Weighting a drogue line

[muzzaman]

I have purchased a Jimmy Green drogue for a 32ft boat and am going to attach some chain prior to the drogue warp for additional weighting. Any rough ideas as to how much chain, 2 or 3 metres, perhaps more?

Also, I have read extensively as to what length to tow the drogue but would be interested in forumites views.

Many thanks in advance.

 

[mtb]

what's wrong with just towing lines to perhaps slow the boat, a drogue can put huge pressure on every thing plus it may put the boat into danger because of the unnatural influence it causes to the way the hull works.
Bare poles towing lines and the boat will look after its self.

 

[Aeolus]

Why don't you contact Jimmy Green and ask them?

 

[Twister_Ken]

what's wrong with just towing lines to perhaps slow the boat, a drogue can put huge pressure on every thing plus it may put the boat into danger because of the unnatural influence it causes to the way the hull works.
Bare poles towing lines and the boat will look after its self.

See recent article on drogues by PBO or YM. They tried towing lines and it made very little difference to boat speed. They also measured the 'weight' of a drogue at various speeds and (as I recall) the max load was about 100kgs - not exactly "huge pressure".

 

[Highndry]

I've never used a drogue sailing but I use one every time I go trout fishing. Why would you weight the line?

 

[mtb]

were they out in 9 or above under bare poles
a hull will slip under pressure of wind or wave on its own so relieving pressure put some thing like a sea anchor and how will it react

this has been written and argued about since the early days when voss used a sea anchor which he wrote of claiming how wonderful it was
yet he also stated how with one occasion the heavy bronze frame of the sea anchor got smashed. He wrote it saved the ship
other people have discounted that saying because it failed it saved the ship
Others would say no to the use of a sea anchor because of the added risks
I'd not have one but then the worst I've faced is 8 and I was under power. If I were offshore in my yacht and was unable to get into shelter and it was going to kick off I'd try to get sea room and then lie bare poles depending on wind direction and speed through water if needed I'd tow lines to slow the hull but that's all the hulls natural buoyancy will be the main aid
most of us will never face huge sea's off shore but think about it, if you faced huge sea's would you want the boat to slide off a huge wave dissipating the waves force on you or would you have an anchor hold you there so the wave breaks over the boat