The Sailboat Cruiser

The Sailboat Cruiser is the free monthly newsletter of sailboat-cruising.com. and sets out to bring you the news, views and general musings of, well, me - a sailboat cruiser, and owner of sailboat-cruising.com.

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The Sailboat Cruiser

Issue #9 June 2014

Prop Drag and Efficiency

Fact 1 - A 2-bladed propeller is more efficient than a 3-bladed version. Hence a properly sized 2-blade will give you a higher speed at a given shaft speed in flat water than a properly sized 3-blade.

But the 3-blade, because of its larger blade area, will accelerate your boat faster. This means a 3-blade is better for boat handling around marinas, also when powering against a head sea and when bringing the boat to a stop. But of course a 3-bladed prop will create more drag than a 2-bladed prop.

Fact 2 - When under sail, a stationary propeller will create much less drag than one which is left free to rotate. Apparently the drag of a stationary prop is proportional to the total area of the blades' surface, whilst that of a turning prop is proportional to the area of the circle swept by the blades.

So if sailing quickly takes precedence over performance under power, then a 2-bladed prop is for you. But if you go for a folding or feathering propeller, you can enjoy the benefits of a 3-bladed prop without suffering from the considerable drag that a fixed version would produce.

Which type though, folding or feathering? Read on...

Wheel or Tiller?

• through its direct attachment to the rudder, rewards the helmsman with ultimate feel and feedback, and
• by virtue of its mechanical simplicity ensures reliability and robustness, and
• lets the helmsman, steering with the tiller between his legs, trim the jib, mainsheet and if he's really brave the spinnaker without disturbing the off-watch crew, and
• works well with both windvane servo-pendulum self-steering gears and electronic autopilots, and
allows the helmsman to gain shelter from the sprayhood, and
• at anchor can be lifted up out of the way, leaving the cockpit clear.

• positions the helmsman right aft, denying him any protection from the sprayhood, and
• in most cases, doesn't allow the helmsman to trim the sails on his own, and
• is less precise than a tiller, offers the helmsman little feedback, and
• requires an expensive and complicated linkage arrangement of wires and blocks, which without regular maintenance is prone to failure, and
• is awkward to link to both windvane self-steering gears and electronic autopilots, and
• adds weight right aft, just where you need it least, and
• clutters up the cockpit when at anchor, and is expensive.

Snubbing the Anchor

1. to stop the noise produced by the chain grating around in the bow roller
2. to take the load off the windlass
3. and - most importantly - to absorb the shock loads on the anchor caused by sudden gusts in the wind.

For it to introduce enough stretch and work properly as a snubber it needs to be around 10m long, attached to the chain with either a rolling hitch or a chain hook, with the other end secured to a strong point on deck.

It won't reduce the ultimate load on the anchor, but it will greatly reduce the severity of the snatching.

Cruising Boats for Sale on Sailboat-Cruising.com

With plenty of storage space and easy room for four, you can cruise in classic style, say her owners.

Click for more info and the asking price etc...

Click for more info and the price etc...

Back Issues of The Sailboat Cruiser - by popular demand!

Our Artwork

Now as much as I'd happily wallow in your praise and adulation, I cannot rightfully do so. That privilege belongs to the artist, my old pal Andrew Simpson.

Andrew has illustrated all of the "Secrets of..." series of ebooks. He's also written two of them, and is currently working on a new one - Secrets of Multihull Cruising.

Here are a few examples of Andrew's artwork from each of the ebooks...

This one's from Secrets of Boat Handling in Marinas by Rob Gibson.

To a soundtrack of splintering fibreglass (just joking), Rob tells us here exactly how not to do it!

Incidentally, Bill Giles was kind enough to say about Secrets of Boat Handling in Marinas that "It is well written, clearly illustrated and worth twice as much."

Well Bill, it soon will be twice as much, as the introductory price period is coming to an end. Still well written, clearly illustrated and great value though...

Andrew rightly tells us "The terrible dangers associated with gas are well known to all of us and, yet, a horrifying number of dangerous installations remain. The diagram below shows schematically an ideal arrangement. Although sometimes not practicable on every boat, as far as is possible, every feature should be adopted. Basically, the gas cylinders are stowed in a locker venting to the open air but sealed from the boat’s interior. This minimizes the chances of any accidental discharge collecting inside the boat where it could form potentially explosive pockets. Obviously the various other elements in the system must be very carefully installed and then meticulously maintained."

Read more about this eBook...

Here Andrew explains how servo-pendulum windvane systems work:

1. "When the boat strays off course the change in the apparent wind is sensed by the vane (A) which is pressed to one side or the other. If for example, the boat turns to port, the vane will incline in the same direction.
2. The vane’s action is transmitted by the pushrod (B) to the gears (C) which converts the action from vertical to rotary – thereby turning the pendulum blade (D)
3. This turns the blade which is swept to one side (again to port in our example) by the waterflow.
4. The steering lines (E) are led to the boat’s primary steering control – either a tiller, as shown here, or a drum and clutch arrangement on a wheel."

Read more about this eBook...

Here I explain how to get your lure down deep with a lightweight planer rather than a very heavy weight:

1. "First, make sure the planer line is securely attached to a strong point on the stern of your boat, then...
2. Let out your trolling line until the lure is 30ft (9m) or so behind the boat;
3. Next, at deck level. attach the trolling line to the quick-release clip fixed to the after end of the planer before;
4. Slowly ease out the planer line to its required extent, allowing it to draw out your trolling line as it goes; then...
5. Set the drag on your reel and
6. Sit back, pop a beer, and await further development!"

Read more about this eBook...

All of these illustrations are of course the copyright of Andrew Simpson.

The international appeal of these eBooks has been quite surprising, truly reflecting the worldwide enthusiasm for the this great pastime (lifestyle, sport, recreation?) of ours, having been downloaded in 29 different countries to date.

And finally, if you've downloaded any of our eBooks it would be great if you'd let me know what you think of them.

Just one last thought...

And finally...

And this newsletter can be a two-way thing. If you've read anything you'd like to comment on, or perhaps there's an event you'd like to see announced in a future newsletter, then please let me know.

See you next month!

Dick McClary

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