Weight equalisation

In terms of the physics, what this all boils down to is a single mass (comprised of boat, rig and sailor) which are all fixed in relation to one another, once the sailor is on the wire.
This mass has a centre of buoyancy, typically somewhere between the centre line and the leeward chine, and a centre of gravity which is typically somewhere to windward of the hull for a trapeze boat.
The righting moment is the difference between those two. How the sailor is attached to the boat has no effect whatsoever on this equation, whether they are hanging on a wire or sitting on a rack or a sliding seat. All this affects is how the forces are resolved within the boat, the righting moment is dictated simply by the how far away from the centre line their weight is.

Here check this one, the rig is even canted slightly to weather yet I know for a fact that the lee shroud aint helping that much because it had come adrift at the start of that particular race and I was playing catch up at the time.
All my weight is coming down through the wire and at that point the boat was trucking well, one of my better days. The harness hook is already quite high, I also know this because the bloody thing had come adrift and was riding up, those useless new QR zhik models do that from time to time.

So had the hook been lower and the angle of that wire narrower (acute?) would the rig have been working as efficiently? I know things slow down as you come in but that is usually because you head up at the same time.



Edited by iGRF - 04 Jan 22 at 10:28am

GRF, bung a spring balance in the trapeze system, go sailing, take photos and prove everyone wrong. Simple.

Originally posted by iGRF Lots of interesting stuff thanks all for contributing. Now where I was before SWMBO dragged me screaming from the keyboard, was the following conclusion which is: If my current hook position, is below my CoG, then a clear advantage should be gained by moving it above. If not then it's obviously back to the platform shoes to push us all further out. I do still dispute the magic replacement of a rack to the exact same position on a wire simply because I still believe in the weight transferance to mast via the wire is relevant, but at this stage I'm unable to prove why. One question to Mozzy, re "Increasing the height of the hook puts more weight on feet and less on the wire. " do you think this might be because you guys in 800s are already a way out there on the racks? I'm contemplating flatwiring in the not to distant future and probably earlier than most so need to maximise what little weight and height I have available. It is however true though, one of the issues we used to have in the early days of kitesurfing in controlling our descent from big jumps if our hooks were too low which they used to have to be in the days before depower in order to maximise pressure on the rails to control the kite, it is wny these days so many waist harnesses with high hooks now feature. Higher hook gives better control in the air if the support comes from above the CoG.with more weight below landings are easier to control. As to my theory of out board weight from a wire rather than through a rack and the hull I shall have to research harder or build that bloody model to find out for certain.

Edited by Sam.Spoons - 03 Jan 22 at 9:33pm

Lots of interesting stuff thanks all for contributing.
Now where I was before SWMBO dragged me screaming from the keyboard, was the following conclusion which is:
If my current hook position, is below my CoG, then a clear advantage should be gained by moving it above.
If not then it's obviously back to the platform shoes to push us all further out.

I do still dispute the magic replacement of a rack to the exact same position on a wire simply because I still believe in the weight transferance to mast via the wire is relevant, but at this stage I'm unable to prove why.

One question to Mozzy, re "Increasing the height of the hook puts more weight on feet and less on the wire. " do you think this might be because you guys in 800s are already a way out there on the racks? I'm contemplating flatwiring in the not to distant future and probably earlier than most so need to maximise what little weight and height I have available.
It is however true though, one of the issues we used to have in the early days of kitesurfing in controlling our descent from big jumps if our hooks were too low which they used to have to be in the days before depower in order to maximise pressure on the rails to control the kite, it is wny these days so many waist harnesses with high hooks now feature. Higher hook gives better control in the air if the support comes from above the CoG.with more weight below landings are easier to control.

As to my theory of out board weight from a wire rather than through a rack and the hull I shall have to research harder or build that bloody model to find out for certain.

Edited by iGRF - 03 Jan 22 at 8:05pm