Building to optimise performance

The Fireball (designer Peter Milne) was a fairly relaxed design in the sixties to allow for some home building tolerance.  However in the late eighties (I beleive) the Aussies realised that there was a LOT of room for manouvre in the forward sections and designed a wider-bow boat called Missile which whupped the ass of anything else in the windy stuff at sea in waves.  I think that this was then refined by Delange in a boat called Crocodile JD which then formed the mould of the all-conquering Winder design that has been dominant for the last 10 years.

Basically by exploiting the bow section tolerance the boat was made much more bouyant and far less prone to going through waves rather than over them.  It's not that noticable until you park an old (narrow) and new (wide) bow boat next to each other where it becomes very clear.  However although fantastic at sea, the wide boats are technically slower on inland waters and feel a bit "slappy" in chop.  But you have SO much more confidence in them when the chips are down in a blow!

Any real Fireball experts please feel free to correct me on the order the boats were produced above!

All that being said. I've seen some guys sail very fast in what was concidered to be very slow at the time. In stressing one point of sail over another, you would tend to enhance performance in one area and degrade it in another. Now do you help your strong point of sail to be stronger or do you help out your weak points?

Time spent on the water vs. time spent pondering this question would be a better use of time. But then with temps < 0 C and snow on the ground, what other options are there?

Originally posted by redback if now, in retrospect would make the rear a little flatter?  I would have thought so.

Bearig in mind the 4 tonner is already pretty sticky in the light ore wetted surface at the transom might not be a good move!

JimC, I sure you're right about that.  Just a bit more important to keep the weight well forward in the light stuff.

I notice the 800 is quite capable of being beaten boat for boat by the 4000 when it gets really light.  They have flatter sterns but unfortunately they also collect water in the cockpit.  However having sailed one I know its the small centreboard that really kills it.  The 4000 has quite a big board for its size.

Mind you this is all academic since both boats are dogs at these low wind speeds and really the best place to be is in the bar.

I really don't want to knock Cherubs but when I sailed on it was really poor in the lulls, slow and lots of leeway.  However a little puff got the crew out on the wire and it was fantastic, naturally it was faster but the real impression it made with me was that suddenly it pointed very well.

It was a similar problem to sailing an asymmetric downwind in gusty conditions.  If you get a gust you can sail deep and fast but in the lulls you might have to put a couple of extra gybes in.  The Cherub was like that upwind, sometime you were struggling to lay the mark and then you get a gust and you overstand!

Definitely optimised for wind.