Draggin' ass

[slowpoke]

No, I'm not talking about my build, though it is going slow. I'm talking about the picture on the front page, and a lot of other pictures that show i550's from the side. It really looks to me like There's a ballast issue built into these boats, and the keel should be farther forward. Anyone else see what I'm seeing? And I will still build according to the plans, but I plan on placing my (heavy) battery forward to help bring the nose down.

[jray]

I've got a battery all the way forward along with the anchor and the electric outboard when racing. With all that still dragging the back end. I believe the only way that you might get what your looking for is to have crew forward of the mast. Hard to do with a cabin. The boat sails great even dragging ass and if there is any pressure at all I don't believe it is a concern, the only time it might help is those days where it is not much to nothing for wind.

[Kevin]

What you care about is not the ass dragging but keeping the knuckle in the water. When it's out, you are just giving away water line which will slow you down. The bow is part of the hull "foil" that you want to use to your advantage too. I was able to effectively keep the knuckle in the water in light conditions with 2 crew sitting at the cabin (between frames 110 and 124) just behind the shrouds. Between races I walked right by Ron who was sitting back at his traveler on frame 169 with about 6" of the bow out of the water, one of the pictures from the epoxy cup shows the difference.

The good news is that the ass is only 4 feet wide so it dragging isn't the worst thing in the world. For comparison, a open 5.70 has 6 feet of flat bottom and then rounded chines which equals about 60% more ass. I have found that in any kind of chop I have to pull my motor off it's mount, which is pretty low, to keep it out of the water. I stow it forward of frame 89 usually along with the anchor.

Oh, and one thing you do want is a sharp corner where water is releasing from the hull, like across the transom. A sharp corner causes a quick release, a rounded corner pulls the water up around the corner which creates drag.

Kevin.

[micah202]

No, I'm not talking about my build, though it is going slow. I'm talking about the picture on the front page, and a lot of other pictures that show i550's from the side. It really looks to me like There's a ballast issue built into these boats, and the keel should be farther forward. Anyone else see what I'm seeing? And I will still build according to the plans, but I plan on placing my (heavy) battery forward to help bring the nose down.

..methinks you'll regret having fixed weight forward when you're going downwind in a breeze
...let's face it ,these boats are short and stubby...the only correction is crew placement,,and a long cockpit

[Chad]

..methinks you'll regret having fixed weight forward when you're going downwind in a breeze

...or upwind in chop.

[Kevin]

Oh, and we have fantastic chop here in Chicago. Especially when the winds from the north east at 12 plus. Nothing like 350 miles of fresh water lake to build up a nice chop.

[jray]

All the little things are important. Little more here and there will help some but I've found that you miss a shift or a layline it will cost much more then any extra gained by boat setup. Get her on a close reach and watch what happens to the competition. Better yet hit a race with more down then up, Great Fun! I've got another one up race this weekend, anyone else sailing or racing? I would love to hear if my observations are on or wrong. Let's go sailing!

[micah202]

........ anyone else sailing or racing? I would love to hear if my observations are on or wrong. Let's go sailing!

...should have some 'observations' soon,,the Renovation's done-off to portland this weekend for a 5 boat event!

...or should I say 'the BIGGEST EVER gathering of i550's in the WORLD!!!!!

[jray]

Good to hear the mods are done and your sailing again. Enjoy the weekend and let us know how it went. Good luck in Portland!

[slowpoke]

All I'm saying is, if you have to put crew forward of the cockpit to balance the boat, then the boat wasn't balanced properly to begin with.

[micah202]

All I'm saying is, if you have to put crew forward of the cockpit to balance the boat, then the boat wasn't balanced properly to begin with.

...there's trade-offs with -any- design--if yer want a big cabin on a small boat it's going to compromise it's sailing qualities.
...that's probably why the designer gave different options for deck layout.

...in 5-8 knots,crew-weight of ~580 lbs,,it was only occasionally that we put the lighter guy forward of the shrouds

[admin]

Yeah, I think it might be a little harsh to criticize the boat based on crew placement when it comes to how well the boat is balanced. Anyone who has ever seen a Star racing downwind in light to mod winds would think the crew has lost their gourds when you see a starboat crew member sitting up by the headstay. Even with the J35, the class has seen some boats that put everyone at the shrouds and 2 people on the foredeck when racing DW in light air...it looks weird but the boat tracks better and requires less work with the tiller (rudder brake) in this config, and even the most ardent Jboat hater will concede that the J35 is a pretty good design.

So I reckon like any other design, balance is going to be dependent on condits; sea state and windspeed are going to dictate where people sit.

[micah202]

Yeah, I think it might be a little harsh to criticize the boat based on crew placement when it comes to how well the boat is balanced. Anyone who has ever seen a Star racing downwind in light to mod winds would think the crew has lost their gourds when you see a starboat crew member sitting up by the headstay. Even with the J35, the class has seen some boats that put everyone at the shrouds and 2 people on the foredeck when racing DW in light air...it looks weird but the boat tracks better and requires less work with the tiller (rudder brake) in this config, and even the most ardent Jboat hater will concede that the J35 is a pretty good design.

So I reckon like any other design, balance is going to be dependent on condits; sea state and windspeed are going to dictate where people sit.

...not to mention the NASTY contortions it takes to sail a laser downwind 'right' in light winds