So you want to go fast......

Originally posted by Medway Maniac Would be a bit of a dog in light airs though,

Ultimately all boats drift at the same speed, so all fast boats will look doggy in very light conditions.

Its another of the dodgy approximations of handicapping: we use time on time handicapping which makes the assumption that if boat a is twice as fast as boat b in 20 knots of wind it will also be twice as fast in 5 knots of wind, which is dubious, and also that it will be twice as fast when both are virtually stationary...

Mind you US leadmine sailors tend to handicap on seconds per mile which is even more dubious - except when both boats are stationary...That makes the assumption that if in 20 knots of breeze boat a sails a mile in in 5 minutes and boat b sails it in ten minutes then in 5 knots of breeze if boat a sails it in 20mins boat b will sail it in 25mins.

Originally posted by Rupert What is the longest singlehander in use today?

There are some things that go round the world...

Originally posted by Medway Maniac Originally posted by JimC A 19footer with moderate rag, reasonable waterline beam and enough flare to hold up the rag would be pretty rapid, but who wants to cart it round the dinghy park? Would be a bit of a dog in light airs though, without a trapeze to hold up enough sail area to counter the wetted area due to the length.  Even I. C.'s are not the best in the light stuff, despite a rig that needs a plank to hold it up.

Not sure about that, in the very light stuff, you should be able to get forwards and reduce the wetted area by lifting the stern out. In sub-planing conditions it should have low wave drag due to small cross section. Maybe sail it heeled.
Might be slow to tack and get knocked around a lot in some choppy conditions.

Originally posted by Rupert ... making a singlehanded dinghy go at speeds faster than a Fireball, say, is very difficult indeed without making it harder to sail than the majority of sailors want to deal with.

And/or longer and more cumbersome off the water...
A 19footer with moderate rag, reasonable waterline beam and enough flare to hold up the rag would be pretty rapid, but who wants to cart it round the dinghy park?
Consider a 19ft boat with a Canoe rig, maybe a tad smaller so its got the same heeling moment as a Phantom, about the same overall beam as a phantom but less waterline beam for the same static stability as a Phantom. Its going to be close to Canoe speed until it runs out of righting moment, and then you've got a good modern rig that will depower and blade off far better than any soft sail. Be a real weapon. But its not going to fit in many garages, it will be a pain in the dinghy park (I have to park a 17ft canoe diagonally!) and so on...

Edited by JimC - 10 Mar 14 at 1:21pm

I don't have a scow moth, she's thinking of the Skol moth.