[Rhodes22-list] Dynamic Equilibrium

[Bill Effros]

Lou,

I have always been somewhat baffled by the notion of "tender".  The QE2 is "tender" compared to the Rock of Gibraltar.  If you stand on the side rail of a canoe it will tip over.  If you stand on the side rail of an R-22 it won't tip over.  Once under way, the R-22 is one of the most sea-worthy boats I have ever been on.  The longer you own it, the better you will get at learning how to use the features of the boat to achieve rock-solid stability under almost any weather conditions.

Roger Pihlaja's boat name "Dynamic Equilibrium" is an engineer's way of stating this proposition in 2 words.  

What makes an R-22 so much fun is that there are so many ways to achieve dynamic equilibrium, and the captain can select the best method for any situation from the cockpit.  

Jay likes to bury his rails even though he knows it makes his boat go slower.  I never bury mine.  I will go out any time the wind is less than 30 kts.  I have taken children out in 15-20 kt. winds--and let them steer.  As Roger has noted, you simply roll in your sails--(Roger doesn't even have an IMF, so he must "reef") to the point where the wind can't overpower your ballast.  You then sail in perfect comfort--completely upright.

When the kids are not on board you can make the boat plane--again without heeling--by actively sailing, again as noted by Roger.  Now your little 22 foot boat is going faster than its "theoretical hull speed".  I have maintained 9 kts. for hours on end--running side by side with much larger boats that are heeled way over with their occupants shouting across the water "How the hell are you doing that?"

And then there's heaving-to.  You can take your kids out when the wind is howling, heave-to, and have a leisurely lunch in the cockpit with no one doing any work at all.  The wind stops "blowing".  You bob up and down like a cork.  There is no sense of danger or menace.  It is just a different kind of dynamic equilibrium.

If you follow the list you will note individuals with R-22s all over the country mention that they were out sailing yesterday and "no one else was on the water."  That is not because we are the dare-devils of sailing.  It is because our little boats are ideally suited to an extremely broad range of sailing conditions, and it's a lot of fun to learn how to achieve dynamic equilibrium in these boats no matter how hard the wind blows.

Bill Effros

"Conservatives are so afraid of losing their majority
status right now that.they're showing an astonishing
willingness to spend now and dump all the cost in our
children's laps, and an amazing unwillingness to
reconcile the size of government with the amount of
taxes needed to fund it."

Brian M. Riedl
Heritage Foundation
November 24, 2003

Source:
www.QuoteWithoutComment.com

 
 

----- Original Message ----- 
From: Loumoore at aol.com 
To: rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org 
Sent: Friday, November 19, 2004 9:30 PM
Subject: [Rhodes22-list] Re: Rhodes22-list Digest, Vol 580, Issue 1


I am seriously considering purchasing a Rhodes about 1 year from now.  I have 
taken two test sails, one in light wind and one in 20 knot winds with Jay F. 
on Barnegat Bay.  Great times! 

One concern: Since I have a family with small children, I wanted to ask how 
you all think the boat handles in 15-20 knot winds.  

1. Is it common to have the lee rail in the water under these conditions 
until she stiffens?
2. Is she overly tender in 15 + knots?
3. Do you think a boat with more ballast and a conventional keel would be 
better for a family with young kids, i.e. does the Rhodes sail too much like a 
dingy?  (no insult here--a dingy is a lively, fun craft to be in!  And you can't 
sail a ballasted tank like a Flicka in light winds.)
4. Would appreciate your thoughts.

Thanks,
Lou Moore
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