Skylark
Well-Known Member
Now you're just being silly.
I don’t understand why you’re quoting “now” ?
His posts have been silly for quite a while ?
Now you're just being silly.
Read up on that: Boat design.net. No sillier than insisting that boats with extended sub-zero stability curves or that lightweight flyers that need to be constantly sailed in extreme conditions, by a small crew are safe for offshore cruising and transoceanic passages. I didn't come up with the "holding your breath" statement either, I was quoting; see table posted by Dave Gerr, boat designer and professor of yacht design. And just to add:I don’t understand why you’re quoting “now” ?
His posts have been silly for quite a while ?
Safety standards have slipped. Boats used to be built to Lloyds 100 A1 as mine is. Now they are built to the lesser standard RCD.. This standard has allowed at least one well publicised Beneteau to go to sea and stay inverted.My numbers were simply to provide an absolute baseline of weight demonstrably available to a small cruising crew by simply starting with a modern boat in around the cans mode. Increase that for offshore races like the Fastnet and beyond and one could easily double that load. In other words, circumstances where the more modern boats remain definitively faster.
As for the seaworthiness and safety, with similar AVSs and more often than not a smaller area under the GZ curves, modern boats are clearly no less safe. Neither have safety standards slipped. Toss in additions like multiple watertight bulkheads, sealed equipment compartments, escape hatches, etc., and these boats become demonstrably safer machines. Incidentally, much of this is mandated for offshore races, a trend increasingly adopted by top cruising boats.
And finally, the load carrying stability debate; not so long ago I visited Group Finot in Brittany (designer of Pogo 12.5, many Beneteau's and a ton of iconic raceboats). They emphasised the detrimental effect of weight stored high up in the vessel. This applies to any boat -- there is absolutely no magic here, it's just physics. They showed several pictures of overloaded boats - old and new - on the transatlantic circuit to illustrate how dangerously loaded vessels routinely put to sea.
Concerned sailors should be aware that the big design offices are normally more than willing to respond to concise questions about maximum safe loads, stability, etc. I would advise anybody concerned to drop them a line for a definitive answer before contemplating a long offshore trip. Might as well get it from the horses mouth.
Where does the Anderson 22 fit into all this ?
Yes, the point is most modern mass produced boats are not better than well designed older boats. That is the argument. You guys wont accept it so his some more data?You two are totally obsessive, is there a point to any of your posts ?
I’m really happy that you believe that you own the best sailing vessel ever built. Why can’t you be happy with other people’s choice? Is it so hard to accept that different people apply different criteria to the boats of their choosing?
Never claimed I had the "best sailing vessel ever" and I don't think this is what this thread has been about. Perhaps you missed the point. Nor do I really care what someone else goes to sea in; that is indeed everyone's personal choice.You two are totally obsessive, is there a point to any of your posts ?
I’m really happy that you believe that you own the best sailing vessel ever built. Why can’t you be happy with other people’s choice? Is it so hard to accept that different people apply different criteria to the boats of their choosing?
......... Perhaps you missed the point. Nor do I really care what someone else goes to sea in; that is indeed everyone's personal choice.
All I have seen is people like yourself getting irritated when others argue that modern boats designs are not better than older designs. We post articles and content from various sources that add weight to our argument. Some of the articles are from qualified yacht designers who point out things like the chines are modern production yachts are fashion not function. Scholarly articles on yacht stability demonstrating that modern yacht designs are not as stable as their predecessors seem to bypass you. Maybe you are in denial. You have such a yacht and you don't like it when other point out the short comings. We as owners of older boats built to a high standard have to listen to your condescending description of our pride and joy as a manky old boat.You're right there, I've yet to see a point within this thread, just a lot of plagiarized, aged, cut and paste.
If you don't care where others sail, why make the derogatory "it's hardly north face of Eiger" comment about Trade Wind sailing. It discredits you, just like the ridiculous comment about breath holding
Why don't you contact the many contemporary yacht design houses and offer your opinion. I'm sure that the RCD would be interested, too.
I worked within mechanical engineering and was Chartered for more than 40 years. In my time I was called upon as an "expert witness" by Police/Forensics and stood on the committee for National Standards (feeding into ISO) within my chosen field. I had training, qualification and experience in my chosen field and was taught to leave matters outside my field of expertise to others more appropriately qualified. It's very true that "a little knowledge can be very dangerous"![]()
This is a pointless argument to me, 'better' is a relative term, it's a never ending argument that 'this' is 'better' than 'that'. you're unlikely to convince an ex-racer to go cruising in what he/she may see as an 'old tub' anymore than convince a liveaboard to go cruising in an ex-raceboat.
There are those cruiser/liveaboards that choose to sail an older boat, in comfort, generally laden with most of what they would have had in their domestic houses and there are those who prefer to sail something lighter and shall we say perhaps 'livelier and more nimble (I won't get into the faster argument) and do their cruising with less home comforts.
As one of the latter I see no problems with the former, if that's your choice, I've shared a bottle of wine many times onboard HR's and the like fully loaded with washing machines and much more.
I raced my LW offshore solo and 2 handed for several years, sometimes in atrocious weather and frequently at double digit speeds. She's a wee bit slower now in cruising mode having laden her down with a few spares, tools, curtains, bigger fridge and memory foam mattresses but still often manages 10 to 12 knots offwind in a decent breeze....
For me, simplistically, when you're talking about sailing in bad weather, it's more about the skipper and crew's ability to handle their boat than reams of theoretical design calculations (which I'm not denigrating - if you're a designer you have to start somewhere), history seems to show that generally lighter/racier boats need to be 'actively sailed' through bad weather whereas older, heavier designs are likely to have more ability to ride it out in some degree of comfort.
That doesn't make one design 'better' or even 'safer' than the other - IMHO
All I have seen is people like yourself getting irritated when others argue that modern boats designs are not better than older designs. We post articles and content from various sources that add weight to our argument. Some of the articles are from qualified yacht designers who point out things like the chines are modern production yachts are fashion not function. Scholarly articles on yacht stability demonstrating that modern yacht designs are not as stable as their predecessors seem to bypass you. Maybe you are in denial. You have such a yacht and you don't like it when other point out the short comings. We as owners of older boats built to a high standard have to listen to your condescending description of our pride and joy as a manky old boat.
I could have bought a new boat but being a mechanical engineer and having some understanding of construction I was unhappy with the offering from the mass producers. I could find nothing on offer that tick the boxes for me so I chose an older design.
May be if you had a little knowledge you wouldnt have chosen something so dangerous?
I started the thread as I liked what Ed Dubois said about designing yachts. I did expect some comments, but it has turned out to be an excellent discussion about yacht design.I think this has been an excellent thread overall and I appreciate Concerto for starting it, although I'm sure he'd no idea where it would lead.
Thank you to all of you who have commented in this thread. As a final comment you will have the opportunity to meet me and see my Fulmar at the Southampton Boat Show as Concerto has been selected as the boat for the Westerly Owners Association berth - when she will be 40 years old in September.