Bow Width Measurement

I'm curious if anyone out there has measured the width between their bows. Apparently this measurement can change depending on how tight your dolphin striker is. More tension equals more toe-in. My 1986 boat is 80" across from the center of the bridle screws. I'd love to hear the numbers from others. Maybe determine the optimal width from the info gathered. Thanks!

Mine is 79.5” exactly bolt center to bolt center, with no jib tension. It’s an 85 without much mast rake, which when jib is tensioned might ever so slightly pinch the bows in a bit more but probably not enough to make any difference at all when sailing

According to primary sources, when you subtract that measurement from the distance between your rudder pins, there should be a difference of 3.5 - 4.5 inches for the correct toe-in of the hulls.

Thanks that is good to know, will measure that as well. I appreciate the info!

Wait, so there is supposed to be some toe in of the hulls? I always assumed they should be parallel, which is how I adjusted mine last year. My front crossbar looked like a camel's back when I brought it home, very obviously over bent, so I had to flatten it out.

Can some of the experts chime in on this? Matt?

Anyone?

It surprises me that more people aren't interested in this discussion, but perhaps we're just splitting hairs.

I think you are correct. Seems like those who competitively race take every little bit of improvement to the extreme, seems like they'd be curious to know. I'm usually out with friends just going for top speed and having fun, not too important to me, but if the hulls need to be in a certain position, I'd like them set up that way. Here are some c/p's from another post with some info to think about.









Last year when I purchased my boat, the front crossbar had the most curve I had ever seen on a 16. I had to take it off, block it on both ends and literally jump on it to flatten it out. Once I did, I measured the bottom points of the hull at the bows and sterns and adjusted so they were equal. I never checked the pylon measurement to see if they matched the factory specs. I suspect that once the rig was tensioned the bows probably pulled in a bit. After taking my boat apart yet again to epoxy the frame, I flattened the front crossbar out a little more. My front/rear pylon measurements are about 3/4" wider than spec. I'm going with what Matt says about flatter being faster by splaying out the hulls more while I have the boat apart, but you are right, maybe just splitting hairs.

Thanks for digging up that info. Better than just "Thrum-Thrum, Clunk-clunk or Ping-Ping"