reconlon wrote:
I opened the front hatch to retrieve the wheels and found it 85% full of water! It took quite a while to pump all the water out to then wheel it up the ramp. During the 4 hours out, we noticed no difference in speed, handling or even how high it was floating (must have been lower).
85% full and you noticed no difference in speed? I was out with two friends last summer and took on much less than that due to a still unidentified leak. I had about 10-15 gallons on board, and had to peddle like crazy while under full sail, just to keep up with them. I didn't realize how much I was taking on, but both friends commented that I was sitting much lower in the water than when we had started. I just thought the speed difference was due to my extra pounds, despite my easily keeping up, and even leading them for the first half of the day.
As for handling, that was even worse. The water sloshing fore & aft in the hull kept making me fall off the front or back of the waves (approx 2-3 ft waves & steady 15kt breeze on the Chesapeake Bay that day). The weight itself just slowed me down, but all that weight sloshing around made a shambles of the handling. Then again, if the hull is 85% full, then I guess there's not much room for sloshing fore & aft, is there.
Happy Sailing,
- Jim L