carl@aoa.UUCP (Carl Witthoft) (08/15/85)
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I'm a rookie windsurfer (but not a rookie sailor) with a question:
what affects the ease with which a board tacks? Given two boards w/
similar sail, mass, length, one seems easier to tack than the other.
Is this something to do with the size and/or placement of the skeg
with respect to the daggerboard?
Any help greatfully accepted.
Also, any decent books around with this sort of info?
Thanx.
Darwin's Dad (Carl Witthoft)
...!{decvax,linus,ima,ihnp4}!bbncca!aoa!carl
@ Adaptive Optics Assoc., 54 Cambridgepark Dr.
Cambridge, MA 02140 617-864-0201
"Put me in, Coach. I'm ready to play today.
Look at me! I can be centerfield."heneghan@ihu1m.UUCP (Joe Heneghan) (08/16/85)
> I'm a rookie windsurfer (but not a rookie sailor) with a question: > what affects the ease with which a board tacks? Given two boards w/ > similar sail, mass, length, one seems easier to tack than the other. > Is this something to do with the size and/or placement of the skeg > with respect to the daggerboard? > Any help greatfully accepted. > Also, any decent books around with this sort of info? > Thanx. Since you're a sailor let me use the analogy of why a Lasar tacks better than a Catamaran. The Lasar is like a bowl and spins easy in the watrer due to its rounded edges and it pivots on the daggerboard. The Catamaran's bows just plow through and really don't pivot. Also a Lasar doesn't sit as deep in the water. Some boards have bouyancy in different places, their daggerboards might be longer giving then better lift (Australia beating the US on better tacking) Plus as you say, skeg placement and shape matter. Joe Heneghan