What is the cruising speed of your 35-38 feet sailing boat?

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cmedsailor

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I am just interested in comparing cruising speeds of various boats at this size. Could you mention some from own experience please (not by the book)?
To start with for a Beneteau Oceanis 361 is around 6-6.5 knots.
 
Vancouver 34, wind forward of the beam 12Knts true and over: 5 to 6 Knts typically 5.5. Off the wind very much dependant on wind strength, I have averaged 8 knts over 24 Hrs in 30 Knt plus winds with the wind over the quarter.
 
Colvic Countess 37; we passage plan based on 5 knots to allow for contingencies and currents etc, but usually average closer to 6 knots.
5.5 under power is economical, we can do 6.5 knots if needed and 7 is max.

Obviously wind strength and direction have a huge impact and we certainly do more like 6.5 - 7 knots down wind vs 5 - 6 knots upwind on average.

Jonny
 
By cruising speed I presume you mean what speed do I make on a passage? While I often sail at 8 knots in a HR 34 I generally expect a passage of 6-6.5, occasionally 7 on a good day. If I've got a long passage - i.e. all day - the engine goes on at below 6 knots. My slowest trip was about 1 knot when I was trying not to use my motor to save engine hours.
 
Sigma 362 sailed by duffers

Planned passage speed 5.5 kts or 6.0kts if in hurry. We sail quicker than that but unscheduled buggering about soon brings it down.

We plan on 18hr days on coastal passages, to sit out one foul tide and sleep and expect to make 100NM/day. We will anchor off doing this since its quicker. We can keep that up for 4 or 5 days. We can to 30hrs and cover 180NM if we have to, but not the next day! (Although now we have the mutt he may have a view on this!)

On passage the engine goes on if waterspeed drops consistently below about 5kts (5.5 for faster speed)
 
8 kts in a HR34? average passage speed of 6 to 6.5kts?

Does your Raymarine need calibrating or is that from GPS. If its GPS is it coastal with the tide?

I believe HR's to be quality , solidly build boats but not fast sailing boats.

On my Dufour 36 I always hoped for 6kts but realistically planned on 5kts passage X channel. On the 38 I usually managed 5.5 to 6kts passage X channel. On the 43 its 6.5 to 7kts. Interested in doing a X channel next weekend to see if the new sails with fully battened main drastically increases my passage planning speed. But where is that 16kts of wind on a broad reach when you want it - on the nose!!

To avoid over optimistic passage planning I keep a record of times taken for trips. Find it generally disappointing as the wind is rarely the direction and strength that you want.

Like others I hoist the iron sail if boatspeed falls consistently below 5kts
 
We keep a little table in the back of the logbook to help passage planning, something like "Date" "To" "From" "Mileage" "Time Taken" "% Sailed" "% Engine"

No rocket science, but allows us to look back over a season and come up with an average speed under sail and an average under power over a range of conditions.

I haven't done the calcs yet, but I did add up something like 1,830miles in the 8 weeks we've had away in the last 12 months. Reckon thats something like 32 miles per day on average (and I suspect of the 8 weeks 2 of them were probably spent held up in marinas waiting for weather windows so this pushes the average even higher).

Jonny
 
If memory serves max theoretical speed (Kt) for a displacement hull is 4/3 X Sq.Root waterline length in ft.

It may go slower, but it can't go faster.

Sq Rt 36 = 6
X4/3 =8Kt.

Or rather, a wee bit less, as the w/l of a 36 - 38' boat won't quite be as much as 36'.
 
"It may go slower, but it can't go faster".

Of course it can go faster. Don't forget the waves sometimes pushing you. I did once 13.7 knots "surfing" down a wave on a 47 feet sailing boat!!!
 
This is a theoretical hull speed assuming the hull is in the water - it is based on the fact that a boat can't overtake its bow wave. Of course if you have surfing conditions or a boat that will plane then the formulae falls down.

Jonny
 
Variable!
Lightwave 395 with cruising chute up, 8knots.
Under motor not very good, it starts to smoke at about 5.5kts!
5 or 6 for passage plan, but we sail if poss even on a beat, so we don't pin ourselves down with too much detail in the plan.
We tend to keep options open
 
Moody Carbineer 46. Economical sea cruising 7.5kts 1400rpm
Average sailing speed tends to be 5-6 kts. Best daysail average 7.4 kts Portrush to Gigha.
 
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I believe HR's to be quality , solidly build boats but not fast sailing boats.

Don't always equate solid and heavy with slow: in offwind conditions when "faster" modern boats are having to reduce sail to avoid broaching many older designs can be driven on, well above the theoretical hullspeed.

On modern light boats a different helmsman can have a dramatic effect on speed - put a really good dinghy sailor on the helm of a light modern boat and on a reach in windy conditions he can often turn in averages 2-3 knots more than someone who just tries to hold a course. The dinghy sailor will spin the wheel wildly, but by keeping the hull under the rig he'll avoid the broaching and push the hull up past hullspeed.
 
[ QUOTE ]

put a really good dinghy sailor on the helm of a light modern boat and on a reach in windy conditions he can often turn in averages 2-3 knots more than someone who just tries to hold a course.


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Yes, but often in the wrong direction!
Believe me, I've tried this. You come up from below after making a brew. The boat is going like a train.
You ask: "what's your heading"
"What?"

Dinghy sailors!
 
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Don't always equate solid and heavy with slow: in offwind conditions when "faster" modern boats are having to reduce sail to avoid broaching many older designs can be driven on, well above the theoretical hullspeed.
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I agree with that one, my mates bendytoy 34 is unhappy and on its ear in 15 knots of wind, so its reef or prepapare to spend a lot of time rounding up and spilling your tea.

In similar condiions Beleza will be geting into her stride will quite happily tramp along comfortably under full sail.
 
Not sailed on an HR 34 but sailed other Hallberg Rassys. Like gentlemen they don't sail to windward ( I exaggerate, but not by much). However, a bit broad of a beam reach with enough wind I could believe 8 Kts is achievable by an HR 34. Based upon my experience with other HRs I don't expect they'd surf under those circumstances rather they barge the whole sea out of the way. /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
 
Helming a Sigma 38 I've achieved over 16 knots, but it was downhill with a following wind.

I've beaten this as crew on quite a number of other boats, usually with most of us hanging onto the pushpit for dear life and the helmsman, often being the furthest forward on the boat, praying to whichever god took his fancy at the time. Great fun. By the way, I've sometimes wondered if there is a patron saint of spinnakers (especially if it was F8 at the time).
 
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