i have been getting on the water pretty much every weekend since july and continue to avoid the hull flying thing like the plague. well maybe not that bad, but i do sheet out real quick when the hull comes up. it just feels like the boat is going over real quick. once or twice on moderate wind i would guess that i had most of the windward hull out of the water, but then it suddenly begins to raise further and fruther. i panic and sheet out.
when my brother in law was out with me, he was in the trap and we were really flying but couldnt seem to find the right angle to get a hull out. maybe too anxious and he was all the way out - but he had fun.
my crew is limited to relatives who really don't want to go for a swim, so i just use them as weight on the tramp. when i go out solo sailing, i have not yet got up the nerve to go out on the wire for fear of falling in or something stupid like that.
could someone please help me figure out what i need to do to get the hull out in a manner that doesnt panic me? i imagine i just need to bite the bullet and flip over. i have all the righting stuff.
thanks in advance.
jeff
success is not having to work in may and october
- art garfunkle
Jeff: I'm far from an expert, but flying a hull, especially solo, is real rush! It's why I ususally chose to sail the Hobie over my Laser. But I've learned (the hard way!) there are some things you can do to give you more boat control. First, make sure the boat is stiff. I had an '85 boat and the hulls basically moved independent of each other. I tightened the tramp frame by having the local sailmaker install another series of grommets down the center of the tramp and tightened the tramp to the point where the side rails actually pulled inward. Second, and the biggest difference effecting my
feel
of the boat, I epoxied the tramp frame to the hull pylons. This, along with the tramp tightening, essentially elliminated almost all the slack between the two hulls. I found the boat became much more controlable when flying a hull by elliminating the
jerkyness
of a loose boat. The other tuning element I found helped was elliminating as much
slop
in the rudder system as possible. You need to be able to execute small steering changes smoothly and a tight tiller improves your feel of the boat. Excellent
how to
articles on both of these subjects can be found at the
On The Wire
website. www.catsailor.com (I think). Cementing the boat together is a big step since you can't easily undo what's done and care needs to be taken that the hulls are alligned correctly - but I found boat control improved dramatically. If nothing else, tighten the tramp and tiller.
After the boat is tuned, it's simply a matter of getting experience at the tiller. I think you'll find that the boat broaches much slower than you think. Along with letting main sheet out, turning the boat smoothly into the wind will also provide healing control. A sailing instructor I know takes students out in moderate to heavy winds, heads up wind, sheets the main all the way in, takes the main sheet from the student and tells them
Now sail the #@$# boat!
teaching the new sailor to control boat heal exclusively with the tiller. For me, it took practice, and a couple of flips, to get comfortable sailing the boat flying a hull. If you are racing, you actually don't want to fly a hull since it slows boat speed.
Hope this helps. There are also some sail trim techniques you can use to reduce the chances of turning over when sailing solo or in a blow (such as traveling out slightly). Other readers may be able to add from their experience. Use common sense. If you're solo, it's windy, and no one is around to help right the boat, don't go. Find an in-law willing to get wet!
Mike
Jeff,
Sounds like you are doing great. Flying your hulls kill boat speed. I try to never get it up. The fast way to sail is to keep the windward hull just in the water. These hulls are a foil, and the leeward hull will give life...like your sails. The resultant lift is perpendicular to your course. This is what helps you get up wind without those bothersome center boards.
Okay, when she really comes on up, and you are on the wire, lean back hard, have your crew ease the jib sheet slightly and do the same on the main; keep your sails driving but with less force, because your boat is going to slow down and the wind force will push you over; get your speed back, because that shifts the resultant wind force back forward; then start sheeting back in slowly... usually when it gets to the point of dumping the main; it is too late...lol
I have to disagree on keeping both hulls in the water during a race as you are going to get eaten alive in a race if you do so. I usually have the windward hull up so the bottom edge is kissing the water. In down wind sailing I have my weight on the leeward hull (also have my weight forward on the boat - unless the wind is strong) and try to get the windward hull out of the water (not totally - called the Wild Thing) and am actually turning my cat into a monohull down wind (less weted surfice). So when we are flying a hull we try to keep the windward hull just kissing the water and thus base how we will trap based on this.
Fly the hull as high as you can ! Just don't pass the point of no return ! ! !
You are missing some fun.
When I solo in a moderate breeze, it is fun to lift the hull and teeter high in the air. You slow way down, as you spill wind off the tipping sail, ...but 7 feet in the air is a rush. And it attracts the attention of those motorboaters and makes them jealous that you look like you are having more fun than them ! ! !
Then see how far you can sail, before the hull drops back. You will feel like one of the Wallendas walking the tight rope.
Jeff Peterson
H-16 Sail #23721
Big Marine Lake, MN
I am new to this board, but your question caught my eye since I am trying to teach hull flying to my 16 yr. old son, too. You have already received some very good advice about boat tuning to aid the manuvers.
I am no master trained sailor (self taught in different winds), but after 20 years on a H16, I would say mostly to NOT BE ALARMED by the quickly raising hull (you are usually lower angle than it seems, and it really requires the tramp to catch air to get you to dump over) Gusty wind will pervert the learning process, so try to make progress by pracitice in steady wind, if possible. In my parts, it is called
hobie wind
--- about 18mph. Of course you need to set a course at about 10 or 2 O'clock to the wind, but depending upon wind speed, 9 and 3 o'clock can work too.
I like the previous advice about cleating the main sheet and FORCING yourself to control the hull angle with your tiller. It is hard at first to trust it, but a slight course change into the wind just as you get airborne will do wonders for controlling the rate of ascent. I agree with the previous poster that if you have to free the mainsheet, you are probably gone already anyway.
I tell my son to do this: (1) find maximum speed with the hulls on the water (2) cleat the main sheet in a little and try to run the boat for a distance with the windward hull kissing the waves. (3) after that, it is just a matter of cleating the mainsheet tighter the next time and USING THE TILLER to control the height, as stated above. with practice, I predict you won't be satisfied with flat tramp sailing again. Finally, you didn't buy a boat that has a place to sit your wine glass, you should already be wearing swim gear, and the object is a smile on your face. Thus, Don't be afraid to dump the boat! That part is fun too, if you have enough weight aboard and a righting system. TRY to dump the boat 3-4 times in a learning afternoon. It makes for good stories on the beach and the H16 is powerful, but relatively forgiving.
Good Luck!
Lots of good advise on this topic. I would just like to add practice, practice, and capsize, capsize. You think it is difficult for you, I just had a lady fly in from Korea to learn to sail and she is blind. She is training to be in next years Trapseat Worlds, and also had a little difficulty at first dealing with the hull lifting out of the water sensation but soon got use to it. I ran the sails and she used the tiller. It just takes time to learning to trust your skills and the boat (trusting it will capsize at times and not). I also use a mesh tramp as the solid tramps tend to me catch to much air and take some of the hull flying control out of ones hands.