[PUP] PPM, Convergence, narrow boats, etc.

[John Marshall]

The newer active fins (I've got the latest Trac 250's, and they are on  
the oversized side) can handle wave action from any angle, but of  
course they can't reduce pitching as they are mounted on the pitch  
centerline. But rolls greater than 10 degrees in most any kind of sea  
are a rarity.

By the way, on that N40 that we're talking about, on the Nordhavn  
Atlantic Rally heading into the Azores, the story I heard was that the  
crew had become so accustomed to stabilization that when they lost it,  
they felt as if they couldn't maintain the desired course and didn't  
have the fuel to run on a comfortable course until things settled  
down. The N40 was fuel challenged for that leg, and I suspect they'd  
traveled a little faster than they should have because all their  
fellow boats were bigger and faster and had longer legs. Even if they  
had been able to run off, all the other boats would have to as well,  
given the rule was to stay together. A very special set of conditions.

What I learned from that is that you have to get used to your boat in  
a decently large seaway with stabilizers off so you don't freak when  
they (ultimately) die. Boats don't capsize because of broken  
stabilizers, but an unprepared crew could become fatigued and even  
disabled.

Seasickness + anxiety + stuff flying around the boat + physical  
fatigue from holding on = ineffective crew.

If you are prepared, both yourself and the boat, and you are  
experienced in living in a heavily rolling boat for a period of time,  
then you can knock out anxiety and stuff flying around and even be set  
up to stay secured and physically relaxed. But I've been on stabilized  
boats with stuff piled up such that a single heavy roll is going to  
make a hell of a mess. Stabilizers lull you into some bad habits,  
especially as the systems become more capable and more reliable.

Also, little boats traveling in the company of more capable boats on  
long passages are likely to find themselves doing things they wouldn't  
do if they were all alone on the big blue sea. Like maybe going a bit  
fast and pushing their fuel reserve lower than they would alone.

I figure you have to be able to run off from the weather or change  
course for a few days on a passage and still have the range to make  
it. That means reserves should be in the 20% range, not 10%.

John Marshall
Serendipity - Nordhavn 55
Sequim Bay, WA

On Nov 9, 2008, at 10:37 AM, Ron Rogers wrote:

> Long and skinny is good. A long and narrow Swede 55 sloop was moored  
> next to
> me in Annapolis for the Bermuda Race. The race that year was very  
> rough and
> she won. All agree that she would not have won had it not been so  
> rough. She
> sliced through the waves while others pounded. That's the way Dashew  
> designs
> his boats. BTW, my boathook also won the Bermuda race and I am still  
> waiting
> for its return.
>
> Idlewild was purpose built for long range voyaging and has a high  
> asking
> price. She lacks creature comforts and is powered for the task and  
> no more.
> She probably has over-strength scantlings. Her qualities are not  
> valued by
> most buyers and most voyagers want more want more comfortable  
> surrounding
> similar to what the Diesel Ducks deliver. The Diesel Duck prices have
> climbed to near $500,000 FOB China. If you don't want to sail away,  
> it will
> cost you another $100,000 delivered to Seattle or a port in Florida
> inclusive of commissioning.
>
> Dave and Nancy Cooper have a Roughwater 56' with a naval architect  
> designed
> roll tank on their flybridge. Dave says it works perfectly both  
> underweigh
> and at anchor. Properly designed simple is best. I would have both a  
> roll
> tank and active stabilizers because the new more intelligent  
> stabilizers can
> handle fore and aft pitching as well as rolling. My old, dumb Naiad  
> 252's
> need to be centered and locked going into a 5 or 6 foot sea. The  
> natural
> buoyancy of the Willard 40 design ensures that no water comes on  
> deck (with
> 34 knots of wind.) My Willard's narrow fore and aft passageway is  
> not what
> the Admiral usually looks for unless she has been in a serious  
> seaway. BTW,
> my 1985 W40 FBS with a less efficient Perkins 6.534 gets 2.5 gph at  
> 7.5
> knots with the 8KW Onan powering the A/C units. If I back off to 7  
> knots and
> turn off the generator, I imagine this full-displacement hull could  
> get
> Patrick's 1.5 gph. When diesel was at $4.00 I was thinking of 6 knots.
>
> Ron Rogers
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Mark
>
> --- On Sat, 11/8/08, Georgs Kolesnikovs
>> By the by, Idlewild is still for sale --
>
> Having never been on the boat, I can't hazard a guess as to why she  
> hasn't
> sold.  I would caution about making conclusions about particular  
> design
> elements from one boat.  In addition to the long skinny attribute,  
> and the
> basic systems attribute, the design for portage forced some trade  
> offs, from
> the photos it also appears to have few creature comforts, and  
> perhaps a bit
> high priced for what it is.
>
> Re stablization, I love the roll tank I idea.  I believe someone on  
> this
> list has one.  It seems a bit to good to be true, otherwise we'd see  
> them
> all over the place.  Simple is good.
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