboard tack than port because of the weight of the generator on the starboard side. It doesn't need to be a genarator, any weight on one side heavier than the other side will have the same effect e.g more kit in the lockers on one side. It would be worth checking what you store and have on deck each side and try to balance it. If that doesn't work it is probably the rig alignment.
Seajet
...
As well as checking the rig for the usual culprits, consider the weight distribution in the layout of the boat & stores.
My boat in the original design has the loo, cooker and engine all on the port side, with battery, gas bottles, & water central - so she'd be stiffer on starboard tack, but we spotted that during build and rearranged everything to be more balanced.
I asked the sales manager why the standard weight distribution was like that and he replied ' it was so owners would know which side she'd settle on '; I think a more likely reason is that the interior was designed by two of the Directors' wives who were good at using space but maybe not Naval Architects !
My boat in the original design has the loo, cooker and engine all on the port side, with battery, gas bottles, & water central - so she'd be stiffer on starboard tack, but we spotted that during build and rearranged everything to be more balanced.
I asked the sales manager why the standard weight distribution was like that and he replied ' it was so owners would know which side she'd settle on '; I think a more likely reason is that the interior was designed by two of the Directors' wives who were good at using space but maybe not Naval Architects !
onesea
Well-Known Member
+1 oh and your log will not be on the centreline, all making the numbers not add up...
Although I once raced with an owner who on one tack ALWAYS pinched on the other was a little low...
HE blamed his boat but you could see by the tell tails, I joked his brain was 5 degrees out
alahol2
Well-Known Member
Bacause of the orientation of my mooring I get more fouling on the starboard side so, come this time of year, I start slowing down on port tack.
