Search found 503 matches

by Bill Roberts
February 23rd, 2019, 7:36 pm
Forum: Technical Forum
Topic: Wings for Early Supercat Catamarans
Replies: 2
Views: 5108

Re: Wings for Early Supercat Catamarans

T Peterson, Wing powered sailboats do point higher and go faster than sail powered boats. A big name in the spar making business who sails A Cats did make a Carbon wing for his A Cat. When sailing this wing powered A Cat against other A Cats, it was slower. Within the A Cat class, wings are slower t...
by Bill Roberts
February 19th, 2019, 11:03 am
Forum: Technical Forum
Topic: Wings for Early Supercat Catamarans
Replies: 2
Views: 5108

Wings for Early Supercat Catamarans

In the early days of SC development, mid 1970s, Bill Roberts and Steve Edmonds experimented with a wing, a sail with thickness, that could be raised and lowered like a sail. This required a mast with two sailtracks. A mast and wing were fabricated and tested. The wing was identical to a H14 sail in ...
by Bill Roberts
January 28th, 2019, 3:53 pm
Forum: Technical Forum
Topic: Strange Things Can Happen When Racing
Replies: 7
Views: 7511

Re: Strange Things Can Happen When Racing

Hello T Peterson, I learned to sail in currents as a middle teenager. I sailed a Snipe on a reservoir along the Tennessee River near Chattanooga. The current was stronger on the West side of the lake. It made a big difference in light air races. On a windy day it did not make much difference. That i...
by Bill Roberts
January 27th, 2019, 3:30 pm
Forum: Technical Forum
Topic: Strange Things Can Happen When Racing
Replies: 7
Views: 7511

Re: Strange Things Can Happen When Racing

I'm waiting to hear something from somebody. Did everybody know to do what the 27 did in this race relative to racing around buoys? Has anybody ever heard of this? In this race it looks like only one boat out of 30+ boats knew what to do. Is this "common SC knowledge"?
by Bill Roberts
January 25th, 2019, 9:57 am
Forum: Technical Forum
Topic: Strange Things Can Happen When Racing
Replies: 7
Views: 7511

Re: Strange Things Can Happen When Racing

OK here's how it happened. The race started at 8:00AM, daylight but the sun not up yet. Race started in a bay. First mark was to the East about 4 miles. Then round this mark, turn right about 90 degrees and head south out the inlet to the Gulf. Go out the inlet and turn 90 degrees again and head Wes...
by Bill Roberts
January 24th, 2019, 1:11 pm
Forum: Technical Forum
Topic: Strange Things Can Happen When Racing
Replies: 7
Views: 7511

Re: Strange Things Can Happen When Racing

Hello T Peterson, Thanks for your comments. The advantage position of the 27 relative to the rest of the boats racing has nothing to do with boards or rudders, leeward one or windward one, or weight forward or sail trim. There was little to no wind to trim the sails to. The jib has the shape it has ...
by Bill Roberts
January 22nd, 2019, 3:03 pm
Forum: Technical Forum
Topic: Strange Things Can Happen When Racing
Replies: 7
Views: 7511

Re: Strange Things Can Happen When Racing

OK gang, talk to me. How does one boat out of a large group sailing in the same direction in the same water in almost no wind and a tidal current get one mile ahead after 5 miles of racing? Every boat started at the same time on the same starting line heading in the same direction on a close reach. ...
by Bill Roberts
January 22nd, 2019, 6:51 am
Forum: Technical Forum
Topic: Righting a SC15, Parts, and Repairing
Replies: 19
Views: 22439

Re: Righting a SC15, Parts, and Repairing

I think we have ridden this horse enough. Thanks for your input, havliii.
by Bill Roberts
January 21st, 2019, 12:06 pm
Forum: Technical Forum
Topic: Righting a SC15, Parts, and Repairing
Replies: 19
Views: 22439

Re: Righting a SC15, Parts, and Repairing

Thanks for participating, havliii. You are not a villain. You made it obvious to us that we have to follow the righting instructions correctly or the effort to right the boat may not be successful. That goes for driving our cars and sailing our boats. havliii you opened the shroud lever on the lower...
by Bill Roberts
January 20th, 2019, 10:41 pm
Forum: Technical Forum
Topic: Righting a SC15, Parts, and Repairing
Replies: 19
Views: 22439

Re: Righting a SC15, Parts, and Repairing

havliii, Your mind is made up and you haven't even tried yet to correctly execute the SC righting system. Your experience is backwards from the method explained in the SC manual. Your righting method ends up with boat up and windward shroud slack (how ever that happens; I know but I want you to tell...
by Bill Roberts
January 20th, 2019, 7:11 pm
Forum: Technical Forum
Topic: Righting a SC15, Parts, and Repairing
Replies: 19
Views: 22439

Re: Righting a SC15, Parts, and Repairing

Here we go havliii, Let's assume that we at the point in recovering from a turn over where the boat is righted, mainsail is way out luffing and the leeward shroud is slack and we have just climbed back up on the tramp, no boat speed. #1. Helm down hard to leeward! #2. Trim the main in just slightly ...
by Bill Roberts
January 20th, 2019, 12:07 pm
Forum: Technical Forum
Topic: Righting a SC15, Parts, and Repairing
Replies: 19
Views: 22439

Re: Righting a SC15, Parts, and Repairing

Hello havliii, I read all of the forum input on righting over again and I ran into problems on your Jan 12 input. Your option one instructions on using the hyfield levers to assist righting a turned over SC are incorrect and end up in a "jibe from hell". Very incorrect and dangerous instru...
by Bill Roberts
January 19th, 2019, 1:37 pm
Forum: Technical Forum
Topic: Righting a SC15, Parts, and Repairing
Replies: 19
Views: 22439

Re: Righting a SC15, Parts, and Repairing

OK Gang, Double click left on the picture and the picture will fill the screen and rotate 90 degrees. Now you can see how things work and read the words on the picture. When a boat, SC 17 for example, first turns over and has spun around, if necessary, with mast is pointing into the wind, the boat c...
by Bill Roberts
January 19th, 2019, 9:49 am
Forum: Technical Forum
Topic: Strange Things Can Happen When Racing
Replies: 7
Views: 7511

Strange Things Can Happen When Racing

Here's a picture taken during the 1981 Round Island Race Ft Walton to Pensacola and back. The picture was taken from the Destin Bridge 5 miles into the race. As you can see the RC27 #1 is at the bridge and the fleet seen in the top of the picture is about a mile back. The winds were light. Every one...
by Bill Roberts
January 16th, 2019, 9:34 pm
Forum: Technical Forum
Topic: Righting a SC15, Parts, and Repairing
Replies: 19
Views: 22439

Re: Righting a SC15, Parts, and Repairing

OK, I'm going to write something on this subject and try control my emotions/temper. Braedwen, Whenever you drive a strange car, be sure you know how to drive it. Just because you have driven a Ford and a Cheve and a PLym, that doesn't mean you know how to drive a Ferrari. You never read any SC righ...