"Sailing" at anchor

[FF]

If you tire of the motion , the dink anchor tossed over on the side at the extreme of a swing should tamp down the gyrations.

Poo stability anchored is a PIA for cruisers , but can be checked with owners group before a purchase.

 

[Nomad Willy]

I’ve another idea re the swinging.
I suspect it has mostly to do w ballast trim.
Willy our boat swings a lot. It almost makes us dizzy w the scenery going by so fast.
I’ve been thinking lately while painting the bottom that the apparently horizonlal line just above the real (as evidenced by the scum line) WL is built into the hull. The hull jogs out 1/16” or so interupting the imitation plank seams in their “up at the ends” arcs. I think this may be a “floating on her lines” reference line.

I noticed the real WL is about 4” lower at the bow and only 2 1/2” lower at the stern. So by that hull cast line she’s floating bow high. Then I thought about how light the bow is w hardly any chain. And when we had the leaking stern tube problem another stern tube was installed but we didn’t put (as original) concrete and steel punchings back in but installed lead. Rolled up 1/8” sheet, some blocks, some rod, and other chuncks. Then we bought some lead bird shot to fill in the voids. I filled up the laz w lead roughly to the level of the old concrete not thinking much about the weight difference. Probably not very smart.

I’ve always felt a boat a bit heavy in the stern was far better than a boat heavy in the bow. When light it’s great bucking head seas. Nice and dry w little spray. And Willy has always been good w quartering following seas. I’ve felt that not being bow down helped a lot there. But floating on her lines she may be even better w stern seas.

So I’m about ready to scoop out quite a bit of the lead shot and run the boat w water thanks (they are in the laz) about half full. This won’t add any weight fwd but will lighten the stern considerably. If the stern floats higher it can act much more like an arrow and perhaps add considerably to directional stability. May turn quicker too and go a bit faster or the same speed w less power on.

That’s my story and theories for the moment.

 

[Nomad Willy]

FF,
I like your dink anchor off to the side trick.

 

[sunchaser]

We have found that in gusty winds that the current assists in “ sailing” if from much different direction. On the Mississippi we never saw a wind that could over power the spring floods. But like Ski, we ignore it.

 

[Group9]

Our old sailboat, a Catalina 42, used to do it like crazy. We tried everything, and I mean everything, to stop it. We finally just gave up, and learned to just let it do it.

 

[wpc691]

Our boat veers like crazy with a bridle and all chain rode. My research suggests a drogue on the rode a few meters off the bow, or a “Turkish moor” (single snubber made fast amidships) are effective. Have yet to test either.

 

[tadhana]

Eric, The fact that your boat is not on the scribed line, may not mean that the boat is not on (or at lease near) the lines the designer intended. It is normal to have 3-4 inches of copper showing above the water at the bow, and 2-3 inches at the stern. This prevents biologic growth in the wave slap area. Secondarily, no boat is always perfectly "on her lines." Depending upon fuel and water load, the boat's waterline will change, and the change can be several inches. It would surprise me if you could measure a difference is the swinging motion between full tanks and empty tanks. I have designed and built custom and semi custom boats, back in the day before computers. It is possible to get the boat to float exactly as the designer intended at both full load waterline, and light ship, but it does not always work out that way. I have also built custom boats to other designs, including the personal trawler yacht for a well know designer. At launching, she did not float anywhere near to where the designer expected. That one took quite a bit of trimming ballast to get the trim correct.

Looking at the lines of the Nomad 30, I would guess at full load the water-plane area would require 800-1000 pounds to change the plane one inch. If that guess is approximately correct, then taking 4-500 pounds out of the stern would raise it an inch or so.

 

[Nomad Willy]

Thanks so much tadhana,
Haven’t done anything yet. Observed the fuel is at 80% (just ob of engine mid-ships) and so is water also 80% (in the laz). We were just on the hard and I shoulda pumped our those water tanks. Usually do.

I worked at Unifilte and re-ballasted boats laterally but never got involved on fore and aft ballast and the “lines”. Saw the crease, lip, jog .. whatever it’s called on numerous boats. Thought it must be “the line” for trimming purposes. What else could it be? But I know many manufacturers build several models on the exact same hull. Willard has one model w a stern engine w a V drive. One would think it would float low in the stern. But w small engines and big tanks perhaps moving the tanks could easily counterbalance the little engine but not on most boats.

Anyway we’re going north in about a week for a few weeks so not eager to experiment to any great extent. And I can’t remove any ballast cruising because I don’t have any other place to put it. Too expensive to huck overboard. But when we get back I’m going to remove quite a bit.

Could plan to run low on water (tanks in the laz (100gal)) and observe how Willy handled in mild seas. I’ve run Willy w empty tanks in the spring and just before going on the grid. Of course mild seas can always get bigger. Shouldn’t worry though ... she’s a Willard.

But re the sailing I’m quite sure boat trim has an effect. I once had a lithe 17’ plywood OB cruiser that clocked smartly into the wind when I stopped the boat. Great for a break in the lee in the cockpit. Didn’t even sail much. Bad handling boat though.

Also Willy’s bow tends to blow downwind so often I’ll need to move so the bow dosn’t get in a position that the move can’t be saved. If the stern was lightened enough it would seem that the stern could be made to blow downwind. So a balanced boat should be found somewhere in the middle. Somewhere between what I’ve got and the balanced boat would be a good place and I think would reduce the sailing and maybe better turning and directional stability.

Question;
Will a balanced boat sail?

 

[bayview]

Your boats dont sail in calm do they?
Add windage aft with a riding sail or spring the rode to stop sailing at anchor.
Willy isnt your boat based on a sail hull? The extra rigging would push the bow down.

 

[CanadianBoater]

The change is nice in my opinion. The view is constantly changing slightly, and I like the wind coming over the bow, not a cross wind.