Difference between sailing hauled in to port and starboard
Difference between sailing hauled in to port and starboard
Hello to all. In the first place, excuses by my English. My McGregor 26X of the 2003 sails 0.5 knots faster and making better angle hauled in to port in comparison with going hauled in to starboard. Is this normal?
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delevi
- Admiral
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- Location: San Francisco Catalina 380, former 26M owner
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Wind conditions change all the time, as well as different current, which might explain the difference in speed you're experiencing i.e. going with the current versus against it. If this is not the case, you may want to check your mast to make sure it's straight. If not, you can adjust your rigging to straighten it.
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Rich Smith
- Engineer
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Chip Hindes
- Admiral
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- Joined: Mon Jan 05, 2004 6:13 am
- Location: West Sand Lake, NY '01X, "Nextboat" 50HP Tohatsu
The assymmtrical backstay should not affect the the pointing angle or speed when sailing to windward. It is not really contributing anything except when sailing downwind, and then the difference should be so small as to be unmeasurable.
Besides checking the mast for straightness, you should check your rudder brackets and steering linkage to make sure nothing is bent or loose. Make sure the port and starboard rudders are adjusted so the rake is identical and that one of them isn't looser in the bracket than the other. If you sail with the motor down, make sure the motor bracket is adjusted with the motor centered when the rudders are centered and that the linkage doesn't bias the motor in one direction or the other.
How are you measuring speed? If by transom-mounted transducer, it is usually mounted to one side rather than dead center, and there could be a built iin error on one tack compared to the other because of different flow past the transducer.
If possible, check the centerboard when down and make sure it isn't canted to one side or damaged in some way which would make it behave differently on one tack than the other. (Please, no comments from the peanut gallery on jibing centerboards.)
Besides checking the mast for straightness, you should check your rudder brackets and steering linkage to make sure nothing is bent or loose. Make sure the port and starboard rudders are adjusted so the rake is identical and that one of them isn't looser in the bracket than the other. If you sail with the motor down, make sure the motor bracket is adjusted with the motor centered when the rudders are centered and that the linkage doesn't bias the motor in one direction or the other.
How are you measuring speed? If by transom-mounted transducer, it is usually mounted to one side rather than dead center, and there could be a built iin error on one tack compared to the other because of different flow past the transducer.
If possible, check the centerboard when down and make sure it isn't canted to one side or damaged in some way which would make it behave differently on one tack than the other. (Please, no comments from the peanut gallery on jibing centerboards.)
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Jeff S
- First Officer
- Posts: 371
- Joined: Tue Jun 08, 2004 2:13 pm
- Location: Cherry Point, NC 2000 26X Tohatsu 50
Another possibility is the weight distribution on the boat. Batteries, water tanks, gear, porta-potties and such may add weight to one side causing it to heel less when that side is windward and thus slightly more speed. This would also act against you when the weight is on the leeward side, making it harder to reduce heel angle. Check the heel angles next time very carefully and see if there is a difference.
On edit: The Mac is a very light boat so extra weight on the boat makes up a larger percentage of the overall weight and thus can affect performance more easily. Usually the biggest thing is people and batteries (and full water tanks that are larger than the stock ones).
On edit: The Mac is a very light boat so extra weight on the boat makes up a larger percentage of the overall weight and thus can affect performance more easily. Usually the biggest thing is people and batteries (and full water tanks that are larger than the stock ones).
Thank you very much to all by your answers. The measurement of the speed I do it with gps, with which I do not believe that it's influenced. In the adjustment of the mast, I have do everything, and without result; I have even changed the fixation of the shrouds with billets by tensions to be able to make an adjustment finer. I suppose that it will be a problem of distribution of weights. Hauled in to port it's faster, it makes better angle, it lists more and it tends to go away of luffed. (I hope that it is understood. I have used the altavista translator to write this)