what makes a fast boat?

Why is one h16 faster than another? what are some tricks for speed? is it a new set of sails? Ive noticed that some boats are just faster.

All things being equal, it's the sailor !!!!

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Happy Sailing,

David

OK, lets not state the obvious. I know technique plays a part. I know im new to this forum, and new to hobies, but ive been sailing larger boats for 30 years. I have a 41 morgan out island. Im looking for the key points to these boats to get that extra knot out of it.

new sails are nice

Other than that...it's the nut on the tiller

http://www.hobie-cat.net/download/manuels/tuning_16.pdf

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Sheet In...Max Out
www.fleet297.org
sailflatlands at gmail dot com

Good rudders, good sails, minimum weight boat, stiff frame, tuning in the ballpark. After that, it pretty much all comes down to perfecting boat handling and sail trim which is developed through time on the water. There is not a whole lot you can do to these boats and have them still remain class legal.

sm

So i guess its the tightness of everything. (no slop and play) and i think crisp sails must matter too. Other than that, i have seen some boats point into the wind better than others. mine seems to be weak in that area.

Pointing is not always the secret to going fast upwind.Footing off and picking up speed then pointing is the key cycle you need to go thru to have your best VMG upwind.

You should tune for the conditions of the day as well. If it's really blowing then release any tension on the battens to flatten the sails, rake the mast all the way back (if you're using low profile mainsheet system), crank the downhaul that little extra past taking the wrinkles out. If it's a light wind day do the opposite, tighten the battens to make the sails fuller and thus power up, rake the mast more towards vertical, ease the downhaul. Be mindful that making mast rake adjustments may also require making slight rudder rake adjustments as well.

Other than rig tuning you have to keep the transoms out of the water so balancing the boat with your body weight is the key, transoms in the water is like dragging buckets on the 16.

Obviously watch your tell tales to maintain laminar flow over your sails at all times.

Try these things and I think you will be amazed at the speed increase.

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1990 "Formula 1" H16 (# 009)

Thank you all. Sebring, thanks for the special pointers. I'll try all of these next time i go out. Any information is great. I'll keep checking here for other info. Love these little boats!! Thanks again.

Having raced against Enrique Figurea last year,arguable one of the top hobie 16 sailors in the World (see this years N.A. results).I did not find him to be much faster then any of the top 10 boats,he just was consistenly fast.By that I mean he always could get the boat in top gear and keep it there longer.
He was very active on the boat in terms of he and his crews weight placement,and also with the sheets.

I can see that. Not a very good comparison, but there are similarities to car racing. The race is rarely won by who is the fastest on the straigthaways, but rather how well the take corners and maintain the highest speed possible at all times.

It's similar with a sailboat, regardless how fast you go on a stretch, it will be hard to make up for lost time in a tack gone bad.

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Marc...
1978 Hobie 16 Keoke, sail# 36 84

There are actually real differences between boats that can make one boat "hotter" than others. Slight variations in manufacturers tolerances can add up to a big difference. This happens even with new boats, as I went around with a tape measure at a Buffalo 16 regatta and found that bridle to bridle and rudder to rudder measurements could be 1/2"-2" different from boats made the same year! Now that the boats are made in either Australia or France, I'd be interested to do a detailed measure on everything, given enough time. All things being mostly even, it still matters most whos driving!

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Blair T

I love these calm moments before the storm, it reminds me of Beethoven...


'02 Hobie Tiger USA 1152

I had read in the past that there are some years and some boats where the weight of the hulls is not equal with all boats and that this extra weight make a noticeable difference in the speed of the boat.
Any thoughts on this?

Couple of things that get overlooked. Many H16 drivers tend to keep their weight too far back (to avoid pitch pole) and speed suffers. The hulls should be level (bow relative to stern). Correct down haul setting for the point of sail is also important. Also finding and maintaining the 'sweet spot' is a must. For every point of sail there is a set of conditions you attain by heading, down haul, out haul, traveler position, main sheet tension, jib traveler position, jib sheet tension, skipper/crew weight distribution - when all are set correctly you can really tell the difference. A good mast rake (but not too excessive) and moderate batten tension (for most conditions) also feeds the equation. What makes all this happen is practice, practice, practice.

Definitely there have been different hull weights over the years. In the early '80s the lay-up process was changed which made the hulls lighter, and throughout the years, there have been refinements to the lay-up process. But whether the difference in boat speed is noticable is subjective. Around a race course, an old boat is not likely to be competetive for numerous reasons. In a non-racing situation, a few extra pounds of hull weight is not likely to be too noticiable (blown out sails, a sloppy frame, or poor rudder adjustment would have more of an impact).

sm