If you could do it, would the perfect heel angle be 0 degrees? I thought that it was best that the boat heel, but someone told me that theoretically, 0 degrees is best.

-terry

Hi Terry,

Speaking from sailing big boats, some heel is preferable over none. More current designs are sailed "flat" which means every effort is made to minimize heel but zero degrees was never a number I heard.

Full size boats of similar full keel design like the EC12, tend to like heel. More so than more current designs. I have sailed on some of these older designs and so has Scott Todd. Based on their design, they spend quite a bit of time at 25 degrees of heel or more and like it.

Hope this helps,

Chuck
#84

The EC-12 and just about all boats like her are designed to heel. The shape of the hull is designed to be more efficient at an angle. If you look at the big AC boats, their hulls have square stern sections which become long canoe shapes when they heel at their designed angle. The shape of the sails are also designed for powering the boat at an angle.

Other types of sail boats do try to have no heel, but they are designed that way from the beginning. Wind surfers for example never heel, but the sail does. The sails are designed to perform best when upright or even tilted into the wind.

Yes, you would have more sail area exposed to the force of the wind if the boat did not heel and therefor have more power, but since all that power is going to push you over and then you need more force to keep it there, you start to make the boat too heavy. Eventually, you can't make the boat go because it is to heavy. The idea is to reach a balance which is where the EC-12 is.

Joe Walter #24

I was under the impression (when I sailed my old 6 & 8 meter full sized boats) that heel increased waterline and therefore speed.I am aware these classes predate most of our fleet but that was gospel 30+ yrs ago.25' was the optimal goal.

R.C.Greer

i recall readind 25 deg too

That is the point I am making, or trying to. The boat is going to heel at 25 degrees, so the design of the hull is optimized to be at its best at that angle.

Joe Walter #24

So I need an A+ rig too ?

R.C.Greer

Thanks guys. So if I understand this, the hull should heel because it improves the performance along the waterline, but <u>theoretically</u> the sail should be vertical.

I mean, this is all theory. I understand that many things apply when you get to the real world. Just wondering.