[Rhodes22-list] sailing reply to Andrew...

[Tootle]

The Rhodes 22 and O’Day 26 are only similar in the stubby keel and swing
centerboard.  

The IMF spoils you in regards to sails.  A boat with IMF and furling
foresail has infinitely adjustable combinations for varying wind conditions. 
This gives the R22 with IMF and furling foresail easily adjustable for
conditions.

The O'Day 26 is a standard mast mainsail.  And because of the design of the
boat the main is specifically designed for this boat.  It has a big roach
main sail.  The mainsail is unique, at least to me.

I learned to sail on a standard mast mainsail boat.  Its shape was not like
the main that I got with the 26. The mainsail is different from a standard
main Rhodes 22.  The main on the 26 does not look like the main of Bob
Weber's boat in the picture on his web site.

The shape of the bow is also very specific. C. Raymond Hunt a boat designer,
who worked out of Boston, was the equal of Phil Rhodes.  Hunt even got a
patent on the shape of his bow.  It is supposed to be very efficient in
slicing thru water.  The angle is very specific.

Hunt has followed Rhodes to designing in the way beyond, but his company
still exists.  The current president must be Stan's age.  His name is John
Deknatel.  But to make you happy, he is a MIT grad.  He is a virtually an
unknown design name because all his works came as designed by C. Raymond
Hunt Associates.  

Hunt was no longer a sailboat designer when the 26 was designed.  In fact,
Deknatel probably designed the 25.  The 26 has a history.  It is a
refinement of the O’Day 25 which was built for about 10 years.  Like Stan
and the Rhodes 22 there was constant refinement of the 25.  

The 26 made a couple of sailing performance changes even though it was
stated to be a cosmetic modernization.  The stubby keel is at least 3 inches
deeper on the 26 which improves its sailing performance.  The keel may also
be a little longer.  And there where other handling design changes.

What I am saying is the O’Day 26 design is more performance directed than
the R22.  Raymond Hunt had a son who raced sailboats, that is Jim Hunt.  Jim
Hunt was for a time President of O’Day sailboats.  So the performance
influence is noticeable.  

I did not get the boat because of what I have said above.  I got it as a
project boat to fix up.  Trying to find information on the boat, I came up
the above history.  

My wife usually sleeps while I do the sailing.  The 26 has berth/settees on
both sides of the cabin.  So she likes that feature.  The boat weighs about
a ton more than the R22, so the ballast effect is noticeable.  

On the Rhodes 22, we generally sit toward the back of the cockpit.  This
boat is designed that the place to sail it is forward in the cockpit.  The
traveler is forward of the cockpit near the companionway.  I use the
traveler much more than on the R22.

In response to your question, they are quite different even though both have
stubby keels with swing centerboards.  

Stan suggested that I put a R22 IMF mast on it, but the amount of sail would
be reduced too much.  The boom on this thing is 10’ 8’ long and you cannot
roll that much sail into the R22 IMF.  Elle’s picture of the Skipjacks shows
a long boomed sailboat. 

BTW, my R22 is currently in my backyard.  Getting it there is a major
project. 

Ed K


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