International 14 Mailing List
[I14] Observations on sailing at increased beam.

14

From: Alan Diercks (diercks@systemsbiology.org)
Date: Wed 17 Jul 2002 - 18:31:23 BST

 
                                                 Seattle, WA, USA

That so many people have participated in the vigorous and healthy
debate of the various proposed rule changes speaks volumes for the
continuing strength of the I-14 class. There is no substitute for a
fleet of owners who care deeply about the future of the class.

In the Northern Hemisphere, a steady pace of development has existed
for the past 15 years including asymmetrical spinnakers, taller masts,
and reduced weight. As a result, the North American fleets now enjoy
sailing the sort of modern, high-performance skiff which has been
available in the Southern Hemisphere for years. Reminiscing on a very
tricked out Cross III from the late 80's, which everyone thought was
an amazing machine at the time, one of our local fleet members
commented recently to the effect that, "Developing beyond that was a
good thing!"

In this spirit, the US fleet conducted a one year trial of sailing at
an increased beam. There have been a lot of theoretical arguments put
forward on both sides of this issue, but a shortage anecdotal reports
and experimental data. As part of a small group who have sailed boats
with a 7'2" beam (on Bieker II and Bieker III hulls), we would like to
offer some of our observations and thoughts in support of the US
proposal to increase the beam and extend the racks further aft.

Although there is no disagreement that the increased available
righting moment makes the boat faster, what is particularly striking
to each of us is the qualitatively improved performance of the boat
upwind. The added power seems to allow a hull with enough volume
forward to be fast in light air to punch through the waves much more
easily. A common reaction that we had to the wider boat could be
summarized as, "Wow... this thing is actually fun to sail upwind!"
Our experience was that the modest, linear increase in power gave a
non-linear increase in fun.

The boat is also easier to sail at the wider beam. Two of us (SG/AD)
sailed at 7'2" during the "speed-trial" in Bermuda in conditions that
could only be described as horrific with 25 kts. of wind blowing
randomly through the buildings of downtown Hamilton causing 120 degree
wind-shifts and 20 kt. changes in wind-speed within a few boat
lengths, capsizing nearly all the participating boats at least once.
Rather than making the boat tricker to handle in tacks and
maneuvering, the added leverage seemed to make it a bit easier to keep
upright even for a relatively small forward crew.

One of the most exhilarating experiences in at 14 is ripping downwind
in heavy air. Here again, we found that the increased beam
significantly improved the feel of the boat, making it substantially
easier to drive hard through waves. Allowing the crew to step 12" aft
obviously gets the bow a bit higher, significantly reducing need to
choke the chute to prevent nose-diving.

In a development class, the specter of purpose built boats for
particular venues will always exist, but increasing the beam will not
make this scenario any more likely. Four days before the 2000 worlds
in Beer, we had a fantastic practice sail in ~18 kts of breeze
followed by two days of too much wind to make it off the beach.
Anyone who took the risk of showing up with a boat optimized for fresh
breeze and chop would have been sorely disappointed in the light-air
regatta which followed.

The 7'2" beam was not chosen arbitrarily but rather to achieve an
increase in performance while making the overall balance of the boat
similar to the pre-1996 designs and accommodating the post-1996 mast
height and sail area. We believe that this modest increase will not
lead to the obsolescence of current hulls just as rig development
since 1996 has had a negligible impact hull design.

In short, 14's are fantastic boats and none of the undersigned have
any intention to stop sailing them should the increased beam and rack
extension fail to pass, but having tasted how much fun it is to sail a
wider boat, we feel compelled to communicate our enthusiastic support
for this idea to other 14 sailors. If you haven't tried it, you owe
it to yourself to find a wide boat and go for a sail. Our boats are
always available in Seattle (and at the Gorge, Aug 8-11) for anyone
interested in getting a taste.

<p>Steve Goodson, Alan Diercks (USA 1129)
Kris Bundy, Jamie Hanseler (USA1127)
Paul Bieker (USA 11XX, under construction)

<p><p><p><p> 

-- 
Alan Diercks                                                  
Research Scientist                diercks@systemsbiology.org
Institute for Systems Biology     Phone: (206) 732-1388
1441 North 34th Street            FAX:   (206) 732-1253
Seattle, WA 98103-8904            

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