Weather Helm Re-Visited

[Tom Bailey]

I read about the weather-helm problems experienced by the CD33's, and would like to add that I experienced similar problems with a CD22D, and my current boat, a CD28. It was much more pronounced in the 22D, but I noticed that with 2 or more people in the cockpit, the stern was well below the waterline, which caused the mast to rake back. I compensated by adjusting the forestay and backstay to move the top of the mast foreward, and this helped a lot; didn't take much. The boat balanced well under just a genoa, so that is how I sail the 28 much of the time.



trbailey@gte.net

[Lee Hodsdon]

Tom,

If your main has some miles on it it may be stretched out of shape, this would cause weather helm as the sail is more full than is should be. The weather helm would be most noticeable in strong winds when your main should be as flat a s possible to "de-power" the sail. One item that will help flatten the main is a cunningham, very simply a line attached to a grommet about 1 to 1 1/2' above the attachment point of the tack to the gooseneck, and tensioned to tighten the luff of the sail, flattening the sail and moving the point of maximum draft forward, thus de-powering the main.

Lee

I read about the weather-helm problems experienced by the CD33's, and would like to add that I experienced similar problems with a CD22D, and my current boat, a CD28. It was much more pronounced in the 22D, but I noticed that with 2 or more people in the cockpit, the stern was well below the waterline, which caused the mast to rake back. I compensated by adjusting the forestay and backstay to move the top of the mast foreward, and this helped a lot; didn't take much. The boat balanced well under just a genoa, so that is how I sail the 28 much of the time.

lhodsdon@msn.com

[Tom Bailey]

Lee -
Good point. That would also explain why the problem is less pronounce on my CD28, since it's main is newer. But then I have wondered: is the main newer because it gets used less because the boat balances better under just the jenny...

Tom,

If your main has some miles on it it may be stretched out of shape, this would cause weather helm as the sail is more full than is should be. The weather helm would be most noticeable in strong winds when your main should be as flat a s possible to "de-power" the sail. One item that will help flatten the main is a cunningham, very simply a line attached to a grommet about 1 to 1 1/2' above the attachment point of the tack to the gooseneck, and tensioned to tighten the luff of the sail, flattening the sail and moving the point of maximum draft forward, thus de-powering the main.

Lee

I read about the weather-helm problems experienced by the CD33's, and would like to add that I experienced similar problems with a CD22D, and my current boat, a CD28. It was much more pronounced in the 22D, but I noticed that with 2 or more people in the cockpit, the stern was well below the waterline, which caused the mast to rake back. I compensated by adjusting the forestay and backstay to move the top of the mast foreward, and this helped a lot; didn't take much. The boat balanced well under just a genoa, so that is how I sail the 28 much of the time.

trbailey@gte.net