Shallow draft vs deep draft performance

[justinfinity]

If your priority is racing, then you have to get the deeper draft.

If your priority is cruising, then get the shallow draft. You will be much happier getting into tighter coves and anchorages.

I have a Jeanneau 53. My priority at the time I ordered the boat was "performance cruising", so I shunned the furling mainsail in favor of a battened main and a stack bag.

I ended up racing the boat and winning the Newport Bermuda Race, First in Class, and Overall Performance Trophy (for best margin over the entire fleet).
We won that race because we were a world class crew and we learned the boat, and we learned how to eke out every possibly margin of speed from her. We outfitted the boat with a lot of modifications for performance. And we made both excellent navigation and tactical decisions, and our bets paid off. Overall the NBR is a reaching race, so pointing wasn't a killer.

We did all the distance races in the YRALIS (Yacht Racing Association of Long Island Sound), including the Block Island Race, the Vineyard Race, etc etc. When conditions made those reaching races, our boat went like a freight train.

We were not able to be competitive in the windward/leeward races. We got slaughtered by boats that could point. We learned not to try to play a pointing game and to keep the boat going fat and fast.

The racing has been one of the highlights of my life.

But so has the cruising. And the boat is outstanding as a fast cruiser.

So, again, know your priorities, be true to them, and don't make big configuration decisions that are going to haunt you later.

[malbert73]

Originally Posted by justinfinity

If your priority is racing, then you have to get the deeper draft.



If your priority is cruising, then get the shallow draft. You will be much happier getting into tighter coves and anchorages.



I have a Jeanneau 53. My priority at the time I ordered the boat was "performance cruising", so I shunned the furling mainsail in favor of a battened main and a stack bag.



I ended up racing the boat and winning the Newport Bermuda Race, First in Class, and Overall Performance Trophy (for best margin over the entire fleet).

We won that race because we were a world class crew and we learned the boat, and we learned how to eke out every possibly margin of speed from her. We outfitted the boat with a lot of modifications for performance. And we made both excellent navigation and tactical decisions, and our bets paid off. Overall the NBR is a reaching race, so pointing wasn't a killer.



We did all the distance races in the YRALIS (Yacht Racing Association of Long Island Sound), including the Block Island Race, the Vineyard Race, etc etc. When conditions made those reaching races, our boat went like a freight train.



We were not able to be competitive in the windward/leeward races. We got slaughtered by boats that could point. We learned not to try to play a pointing game and to keep the boat going fat and fast.



The racing has been one of the highlights of my life.



But so has the cruising. And the boat is outstanding as a fast cruiser.



So, again, know your priorities, be true to them, and don't make big configuration decisions that are going to haunt you later.

So which draft did you choose for a performance cruiser?

[justinfinity]

I'm sorry, I guess that relevant bit dropped out during the edit!

I ordered the boat with the shallow draft keel because my priority was fast cruising as opposed to racing and sailing as close to the wind as possible. There is an old expression "Gentlemen don't go to windward", and it is very true because sailing close to the wind is not enjoyable for guests.

btw, while there is a slight difference in the pointing ability of the boat between the deep and shallow draft keels, there is almost no difference in the angle of vanishing stability.

So, again, build the boat according to your priority. Getting a boat to do both tasks, racing and cruising, can be very complicated and time consuming.

[wingssail]

Originally Posted by justinfinity

...Getting a boat to do both tasks, racing and cruising, can be very complicated and time consuming.

Does not have to be. Ours does both very very well and getting it was very easy.

Our draft is 8ft. It has NOT been a hindrance during our 34 years of ownership and cruising however we have not cruised on the US East Coast or western Atlantic regions. Elsewhere, no issues.

[malbert73]

8 feet would be prohibitive in much of US East
Coast and Bahamas and maybe parts of Caribbean could be challenging.

Since these are my current and future cruising areas my keel/centerboard combination which is about 5 feet draft up, 8.5 feet with board down for pointing, is a nice compromise
The market has spoken and most cruisers are not performance oriented enough to want the CB complexity but I like the functionality

[wingssail]

Originally Posted by malbert73

...my keel/centerboard combination which is about 5 feet draft up, 8.5 feet with board down for pointing, is a nice compromise...

I think this is a good solution. The boats I have designed (for fun) are keel/centerboard boats.

[malbert73]

Originally Posted by wingssail

I think this is a good solution. The boats I have designed (for fun) are keel/centerboard boats.

Though nothing for blue water like a deep ballasted fin like yours

[chasfgr]

Originally Posted by barnakiel

The longer keels go better upwind.


The shorter fins let you explore shallow waters.



b.

Do you mean deeper, not longer.


My experiece with about 8 boats is the very opposite.


Race-boats have high-aspect deep keels - old fashioned cruisers long keels.
That's ont an opinion - it's proven fact - read Marchaj about the tank tests.