SAFETY TIP: properly label your heel-meter!

[DaveC426913]

[Tomfoolery]

That's too funny. Is it real? I want one!


Or is it just a really good labeling job?

[vizwhiz]

This is awesome!!! I need one too!

[Spector]

The admiral and I had a good laugh at this. Good to see we're not alone on this. She's quick to pull a 'fisherman's reef' when it goes past her red line

[Catigale]

We fought on heeling for the first year of boating, then I discovered if I give her the main sheet and control, she will tolerate 20-30 degrees without breaking a sweat...once you realise how easy it is to control you get comfortable with it.

Funny thing is she will do Miami Vice on the Harpoon and hang out over the water ......

[mastreb]

I guess I'm really lucky. My admiral is always telling people stop worrying about heel.

[NiceAft]

I guess I'm really lucky. My admiral is always telling people stop worrying about heel.

I am lucky also. My wife has no fear. We have had Nice Aft heeling at more than 45 degrees, and she loves it. You're not going anywhere, but when you don't have anywhere to go, it's a lot of fun.

Ray

[Crikey]

I've earlier told a couple of my spooked friends "Don't worry, if it rolls, it's designed to rotate completely back to the original position".
A mast cam would have been priceless!

[dlandersson]

LOL -priceless.

[BOAT]

I remember at first the wife would get real scared because the boat would be approaching 25 degrees and I was not even touching the helm and I was not even moving towards the mainsheet and she would tell me to "let out the main!" "We are leaning over too much!" "Why are you not holding the steering wheel!!" I sat with hands in my lap and I told her just wait, "wait till it hits 30 degrees and watch what happens."

Sure enough, at 30 degrees the boat just started turning into the wind and I was not even touching the helm. In less than a couple seconds we were pointing higher and back to 15 degrees hauling ass.

She was amazed that the boat could sail itself - I told her- if you balance the sails the heel and the helm will take care of itself.

Then the boat started to go slow (the wind was dying off) and the sails started to luff and the heel went to near zero. She started on me again: "We are pointed in the wrong direction!" I said "just wait" Watch what happens"

Sure enough, as the boat began to stand straight up it spun on it's dagger-board started turning away from the wind and we began to move forward a little faster and the sails filled and we were back to 15 degrees in just a few seconds. I told her "If you can get just a slight pressure advantage in the head-sail verses the main the boat will tend to follow the speed of the wind.

Slow wind, and the boat turns broadside to it naturally because the hull is flat on the water so the head-sail can pull it around.
Fast wind, and the boat heels over and the shape of the boat makes it turn into the wind, eventually taking over the force of the head-sail to go broadside.
"Just focus on balancing the sails so the Genoa always has a slight advantage over the main". That's what my dad taught me when I was a kid.

Now she loves the heeling and likes to watch the boat turn into and away from the wind as the wind speed changes. She is really getting in tune with the wind and the ocean.
She is really paying attention now to what the SAILS are doing more than what DIRECTION we are going. It's more fun for her now and we spend less time messing with the sheets and more time enjoying the view. We also spend more time at 15 degrees because she is not making me let out the main all the time.

[DaveC426913]

I remember at first the wife would get real scared because the boat would be approaching 25 degrees and I was not even touching the helm and I was not even moving towards the mainsheet and she would tell me to "let out the main!" "We are leaning over too much!" "Why are you not holding the steering wheel!!" I sat with hands in my lap and I told her just wait, "wait till it hits 30 degrees and watch what happens."

Sure enough, at 30 degrees the boat just started turning into the wind and I was not even touching the helm. In less than a couple seconds we were pointing higher and back to 15 degrees hauling ass.

She was amazed that the boat could sail itself - I told her- if you balance the sails the heel and the helm will take care of itself.

Then the boat started to go slow (the wind was dying off) and the sails started to luff and the heel went to near zero. She started on me again: "We are pointed in the wrong direction!" I said "just wait" Watch what happens"

Sure enough, as the boat began to stand straight up it spun on it's dagger-board started turning away from the wind and we began to move forward a little faster and the sails filled and we were back to 15 degrees in just a few seconds. I told her "If you can get just a slight pressure advantage in the head-sail verses the main the boat will tend to follow the speed of the wind.

Slow wind, and the boat turns broadside to it naturally because the hull is flat on the water so the head-sail can pull it around.
Fast wind, and the boat heels over and the shape of the boat makes it turn into the wind, eventually taking over the force of the head-sail to go broadside.
"Just focus on balancing the sails so the Genoa always has a slight advantage over the main". That's what my dad taught me when I was a kid.

Now she loves the heeling and likes to watch the boat turn into and away from the wind as the wind speed changes. She is really getting in tune with the wind and the ocean.
She is really paying attention now to what the SAILS are doing more than what DIRECTION we are going. It's more fun for her now and we spend less time messing with the sheets and enjoying the view. We also spend more time at 15 degrees.

Boy would I ever like to crew on your boat and take notes...

[BOAT]

The crappier the boat the more skill required and the more fun it is.

Anyone can point a Hobie Cat into the wind and make good speed but the real test it to take an old bathtub like an Aquarius 23 or 21 or an old wooden Sabot and "keep it on the keel" without putting blisters on your fingers.

I know those boats have centerboards and daggerboards but the old rules still apply:

"Sail your boat on the keel and you will make the best speed for the day"

Always think about the sail that is UNDER the boat too, and USE IT. That's what I was taught.

[Ixneigh]

Love it hahaha I want one too!!!
Ix

[BOAT]

Another thing about the MAC besides heeling moment: One of the first things I figured out about the MAC was that if you have one of these it's totally useless:



If your sailing a MAC M, this thing belongs in the trash in my opinion. I have always used them on all kinds of boats but on the MAC it's nothing more than a distraction.

The problem is (I learned within two outings) is that the MAC is SO light it has way more acceleration than most boats it's size. On most boats you wait and wait and wait as wind blows harder for the boat to start to heel and move.

Not on the MAC M

My MAC and the one I tested with Mike too, both had quick acceleration in light wind - the boats QUICKLY overtake the actual wind angle with the APPARENT wind angle. It you really want to tune the MAC use APPARENT WIND not actual wind. I find that the MAC spends more time using the APPARENT wind than is does using the actual wind. If I tune to APPARENT wind, the boat holds course and speed as long as the wind does. If the wind dies, the boat gets nailed with the ACTUAL wind which is always not quite as high as the APPARENT wind and the sails become broadside to the air, and the boat naturally starts to turn away from the wind. If you tune the MAC sails to the ACTUAL wind you will always be pointing too high.

That is what I found. The results would be different if your boat is very heavy.

One of the best and most simple ways to see APPARENT wind is to use tale tells on the outer shrouds (as high as you can put them standing on your tippy toes on the deck). I ran both wind indications for several outings and it did not take me long at all to realize the old reliable Windex was just a useless distraction when trying to tune the sails on a MAC.

Watching the apparent wind will also give you clues about why the heel angle indicator is saying what it's saying and by watching the apparent wind indications (tale tells and sail yarn) you will be able to predict the heel angle before the boat even gets there and you will spend a LOT less time adjusting your mainsheet. Set it and forget it.

[finding41]

I don't have a heel gauge on the one boat and do on the other. It is hidden under the compass. The marks are barley noticeable and I'm going to keep it that way. No need to freak out the passengers or crew. I don't need to know that the boat is at what ever % of heel. If it's not almost strait up it's slowing me down.
Last weekend I was in a regatta and was headed up twice with a reef in the main. It was a steady 20 gusting to 35. Fun! When I was headed the boat didn't simply turn into the wind but it went right around and jibed! The genoa was only out about half way the first time!