SIX BEAMS LONG

ENKEL BÅT ENKELT LIV

SIX BEAMS LONG

The lengths and sail area of sail boats have been taxed by governments and punished by racing rules to such an extent that these boats are inefficient.
Cargo boats naturally have to be burdensome and racing boats naturally have to be built to racing rules. Cruising boats do not necessarily have to have these restrictions, but human beings are sheeplike when they see a racing boat winning a race they think its fast even when its restricted by racing rules.
Only a few boat types, like the Cornish pilot gigs, about 10 meter (32 feet)long with a beam of 1.5 meters (4 feet 10 inches) and the whale boats about 9 meters long and 1.5 meters beam are uninfluenced by rules.
Both use oars and sails for propulsion, Using oars in a sail race is of course strictly forbidden.
The Cornish pilot gigs was used as shore-based lifeboats that went to vessels in distress. When the whale had harpooned it would often pull the boat in a “Nantucket sleighride” trying to escape, sometimes against a rising gale. In both cases seaworthy boats were needed.
Sail area are restricted by racing rules. This has led to the Bermudan rig. Its based on the airplane wing theory. The airplane has two wings they cancel each others healing moment. Sailboats are different they use deep ballast keels to get stability. Lead is heavy. Much sail area is therefore needed to propel them. The lead keel is little use downwind and cruisers sail mostly downwind. Lenght of mast is more important than sail area to the cruising man. This week my Next Design is six beam long 6.96 meter with a 1.16 beam. Hopefully my economy gets on an even keel when I get to Australia enabling me to build her.
Regards Yrvind.