Which is faster - H16 or H18?

I was sailing my H18 today and saw a H16 out on the lake. We sailed along together in enough air to keep us moving good but not enough to really go fast. I had a crew weight of 380 lbs and the guy on the 16 was med size and sailing solo. The solo sailor wasn't even hiking out.

I (H18) seemed to be able to point a little higher with the same speed and if the wind picked up a little it helped the 18. Off the wind the H16 was faster.

I have never raced my H18 and would like to know if this is expected performance variables. I think if it was really blowing the 18 with the heavier crew would have the advantage, but with the light wind the H16 solo was better.

Either way a nice day for sailing after the wind finally filled in on Lake Lanier.

Chet3 - The H18 is faster than the H16.
Go to "U.S. Sailing; Portsmouth Yardstick; Multihull Classes". There you'll get a feel for the speed of each boat in the multihull class. They also have Portsmouth Yardsticks for other classes as well.
These smaller boats are very weight-sensitive. You can't compare you and your crew (combined weight = 380 lbs.) to a mid size person sailing solo.
If the wind is light, it's better to sail solo or with kids or light weight adults. If it's blowing hard, it's better to have more weight on the boat - regardless of wether it's a H16 or H18.
If there are two sailboats on the lake, you'll probably have an unofficial race.
I'm glad to hear that you enjoyed your day of sailing/racing on Lake Lanier.
Richard

They are pretty similar in speed. The advantage generally goes to the H18 due to it's longer, symmetrically shaped hulls and greater sail area. The daggerboards on the 18 also provide slightly better upwind performance than the 16. However, the fully assembled weight of the 18 is about 60 to 100 pounds greater than the 16, so it loses some advangage there. Crew weight and weather conditions also play a significant factor.

The most critical deciding factor, however, is almost always the sailor's skill. A good 16A fleet skipper can beat a novice or intermediate 18 sailor in most conditions.

sm

I agree with the above posts and part of the reason for posting was to stimulate some conversation about the subject. In light air the crew weight is a huge factor.

I used to race many types of sailboats years ago and still feel like I know what I am doing. So when I got near the H16 I was looking for a little pace setting to see how well I was sailing my H18. I guess I should go enter a race and then I can really tell. I believe there are some small multihull races here locally that race the various cats against one another.

Chet,
Perhaps you should contact the Lake Lanier Sailing Club at http://www.llsc.com/ if you are interested in trying a race. They regularly hold multi-hull regattas on Lake Lanier.
We hope to see you out on Lanier. We have a Capricorn F18, so you can't miss us.
Thanks!

_________________
Eric Weller
2006 F18 Capricorn
1980 H16
Keep the pointy side up!

[quote="Chet3"]I was sailing my H18 today and saw a H16 out on the lake. We sailed along together in enough air to keep us moving good but not enough to really go fast. I had a crew weight of 380 lbs and the guy on the 16 was med size and sailing solo. The solo sailor wasn't even hiking out.

I (H18) seemed to be able to point a little higher with the same speed and if the wind picked up a little it helped the 18. Off the wind the H16 was faster.

I have never raced my H18 and would like to know if this is expected performance variables. I think if it was really blowing the 18 with the heavier crew would have the advantage, but with the light wind the H16 solo was better.

Either way a nice day for sailing after the wind finally filled in on Lake Lanier.[/

This is actually pretty common except a singlehanded 16 will wax an 18 on all points of sail. You must be pretty good. The bad news is if you were in an actual race you owe the 16 time. (as well as several other boats that will easily beat an 18) I have an 18 but because of it's poor Portsmouth number I race with a 16.

I'm with Genmar on this. The 16 didn't know it was a race or you would have seen nothing but sterns, especially in lighter air. If he had crew you would stand a better chance. He either didn't realize you were racing or isn't an experienced sailor.