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Old 04-20-2021, 10:04 AM   #357
Bkay
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City: Reedville, VA
Vessel Name: Wingspan
Vessel Model: Aluminum Catamaran
Join Date: Aug 2018
Posts: 580
I'd love to tell you, but I've not been in 4 m swells. We don't have swells worth mentioning in the Chesapeake - this photo is an example of our typical storm surge. However, I'd guess if the swell period was reasonably long, it would be a non-event regardless of direction. You'd feel the up and down motion but no heeling.

Now a 2 meter chop could be a significant emotional event regardless of direction. I've run in 1+ meter (maybe a bit more) short, choppy waves and it requires altering course for comfort. I was pleasantly surprised at how well she ran with choppy waves, particularly given her smallish rudders. But in my area, choppy waves tend to be close together and when you dial in the right speed it's fairly comfortable. This is a case where faster is more comfortable than slower if you can pick a course that allows it. I'd say this cat's performance in choppy conditions is about as good as the larger lobster boats I've run (in the 35 to 37' range) and a fair bit better than the smaller lobster boats. But at a 37.5' waterline length, 14' beam, and 25,000 lbs displacement, that's not particularly surprising.

Oh, and just kidding about the storm surge photo - it's usually much calmer than that.
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