roll tack!!

when tacking is dicussed on the form its the traditional tack. what about the roll tack in rick white "catamaran racing for the 90s" he claims its way faster and more effective. what are your thoughts???.......thanks tom

Roll Tack IS a MUST learn. It will make a winner out of you.

Doug

The roll tack is a blast and the only way to spin the boat on a dime, as long as you and your crew can scramble like monkeys and keep your wits about you.

It has it's limitations. In big waves and wind, you are as likely to end up doing an endo backwards as you are completing the tack, especially if you don't snap the jib loose at exactly the right moment.

As with many things "Hobie", stuff happens FAST, so the more you practice and the better skilled your crew the better your chances of completing this.

_________________
The fact that this windy world is largely covered in water obviously means that man was meant to sail.

Now you have me curious. What is a roll tack and how is it done (or a link to a description would save some time at the keyboard)

Basically you keep your weight on the windward side as long as you can. It lifts the other bow so when the boat comes through the wind it pushes on the bow. Keeping the other hull "light" also helps to reduce the amount of drag holding the boat from turning.

I like to tack with crew and myself on the wire flying a hull. Kind the same priciple. Reducing wetted surface is what you are shooting for. I think on mono-dulls it actually propels the boat forward in some way as well, helping it accelerate out of a tack faster.

I am familiar with roll tacking in a monohull, but on a cat it takes some getting used to the idea.



It also gives you a pivot to turn on, like the centerboard of a monohull.



When that happens on a laser, it's a rules violation. You are supposed to actually sail the boat, not row it.

Once in a while you can find Rick White's videos/dvds on Ebay. I found "Upwind Sailing & the Complete Rolltack" and it has a very detailed step by step description and video of how to roll tack on a cat. It has a dated look but it's very good stuff. His book: New! Catamaran Racing for the '90s also has some great stuff. He claims to reduce tacking time from 25 seconds to 5 seconds. Haven't tried it yet as it's still trying to be winter up here.

Guys:

This is probably the best $99 you will ever spend. I pad the full $150 AND they are on tape. Unless you scratch it DVD will last forever and REAL easy to jump back and forward to catch ever little part of this VERY informative series. SEEING is MUCH better tnan reading. Get this:

http://store.catsailor.com/tek9.asp?pg= ... jnrorrrrg4

Doug Snell

Hey Doug,
What type of boats do they use in their demonstrations? Are they typically 18s and larger or do they use smaller boats as well.

Happy Sailing,

David

The videos have everything from Waves to I-20, Hobie 20 and Tiapans. You will learn a LOT and see what was written in "Catamaran Racing for the 90's" in action. GET the CD.

Doug

Thanx Doug,

I just noticed that some of the other videos I've seen that depicted downwind sailing displayed boats with spi. Of course, spi are rare on H16s (and require a different stradegy) and illegal (I think ) to race with. Just wanted to make sure that the teachings were relevant to me. Thanx again.


Happy Sailing,

David

David:

No 16 spins as they are VERY rare, but a lot of 16's in the seminars. Will learn 16 downwind, just not with a spinnaker. Get the DVDs. Also a whole chapter in "Catamaran Racing for the 90's" by Wayne Schaeffer.

Doug

Doug,
Thanks for the info. I now have a lot more peace of mind in placing this order. I will order the DVDs. Thaks again.

Happy Sailing,

David

David:

Let me know what you think of them when you get them. You should LOVE then as with a CD player you can use slow motion to REALLY see what is happening. And race right from the start, even if you come in DFL. You will learn to sail the boat better and most advanced racer are VERY nice at giving advice and helping you tweak the boat. Learn who are the hot shots and watch what they do.

You will REALLY enjoy your boat when you learn to make it HUMM!!

Doug