[Rhodes22-list] Ballast ?

[Chris Geankoplis]

Hey other Rob,
You make some good and well thought out points.  I am assuming everybody is
talking about the same point of sail?  This being a beat of some sort?  You
do loose some efficiency with the roller furling headsail, even with a luff
pad.  I have sailed in as strong winds with a reefed jib and main without
too much difficulty, especially if I have a hefty companion along.
Everything is a compromise.  You gain the length, the beam, the great
accommodations and safety of positive flotation at the expense of a bit of
speed and a bit of pointing ability.  I don't race but cruise and have been
in some pretty impressive seas and winds over the last 35 years on my Rhodes
and never felt it could not handle the environment it was in.  I think when
you are finished fixing up your Rhodes the way you want it to be (but always
looking to fine tune everything) you will be a joyful sailor of a really
great boat.
Chris G
83 Enosis 

-----Original Message-----
From: rhodes22-list-bounces at rhodes22.org
[mailto:rhodes22-list-bounces at rhodes22.org] On Behalf Of Rob Granger
Sent: Saturday, January 21, 2012 6:11 PM
To: The Rhodes 22 Email List
Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] Ballast ?

Wow...  this is disappointing to read...

Is it because of the relatively large amount of freeboard the Rhodes has?
I've taken my MacGregor V22 out in 20+mph winds (with gusts to 30) on
several occasions.  I spent a day sailing across the Albemarle with a
steady 25mph And yes..... I've had people question the actual wind strength
so I checked it with the weather records for my areas.  When the winds
picks up..I hank on my small jib (25%)  and put two reefs in the main.  She
punches right through.  I try to keep her relatively flat and we pick up
speed....once she is moving forward I take in on the main sheet just a bit
we just slice on through the chop ... it is magic.  The Mac is
significantly smaller boat than the Rhodes.  It has a foot less beam, about
6" less free board an weighs about half of what the Rhode weights.  The
interior accommodations are frankly Spartan but she sails really well....
and fast... and have even gotten her to plane on a run in winds like
that.....

So let me ask you Rhodies something.  How many of you use the roller furled
head sail and how many of you have hanked on head sails?  I'm hoping the
performance deficiencies you are describing here are a result of the fact
that most of you try to roller REEF your head sail and have not actually
sailed your Rhodes with a properly sized and properly drafting head sail in
stronger winds.

I hope this does not sound condescending.  I really don't mean it that way.
Email can sometime read really badly and I don't consider myself a sailing
expert or anything like that...I really just want some performance data for
the Rhodes for how I plan to set mine up... I'll be using hanked on head
sails and reef points in my main.


So for those of you who hank on your head sails... can you get the Rhodes
to perform well in 25 - 30 mph wind with a smaller head sail and a deeply
reefed main? (The boom on a Mac can be rolled so I can reef the main as
much or as little as I want -- but I prefer reef points).

 I'm in the middle of a Rhodes restoration and would really like to
understand what I'm going to have when I'm done.

When I purchased my Mac (three seasons ago) it came with three different
head sails (25%), (75%), (130%).  It also came with a light air main in
addition to the working main....  And sailing with this boat's compliment
of sails is when I fully came to appreciate the importance of a balanced
rig.  So I'm no longer envious of my roller furled brothers.

I hope to repeat this experience with the Rhodes.  So if please share if
you got a story.

Fair winds,

The other Rob



On Sat, Jan 21, 2012 at 10:30 AM, Leland <LKUHN at cnmc.org> wrote:

>
> Dennis,
>
> 20-30 knot winds are too much wind for the Rhodes.
>
> Stan says you can't make headway after 28 knots which is probably accurate
> since I struggle after 20.
>
> The more I sail the more picky I am about conditions.  I usually don't go
> out if the winds are more than 15 knots.  Where I sail the chop is usually
> more of a problem than the wind when it gets too breezy.
>
> Lee
>
>
>
>
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