[Rhodes22-list] Racers vs Cruisers

Thu Mar 8 11:58:12 EST 2007

Lee,

I think Hank has hit the nail on the head.

What the racers say is true--if you are aiming for a specific point, and 
you are sailing a specific course that is designed to include upwind, 
downwind, and reaching legs over a short period of time, constantly 
adjusting the centerboard is critical.

I think it's important to know how to do this, and to learn from it when 
you are cruising.  But, if all you are doing is cruising, once you know 
you can get back to any location on sail power alone, you don't have to 
sail in uncomfortable directions--it's a lot less fun.  Also, if your 
boat is located in places where there is somewhere to go, you will 
usually choose to sail in a reaching direction at the beginning of your 
outing, and sail back on a reach if the wind has not shifted.

Cruisers learn to raise and lower their motors more than their centerboards.

Bill Effros

Hank wrote:
> Lee,
>
> You may be going faster with the centerboard up, but you will not be 
> making
> better time toward your target due to sideways drift.  I big function 
> of the
> centerboard is to prevent the boat from drifting sideways when reaching.
> The only time a centerboard is not really needed is when sailing down 
> wind.
> Of course, it doesn't really matter if you are not trying to get to a
> specific destination such as when racing.  If you don't care about the
> drift, then leave it up.
>
> Hank
>
>
> On 3/8/07, KUHN, LELAND <LKUHN at cnmc.org> wrote:
>>
>>
>> Bud,
>>
>> I've only sailed the Rhodes for a year, so I hope I'm not giving you bad
>> advice.
>>
>> If I want to point into the wind as much as possible, I'll put the
>> centerboard all the way down.  I'll also use the traveler and inside
>> leads to flatten the sails.  I've found that it's rare that I need that
>> extra five degrees into the wind to get to where I want to go.
>>
>> The centerboard can be used as a depth finder, but even with the soft
>> mud bottom of the Chesapeake, you never know what you're going to hit.
>> At the very least it will knock off your bottom paint.
>>
>> The centerboard acts as a pivot point, allowing you to make sharper
>> turns.  Don't really need it for tacking but could come in handy
>> motoring around the marina.  The boat turns sharp enough for me without
>> the board down.
>>
>> Depending on your point-of-sail, wind, waves, and current; the
>> centerboard will help balance the boat and take pressure off the tiller.
>> I notice this really helps if I have too much sail out.  I usually
>> adjust the sails to balance the boat.
>>
>> As a newbie, I constantly check my speed to see what works best in all
>> conditions.  I have put the board up and down in every condition, and I
>> am convinced that the drag from the centerboard will always slow you
>> down.  In most cases, I believe the centerboard's ability to keep you
>> sailing in a straight line doesn't make up for the decrease in speed.  I
>> might be wrong on that last statement.
>>
>> In my limited experience, the centerboard is a tool that you rarely need
>> and will slow you down.  I guess what surprised me was that most boats
>> sail fastest on a close reach, due to the opposing pressures from the
>> sails and keel (squeezing a watermelon seed analogy).  On a close reach
>> with a Rhodes, you will still go faster with the centerboard up.
>>
>> If it sounds like I know what I'm talking about, reread the first
>> sentence. :)
>>
>> Lee
>> 1986 Rhodes22  At Ease
>> Crab Alley (Kent Island, MD)
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Peter Thorn [mailto:pthorn at nc.rr.com]
>> Sent: Thursday, March 08, 2007 6:18 AM
>> To: The Rhodes 22 mail list
>> Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] CenterBoard Angle
>>
>> Bud,
>>
>> I'll add my 2 cents, in short:  upwind all down, downwind all up.
>>
>> The Rhodes has a very light, balanced helm.  With a large (175) headsail
>> and
>> smaller (not-newer vertical battened) main there can be a tendancy to
>> leeward helm in light air.  As the boat heels when the breeze picks up
>> this
>> is mitigated.   So with the sailplan center of effort (CE) forward (the
>> rig
>> described above) the underwater fin's center of lateral resistance
>> (CLR),
>> which can be adjusted by the centerboard, also needs to be as forward as
>> possible.
>>
>> Another of the many advantages to having a centerboard is that you can
>> change the CLR while underway by adjusting the board.  In heavier air,
>> when
>> you would expose less area on the headsail going to windward, you can
>> balance by raising the centerboard just a little.
>>
>> PT
>>
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "Mary Lou Troy" <mtroy at atlanticbb.net>
>> To: "The Rhodes 22 mail list" <rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
>> Sent: Wednesday, March 07, 2007 9:42 PM
>> Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] CenterBoard Angle
>>
>>
>> > Bud,
>> > I think it's just about vertical. Unless you are sailing in a very
>> > weedy area, I don't think having the pennant exposed is a problem.
>> > It's just as likely to get fouled by growth in the slot. Our's seems
>> > to stay cleaner the more we use it. We always pull the board up at
>> > anchor or when we leave the boat in the slip but sailing upwind it is
>> > always down as far as it will go. As Wally said, as we move off the
>> > wind we start pulling the board up.
>> >
>> > Mary Lou
>> > 1991 R22  Fretless
>> > Rock Hall, MD
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > At 08:39 PM 3/7/2007, you wrote:
>> > >Thanks to all who responded!   Mary Lou - when you say all the way
>> > >down, you mean the CB is nearly vertical?
>> > >Do you run into any problems with the pennant line or sheaves
>> > >exposed in that running configuration?
>> > >I had thought the sheaves might get "gunked up" if they were exposed.
>> > >
>> > >Thanks again,
>> > >Bud
>> > >
>> > >Mary Lou Troy wrote:
>> > >
>> > >>Bud,
>> > >>Fretless is a 1991. We usually sail with the board all the way
>> > >>down. Exceptions are downwind or very shallow water.
>> > >>
>> > >>Mary Lou
>> > >>1991 R22  Fretless
>> > >>Rock Hall, MD
>> > >>
>> > >>At 09:35 PM 3/6/2007, you wrote:
>> > >>
>> > >>>Rummy,
>> > >>>  I have a 1990 R22, and I am pretty sure I do not have a "diamond"
>> board.
>> > >>>
>> > >>>Thanks,
>> > >>>-Bud
>> > >>>
>> > >>>
>> > >>>R22RumRunner at aol.com wrote:
>> > >>>
>> > >>>>Bud,
>> > >>>>It depends on what year and centerboard design you have?
>> > >>>>Rummy
>> > >>>><BR><BR><BR>**************************************<BR> AOL now
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