Woo! New site is online - select here to use it!


Forums > Windsurfing General

Two clews without a clue

Reply
Created by ikw777 > 9 months ago, 7 Oct 2009
paddymac
WA, 943 posts
11 Oct 2009 9:13PM
Thumbs Up

Gestalt said...

ok, well i stand very much corrected then.

what you guys are saying is that reducing outhaul moves the draft back and increasing outhaul moves the draft forward

edit** i'm having trouble accepting this. does anyone have any theory to back it up. i thought the sail got back handy when you let the outhaul out because the sail was trying to pull sideways instead of forward.

i also thought that increasing outhaul lead to moving harness lines back to counteract the draft moving back.



Gestalt, just going on my own theory and experience - I went to look for my books but my beloved has "stored" them

Looks like we are mixing two variables - using different clew holes and adjusting the outhaul.

I completely agree that applying more outhaul puts the position of max draft further back as well as reducing the draft. Less draft is usually better for upwind performance and sometimes very light wind performance (to maintain the flow across the sail).

What I guessed about the upper clew hole is that the draft position is slightly forward compared to the bottom hole (all other things being equal).

I think (and this is probably the contentious bit) that if you could move the position of draft independent of the amount of draft (as you can on some boats) then you would move it forward for upwind performance. Draft point forward means less angle of attack and a direction of lift closer to the direction you are travelling in giving a better forward force. I'm curious to know if anyone can verify that coz I asked five people and got six different answers

I'm guessing that moving the clew hole is close to of altering the boom vang on a boat - lower hole less vang, higher hole more vang.

Gestalt
QLD, 14969 posts
11 Oct 2009 11:44PM
Thumbs Up

i think the vang comparison is spot on.

lower eyelet = less vang, upper eyelet = more vang.

i'm trying hard to visualise the shape of the sail and draft position/depth. i'd have to rig the sail to give you a more definite answer.

from memory, it moves the CofE down, it could possibly also move it forward but i'm thinking not. i don't think it adjusts the depth of draft. you still need the outhaul/downhaul for that. but i could be wrong.

you can move the position of draft independant to the amount of draft during rigging but unlike a boat it cannot be done on the fly. unless you have adjustable outhaul and downhaul.

there is also the tack strap. that gives additional leech tuning as well.



Subscribe
Reply

Forums > Windsurfing General


"Two clews without a clue" started by ikw777