Yes rotating wing masts are much easier to reef because you can align the mast with the wind without having to turn the boat head to wind. Thanks for pointing that out!!!
I had a friend with a 13 foot scowl that we sailed on an inland lake. It had a rotating mast. Now I understand more fully why it rotates. However, that boat only had short side boards so we ended up in the water a lot. Luckily it was unsinkable.
Sounds like lots of fun!!! I think rotating masts are cool and I'd like to do an upcoming video containing more details on the benefits and how they work!
Good explanation, but the music was louder than the narration in some spots. Those of us with hearing problems have trouble understanding under these conditions.
I feel it should also be mentioned that the Hugo Boss (Guyot environment as it's known today) has dismasted four times since it was launched in 2015. Comanche is older and has never suffered a rig collapse of any kind. I think I'm going to stick to spreaders and traditional shrouds.
Yes there’s certainly a reliability factor! That said multihulls have been successfully using rotating wing masts for decades, but they are more natural platforms with wide “built in” shroud bases. I also understand the IMOCA masts are one-design to reduce costs, so possibly a bit underbuilt for the job, and teams can’t replace with a heavier section even if they wanted to.
@@SailingTipsCa reliability is a huge factor with rotating masts. The myth that rotating masts are better on multihulls because of a wider shroud base is a complete misconception. I'd argue they are even worse because of what happened to ocean fifty trimaran named "Lamotte" in the Transat Jacques Vabre earlier this year. The mast fell down (as rotating masts often do) and when it slammed down onto the deck it sheered the leeward float of the trimaran clean off. They were lucky in the fact they didn't sink. The shroud base is not a problem with rotating masts. If you read some of these stories of rotating masts falling on monohulls it is never the outriggers that are broken. As for the IMOCAs, their rigs are not strictly one design. Rather, there are several different mast designs that are allowed by the class. Most commonly used mast of these is the "rotating wing mast", made by a company called "Lorima". I don't know if I'm the only one who notices this, but the IMOCA rotating masts have lately been falling like pears from a tree. For example Holcim - PRB, a very competitive IMOCA boat launched with a brand new rotating mast in may of 2022. By the end of April of 2023 that mast was resting on the bottom of the south Atlantic ocean, about 20 miles off the coats of Brasil. The mast had a total life span of 11 months. By the way, the part of the rig that snapped that time was thoroughly checked mere weeks before the accident. Another story involves the boat that won the ocean race earlier this year. Formerly 11th hour racing, group Dubreuil imoca 60 lost it's rig 10 miles away from the finish line of the retour a la base race. This mast had a life span of just over two years. I could go on about this but It would be a really long comment. Some honorary mentions of rotating masts dying young include: Bureau Vallee in 2022 route du rhum, Groupe Apicil in a training session last November, Hugo Boss (Guyot environment) dismasting 4 times in 8 years, Luna Rossa AC75 dismasting during preparations for the 36th america's cup, Spirit of Hungary in the 2015 TJV, Macif imoca 60 dismasting in 2012, Spindrift 2 during a Jules Verne record attempt. On average a rotating mast has a lifespan of 2 years. I'm tired of reading articles of boats finishing the Vendée globe under jury rigs. Compare that to the Gentoo sailing project, an IMOCA 60 that has a classic fixed mast with spreaders and traditional shrouds. During it's 12 year lifespan, the boat dismasted once, and that was a freak accident. Most imocas with fixed masts have never dismasted. What good is a design that is slightly faster if it's going to break so often? The point I'm trying to get across is that if you want to Finnish a race first, you first have to Finnish. And you can't do that if your mast is at the bottom of the ocean. The rotating mast concept is a failure.
Thanks for another very clear explanation. P.S. Not sure if you've covered it yet, but the sails that fascinate me most we the current America's cup sails which are basically a morphing wing. They adjust for camber, thickness and angle, getting thicker and deeper after tacks, and thinner and flatter after the boat speeds back up, making most efficient use of the wind. They look almost biological/living in operation. I think Planet Sail had a video showing their operation through a tack. These are asymmetric, monolithic (not slotted) wings, compared to the earlier slotted, symmetric wings of yesteryear.
I'll look into that! It would definitely be cool to have asymmetric wings that could morph into the correct shape on each tack and for a given boat speed!!!
@@SailingTipsCa That's exactly what they do. I'd try to post the TH-cam link, but comments with links often get banned or shadow banned. The Planet Sail video was from Auckland with the North Sails sail designer. They revealed nothing about the internal working of the sail or rigging, but did show it operating (from the outside) in good detail. It's seriously like a living thing. If I had one, I'd probably computerize it with a neural network, for automated operation. (For cruising.) Edited my original comment above to say that the wings change angle, thickness and camber. They're thick when the low apparent wind out of a tack benefits, then thin out and flatten out and trim in (smaller angle of attack) when the boat speeds back up. Sort of going from a close reach to a close haul. Due to speeds from foiling, they're always going into the apparent wind, as we know.
I had a Hobie 14 back in the day and It had a rotating mast. I used to place quarters on the base of the mast so it would rotate easier while tacking/gybing.
@@dmitryshusterman9494 What kind of pivot mechanism is at the base of the mast? My F-82R has a ball and socket, but I know some boats have more of a cylinder and sleeve.
Yes my F-82R trimaran has a rotating mast with spreaders like that too where the diamond wires terminate back on the mast, stiffening it. On a traditional fixed mast boat the spreaders have two functions 1) stiffening the mast as you noted and 2) adding leverage to the shrouds to enable them to attach to a narrower base. On our boats the spreaders only carry out function 1) here and the boat itself is wide enough to handle 2, but the IMOCA isn’t wide enough, hence the “spreaders” on the boat too!
Very interesting. I was wondering, if you could choose any sailboat (cost aside) what would your dream boat be for a circumnavigation with you family? Thanks
If cost and practicality were no issue, I dream of the one-off trimaran Shockwave (ex Paradox) www.yachtworld.com/yacht/2010-marsaudon-composites-trimaran-7901826/ or a Rapido 60, but those are just the dreams of a multihull convert! For more practical boats, I previously owned a Catalina 42 which was a great production boat and I would not have hesitated to circumnavigate on that, or something slightly larger and purpose built for the job like a Van de Stadt Samoa. The 40-50 foot size range is nice because there are lots of solid boats in that range, they are big enough to perform well, but not too big to become unwieldy. Edit: All of that said, I would also recommend checking out my video “What’s the Best Sailing Yacht” th-cam.com/video/COr6l02vmU8/w-d-xo.html to help you figure out what’s best for you!
I don't have much experience sailing catamarans, but surprisingly I found that I could beat most of them on the water with my Catalina 42. Then I found this rating spreadsheet at racetrack.org.nz/XLS/boat_ratings.xlsx which attempts to consolidate global boat rating systems all in one place, and while you need to take such things with a grain of salt, the only production catamarans consistently faster than my Catalina 42 are the Dazcats, Gunboats, HHs, and Outremers. Most of them (e.g. Lagoons, Leopards, Seawinds) are considerably slower. So if you want a cruising catamaran that actually performs you need to be very discerning!!!
@@SailingTipsCa We chartered a Lagoon 45 in Puerto Rico back in 18/19 during Christmas. I was so looking forward to be able to sail a catamaran as I had the impression that they where much faster than monohulls. I was so disappointed. The boat was nice and big but moved rather slowly. I also found it a bit stressful not knowing when to reef. I didn’t get the same feel that I got from monohulls. So I totally dismissed them. But as winters are long and dark here in Norway I started watching a YT channel where a couple sailed a brand new Outremer 55 circumnavigating and they had consistently impressive speed. 9-18 knots with no problem and still with comfort and safety. So yes, I totally agree with you. Thank you for your reply.
There’s a Sig 45 catamaran for sale in your neck of the woods and apparently they go pretty well too. Not quite as much accommodation as the others but cruisable for shorter trips, and they will apparently consider a partnership! www.yachtworld.com/yacht/2009-le-breton-sig-45-7694147/
Confusion here with function of spreaders and outriggers. Outriggers are for sheeting angles for sails, as can be seen in this video 1:24 Spreaders rotate with mast to keep mast in column.
The outriggers on the IMOCAs have multiple functions: The primary function is to provide a wide enough shroud base for the rotating wing mast, and as you noted they are also conveniently situated for tweaking headsail sheeting angles. The shrouds on a “normal” monohull also have multiple functions: They increase the leverage of the shrouds to enable the use of taller masts on narrow boats and also keep the mast in column. Boats with rotating wing masts have to split these functions apart: They need a wider base for the shrouds (e.g. outriggers on IMOCAs and floats on multihulls) and typically use diamond wires that rotate with the mast to keep it in column. I personally wouldn’t have thought of calling the outriggers on IMOCAs “spreaders” until I saw it in Sam Davies video!
Tornado Cats also have a rotating mast that you can rotate mechanically to change sail shape while Hobies and other cats masts only rotate when following the sail.
Our F-82R also has “positive” rotation controls attached to a lever arm that are independent of the sail, both to induce and limit rotation, which is nice, but it’s also an extra step to remember to adjust it. Everything is a compromise in sailing!
Rotating mast on several boats I have sailed all had spreaders for the diamond stays. And the shrouds went from near the tip of the mast to the beam of the boat.
Not all boats with rotating masts have outriggers, but mostly smaller boats. Which boats did you sail with rotating masts with shrouds to the beam? The designers of the IMOCAs decided it was helpful to have outriggers for a wider base.
@@SailingTipsCa the wider base makes a lot of sense. Most of the ones I was on were under 50feet, and not nearly the same performance or as new as these boats. My favorite was actually just a little F22r, which is a trimaran so already very wide haha
@@tristankiddie1710 Yes multihulls are generally wide enough without the need for outriggers. The F22R would be a blast! I have an F82R and it’s lots of fun too!
@@SailingTipsCa I miss it. I currently have an old plywood A Class cat as my toy. Really need to sort the carbon rig for it tho, Ali mast is to soft to hold good sail shape now
I would like to know why multihulls are faster?? Great vid. The way wind affects both sides of a sail still baffles me. Same as an airplane wing. That's physics tho I think?? What is applied to the hull for speed?? Teflon?? Thx👍🇺🇸
Here’s a video that explains why multihulls can go faster: Why Are Trimarans So Fast?!?!? th-cam.com/video/GxdCcsAdOVM/w-d-xo.html I’m looking for a way to explain the wing thing. The hulls normally have.a highly polished bottom paint on them, not Teflon but can feel kind of like it!
The beach catamaran community has been doing this for better than 50 years. We have spreaders on our masts, they are with the diamond wires that keep the mast in column, we also have the wider platform that use a single shroud
@@SailingTipsCa you are right, and it is honestly interesting that they dont, its really the IMOCA's and AC75's. Its surprising more dont have them considering the benefits that are there
I alway thought they would outriggers because of the saved weight and also having the ability to use them as reaching-rods. I somehow never really thought about the rotating mast
They do also use them for trimming headsails for reaching, but primary purpose is to facilitate the rotating mast. The wider base also reduces compression loads on the mast and enables the use of a lighter mast.
Hadn't realized the mast rotated. Guess I never saw a close enough picture. The use of the 2 poles at the base of the mast has been around for a long time, though I cannot remember when. The foils on his boat also made a big difference in a speed comparison with Comanche.
@@SailingTipsCa Listening with headphones on, I was able to hear you fine. Actually, it was a really good choice of music, and it's a big reason I stuck around. (First video of yours I've watched, and those video shots combined with the music were mesmerising.) I can only speak for my own listening environment though, I could see how it could be frustrating in other ones.
I think "less then 10% faster" is a failure at basic arithmetic. Also rotation alone doesn''t explain the wide spreaders at the base on these racing boats since there are rotating masts with spreaders attached to the mast with the set of shrouds attached to the base of the mast(Gunboat 68, HH cats). This likely doesn't have anything to do with the rotation of the mast but with light-weighting and increasing the base of shroud attachment. Maybe, just maybe it has to with mast-fixed spreaders and shrouds interfering with the head sail at the extreme angles of rotation.
Yes you're right Comanche was slightly more than 10% faster than Hugo Boss but not by much. But now the IMOCAs are actually faster than Comanche but their foils are also contributing to that. On a traditional fixed mast boat the spreaders have two functions 1) stiffening the mast and 2) adding leverage to the shrouds to enable them to attach to a narrower base. On most multihulls the the spreaders on rotating wing masts only carry out function 1) via the diamond wires and the boat itself is wide enough to handle 2) but the IMOCA isn’t wide enough, hence the need for outriggers on the boat. Unlike multihulls with diamond wires the IMOCAS don't have any spreaders on the mast itself, and the outriggers also reduce the compression on the mast thus allowing them to use a lighter spar section.
The X99 has running backstays and checkstays which not only support the mast, but can actually bend the mast to shape the main sail. These are in addition to a “traditional” forestay, shrouds, and backstay, so lots going on there! Boats with rotating wing masts typically have a “tripod” rig with a forestay and two shrouds connected to a common point on the mast to enable it to rotate. The shrouds are outboard and aft of the mast base, so these boats don’t typically use a traditional backstay, which also enables them to fly huge flathead mainsails. They sometimes use running backstays and checkstays to support the mast as well, but a rotating mast typically doesn’t bend in the same way as the fixed mast on an X99.
@@SailingTipsCa Yes I understand... It reminds me of when I down wind sail wing on wing....! Is it a permanent wing on wing option..or is it just for stability of the sail an use every part of the sail to push wind in the direction your going ..? I hope I make sense... Not good at technical words
DEAR SAILING, I UNDERSTAND WATER DRAG. I WONDER IF IT WOULD BE BENIFICIAL TO ATTATCH SOME KIND OF VIBRATING MACHINE TO THE INSIDE OF THE HULL TO HELP TO SHAKE THE HULL FREE OF THE WATER WHEN TRYING TO ESCAPE AND FOIL??? TINY BITS OF AIR BEING ALLOWED UNDER THE BOW. OR TINY BITS OF WATER SHAKEN LOOSE FROM THE BOW AND HULL?? WHAT DO YOU THINK??? 🇺🇸 THX, PATRICIA
Interesting question! The concept of “air lubrication” for ships is a real thing however it seems to require a flat bottom, which not all sailboats have: www.marineinsight.com/green-shipping/how-air-lubrication-system-for-ships-work/
"because the mast rotates you cant use spreaders attached to the mast" Uh..... yea you can. The spreaders just have diamond wires that attach to the base of the mast and separate spreaders that go to a fitting on the front of the mast. Think most beach cats
On a traditional fixed mast boat the spreaders have two functions 1) stiffening the mast as you noted and 2) adding leverage to the shrouds to enable them to attach to a narrower base. On a beach cat the spreaders only carry out function 1) via the diamond wires and the boat itself is wide enough to handle 2, but the IMOCA isn’t wide enough, hence the “spreaders” on the boat too!
Seems like a boat would go faster if it wasn’t underwater half of the time. Why do these boats bury their bows so much?! Can’t they design more buoyancy up front to keep the bow from punching into every wave?
That might be a good topic for another video! The thinking is that wave-piercing bows cause the bow to pitch up and down less, and pitching slows it down more than having water on the deck.
@@ohnezuckerohnefett Yes many of them also have foiling capabilities, which even further reduces pitching, as long as the foils haven’t broken off, as was the case with Alex’s boat in this particular video.
the foils need to be in solid water to create stability. Wave in the ocean are much higher and wider than a 60’ or even 100’ boat going 30+ knots. The boats are design to cut through the water and shed it quickly. Others could provide more correct and precise explanation. Great video!!
The sound editor should be fired. The horrible sound (it's not music to everyone) obscures the narrator's comments. I had to slow it down to understand it. Most "music" on TH-cam is way too loud. Sound editors should not be promoting their music when the content has nothing to do with music.
Thanks for the feedback - you’re not the first to mention this and as a result I’ve stopped using background music on videos. For me it also greatly simplifies the production process and I also no longer have to deal with licensing/copyright issues.
@@SailingTipsCa Thank you very much. I watch the channel for sailing, I like to hear the sounds of the waves and rigging, etc. Even if there is no audio, I can imagine what it must be like. I think your explanation of the rig is very well done! Thanks for that.
I don't need this fancy expensive technology. In weather like that I go to sleep & the wife/partner takes her frustration & anger out on the yacht & weather. Ha Ha.
They certainly help in some conditions, but although you can’t see it in this video, Alex had already broken his starboard foil off and therefore completed most of the race with only one foil. He initially thought is race was over, but he still came in second despite only being able to foil on one tack, but not the other. The other interesting data point on foiling is that the Jules Verne Trophy for fastest circumnavigation is still held by IDEC Sport (trimaran) in its pre-foiling configuration, and despite the rising prominence of full foiling in the five years since the record still hasn’t been broken. There are reliability questions as well…
@@SailingTipsCa I have to admit that the Americas Cup cats are super fast when up on foils, but Alex Thomson would be fast on water wings. I guess if they have the right conditions they can almost fly.
@@philgray1023 Yes some skippers are fast regardless of what they are sailing! I recently did a video on foils to illustrate some of the physical and practical limitations: How Fast Can a Foiling Sailboat Actually Go?!?!? th-cam.com/video/SWGBgR_Np3E/w-d-xo.html
I want to hear the narration. I don't want to hear the annoying music. But the are mixed, so I stopped the video. Why are so many youtubers doing this ?
There’s somehow a prevailing notion that music makes videos better, so I think I felt “pressured” into using music and tried it on a few videos and you’re not the only person who has complained! I haven’t used music in my last four videos and they have performed well, so going forward I’m only going to use music when I’m not talking. Thanks for your feedback!
Excellent clear and comprehensive explanation, thanks
Thanks!!! It's sometimes hard to know how much detail to go into and I was a bit worried I had overdone it but glad it still made sense!!!
also a positive of rotating mast, it's much much easier to take reefs. For solo sailing it's a major advantage
Yes rotating wing masts are much easier to reef because you can align the mast with the wind without having to turn the boat head to wind. Thanks for pointing that out!!!
I had a friend with a 13 foot scowl that we sailed on an inland lake. It had a rotating mast. Now I understand more fully why it rotates.
However, that boat only had short side boards so we ended up in the water a lot.
Luckily it was unsinkable.
Sounds like lots of fun!!! I think rotating masts are cool and I'd like to do an upcoming video containing more details on the benefits and how they work!
Probably a 'Tasar' (successor to Laser-II) by Bruce Kirby. I sailed one too when was in my teens.
Well, that falls into the 'I never knew that' category.
Now you do know and can impress others at cocktail parties!
Good explanation, but the music was louder than the narration in some spots. Those of us with hearing problems have trouble understanding under these conditions.
Yes thanks for the feedback - I’ve since stopped using background music for this exact reason!!!
Great post my friend. So happy I found your channel. 🌞🌴⛵️
Thanks so much for the kind words!!!
I had a Hobi 16 with rotating mast, They are Pretty Darn Fast for Little things!
That’s a great learning platform - you must have had a blast!!!
I feel it should also be mentioned that the Hugo Boss (Guyot environment as it's known today) has dismasted four times since it was launched in 2015. Comanche is older and has never suffered a rig collapse of any kind. I think I'm going to stick to spreaders and traditional shrouds.
Yes there’s certainly a reliability factor! That said multihulls have been successfully using rotating wing masts for decades, but they are more natural platforms with wide “built in” shroud bases. I also understand the IMOCA masts are one-design to reduce costs, so possibly a bit underbuilt for the job, and teams can’t replace with a heavier section even if they wanted to.
@@SailingTipsCa reliability is a huge factor with rotating masts. The myth that rotating masts are better on multihulls because of a wider shroud base is a complete misconception. I'd argue they are even worse because of what happened to ocean fifty trimaran named "Lamotte" in the Transat Jacques Vabre earlier this year. The mast fell down (as rotating masts often do) and when it slammed down onto the deck it sheered the leeward float of the trimaran clean off. They were lucky in the fact they didn't sink. The shroud base is not a problem with rotating masts. If you read some of these stories of rotating masts falling on monohulls it is never the outriggers that are broken.
As for the IMOCAs, their rigs are not strictly one design. Rather, there are several different mast designs that are allowed by the class. Most commonly used mast of these is the "rotating wing mast", made by a company called "Lorima". I don't know if I'm the only one who notices this, but the IMOCA rotating masts have lately been falling like pears from a tree. For example Holcim - PRB, a very competitive IMOCA boat launched with a brand new rotating mast in may of 2022. By the end of April of 2023 that mast was resting on the bottom of the south Atlantic ocean, about 20 miles off the coats of Brasil. The mast had a total life span of 11 months. By the way, the part of the rig that snapped that time was thoroughly checked mere weeks before the accident.
Another story involves the boat that won the ocean race earlier this year. Formerly 11th hour racing, group Dubreuil imoca 60 lost it's rig 10 miles away from the finish line of the retour a la base race. This mast had a life span of just over two years.
I could go on about this but It would be a really long comment. Some honorary mentions of rotating masts dying young include: Bureau Vallee in 2022 route du rhum, Groupe Apicil in a training session last November, Hugo Boss (Guyot environment) dismasting 4 times in 8 years, Luna Rossa AC75 dismasting during preparations for the 36th america's cup, Spirit of Hungary in the 2015 TJV, Macif imoca 60 dismasting in 2012, Spindrift 2 during a Jules Verne record attempt. On average a rotating mast has a lifespan of 2 years. I'm tired of reading articles of boats finishing the Vendée globe under jury rigs.
Compare that to the Gentoo sailing project, an IMOCA 60 that has a classic fixed mast with spreaders and traditional shrouds. During it's 12 year lifespan, the boat dismasted once, and that was a freak accident. Most imocas with fixed masts have never dismasted.
What good is a design that is slightly faster if it's going to break so often? The point I'm trying to get across is that if you want to Finnish a race first, you first have to Finnish. And you can't do that if your mast is at the bottom of the ocean. The rotating mast concept is a failure.
Thanks for another very clear explanation.
P.S. Not sure if you've covered it yet, but the sails that fascinate me most we the current America's cup sails which are basically a morphing wing. They adjust for camber, thickness and angle, getting thicker and deeper after tacks, and thinner and flatter after the boat speeds back up, making most efficient use of the wind. They look almost biological/living in operation. I think Planet Sail had a video showing their operation through a tack.
These are asymmetric, monolithic (not slotted) wings, compared to the earlier slotted, symmetric wings of yesteryear.
I'll look into that! It would definitely be cool to have asymmetric wings that could morph into the correct shape on each tack and for a given boat speed!!!
@@SailingTipsCa That's exactly what they do. I'd try to post the TH-cam link, but comments with links often get banned or shadow banned.
The Planet Sail video was from Auckland with the North Sails sail designer. They revealed nothing about the internal working of the sail or rigging, but did show it operating (from the outside) in good detail. It's seriously like a living thing.
If I had one, I'd probably computerize it with a neural network, for automated operation. (For cruising.)
Edited my original comment above to say that the wings change angle, thickness and camber. They're thick when the low apparent wind out of a tack benefits, then thin out and flatten out and trim in (smaller angle of attack) when the boat speeds back up. Sort of going from a close reach to a close haul. Due to speeds from foiling, they're always going into the apparent wind, as we know.
I couldn't of guessed, great explanation, now I know.. Efficiencies.
Glad it made sense!!!
I had a Hobie 14 back in the day and It had a rotating mast. I used to place quarters on the base of the mast so it would rotate easier while tacking/gybing.
Interesting trick!!!
I used copper pennies in absence of Teflon buttons. Copper is an excellent lubricant. Quarters prbly have plenty of copper as well.
@@dmitryshusterman9494 What kind of pivot mechanism is at the base of the mast? My F-82R has a ball and socket, but I know some boats have more of a cylinder and sleeve.
@@SailingTipsCa all beachcats iv seen have ball and socket and use a Teflon button for lubrication
My Hobie has a rotating mast with spreaders. The wire makes a diamond shape on the mast, stiffening it.
Yes my F-82R trimaran has a rotating mast with spreaders like that too where the diamond wires terminate back on the mast, stiffening it. On a traditional fixed mast boat the spreaders have two functions 1) stiffening the mast as you noted and 2) adding leverage to the shrouds to enable them to attach to a narrower base. On our boats the spreaders only carry out function 1) here and the boat itself is wide enough to handle 2, but the IMOCA isn’t wide enough, hence the “spreaders” on the boat too!
Check out the Tasar designed by Bethwaite. It also features a rotating mast and gives you a surprisingly quick dinghy
Cool! Looks like the NS14 has one too! th-cam.com/video/5Q0ovCn1Yxs/w-d-xo.html
Very interesting. I was wondering, if you could choose any sailboat (cost aside) what would your dream boat be for a circumnavigation with you family? Thanks
If cost and practicality were no issue, I dream of the one-off trimaran Shockwave (ex Paradox) www.yachtworld.com/yacht/2010-marsaudon-composites-trimaran-7901826/ or a Rapido 60, but those are just the dreams of a multihull convert! For more practical boats, I previously owned a Catalina 42 which was a great production boat and I would not have hesitated to circumnavigate on that, or something slightly larger and purpose built for the job like a Van de Stadt Samoa. The 40-50 foot size range is nice because there are lots of solid boats in that range, they are big enough to perform well, but not too big to become unwieldy. Edit: All of that said, I would also recommend checking out my video “What’s the Best Sailing Yacht” th-cam.com/video/COr6l02vmU8/w-d-xo.html to help you figure out what’s best for you!
@@SailingTipsCa I’m a bit intrigued with the outremer 55, explocat 52, HH … out of my price range for now, but they seem fast, safe and comfortable.
I don't have much experience sailing catamarans, but surprisingly I found that I could beat most of them on the water with my Catalina 42. Then I found this rating spreadsheet at racetrack.org.nz/XLS/boat_ratings.xlsx which attempts to consolidate global boat rating systems all in one place, and while you need to take such things with a grain of salt, the only production catamarans consistently faster than my Catalina 42 are the Dazcats, Gunboats, HHs, and Outremers. Most of them (e.g. Lagoons, Leopards, Seawinds) are considerably slower. So if you want a cruising catamaran that actually performs you need to be very discerning!!!
@@SailingTipsCa We chartered a Lagoon 45 in Puerto Rico back in 18/19 during Christmas. I was so looking forward to be able to sail a catamaran as I had the impression that they where much faster than monohulls. I was so disappointed. The boat was nice and big but moved rather slowly. I also found it a bit stressful not knowing when to reef. I didn’t get the same feel that I got from monohulls. So I totally dismissed them. But as winters are long and dark here in Norway I started watching a YT channel where a couple sailed a brand new Outremer 55 circumnavigating and they had consistently impressive speed. 9-18 knots with no problem and still with comfort and safety. So yes, I totally agree with you. Thank you for your reply.
There’s a Sig 45 catamaran for sale in your neck of the woods and apparently they go pretty well too. Not quite as much accommodation as the others but cruisable for shorter trips, and they will apparently consider a partnership! www.yachtworld.com/yacht/2009-le-breton-sig-45-7694147/
Confusion here with function of spreaders and outriggers.
Outriggers are for sheeting angles for sails, as can be seen in this video 1:24
Spreaders rotate with mast to keep mast in column.
The outriggers on the IMOCAs have multiple functions: The primary function is to provide a wide enough shroud base for the rotating wing mast, and as you noted they are also conveniently situated for tweaking headsail sheeting angles. The shrouds on a “normal” monohull also have multiple functions: They increase the leverage of the shrouds to enable the use of taller masts on narrow boats and also keep the mast in column. Boats with rotating wing masts have to split these functions apart: They need a wider base for the shrouds (e.g. outriggers on IMOCAs and floats on multihulls) and typically use diamond wires that rotate with the mast to keep it in column. I personally wouldn’t have thought of calling the outriggers on IMOCAs “spreaders” until I saw it in Sam Davies video!
Tornado Cats also have a rotating mast that you can rotate mechanically to change sail shape while Hobies and other cats masts only rotate when following the sail.
Our F-82R also has “positive” rotation controls attached to a lever arm that are independent of the sail, both to induce and limit rotation, which is nice, but it’s also an extra step to remember to adjust it. Everything is a compromise in sailing!
Rotating mast on several boats I have sailed all had spreaders for the diamond stays. And the shrouds went from near the tip of the mast to the beam of the boat.
Not all boats with rotating masts have outriggers, but mostly smaller boats. Which boats did you sail with rotating masts with shrouds to the beam? The designers of the IMOCAs decided it was helpful to have outriggers for a wider base.
@@SailingTipsCa the wider base makes a lot of sense. Most of the ones I was on were under 50feet, and not nearly the same performance or as new as these boats. My favorite was actually just a little F22r, which is a trimaran so already very wide haha
@@tristankiddie1710 Yes multihulls are generally wide enough without the need for outriggers. The F22R would be a blast! I have an F82R and it’s lots of fun too!
@@SailingTipsCa I miss it. I currently have an old plywood A Class cat as my toy. Really need to sort the carbon rig for it tho, Ali mast is to soft to hold good sail shape now
I would like to know why multihulls are faster?? Great vid. The way wind affects both sides of a sail still baffles me. Same as an airplane wing. That's physics tho I think?? What is applied to the hull for speed?? Teflon?? Thx👍🇺🇸
Here’s a video that explains why multihulls can go faster: Why Are Trimarans So Fast?!?!? th-cam.com/video/GxdCcsAdOVM/w-d-xo.html I’m looking for a way to explain the wing thing. The hulls normally have.a highly polished bottom paint on them, not Teflon but can feel kind of like it!
I just learned a lot in 3 minutes.
Cool - the video worked!!! Thanks for watching!
@@SailingTipsCa well it was short and concise and good footage. That’s less common these days.
Good
Glad you liked it!
The beach catamaran community has been doing this for better than 50 years. We have spreaders on our masts, they are with the diamond wires that keep the mast in column, we also have the wider platform that use a single shroud
Yes rotating masts are very common in the multihull world, but not too many monohulls that have them!
@@SailingTipsCa you are right, and it is honestly interesting that they dont, its really the IMOCA's and AC75's. Its surprising more dont have them considering the benefits that are there
@@squid0013 I agree! I have one on my F-82R trimaran and love the forward drive and reduced heeling moment that it provides.
Cool vids, subbed instantly!🙂
Awesome - glad you like them!!!
I alway thought they would outriggers because of the saved weight and also having the ability to use them as reaching-rods. I somehow never really thought about the rotating mast
They do also use them for trimming headsails for reaching, but primary purpose is to facilitate the rotating mast. The wider base also reduces compression loads on the mast and enables the use of a lighter mast.
@@SailingTipsCa Ah ok makes sense. Great Video by the way!
@@okkewarner Thanks - glad you liked it!
Fascinating.
I have a rotating wing mast on my multihull and it’s crazy how it accelerates when you get the mast rotation and sail trim just right!
Hadn't realized the mast rotated. Guess I never saw a close enough picture. The use of the 2 poles at the base of the mast has been around for a long time, though I cannot remember when. The foils on his boat also made a big difference in a speed comparison with Comanche.
Most people don’t realize the IMOCA masts rotate! I think Comanche is still slightly faster, but not compared to how much longer it is!
Do the outriggers also allow for better sheeting angles for the foresails?
Yes they do, although I don’t think that was allowed on earlier iterations, but now it is.
Interesting topic and good explanation.
Unfortunately the supposed background music is so much in the foreground, that I only watched half of it.
Sorry - it's hard to get the volume right! Because of that I haven't put background music in more recent videos. Curious what others think!
@@SailingTipsCa Listening with headphones on, I was able to hear you fine. Actually, it was a really good choice of music, and it's a big reason I stuck around. (First video of yours I've watched, and those video shots combined with the music were mesmerising.) I can only speak for my own listening environment though, I could see how it could be frustrating in other ones.
@@OsthatoAlfakyn Thanks for your feedback! I may try music slightly lower volume.
I think "less then 10% faster" is a failure at basic arithmetic. Also rotation alone doesn''t explain the wide spreaders at the base on these racing boats since there are rotating masts with spreaders attached to the mast with the set of shrouds attached to the base of the mast(Gunboat 68, HH cats). This likely doesn't have anything to do with the rotation of the mast but with light-weighting and increasing the base of shroud attachment. Maybe, just maybe it has to with mast-fixed spreaders and shrouds interfering with the head sail at the extreme angles of rotation.
Yes you're right Comanche was slightly more than 10% faster than Hugo Boss but not by much. But now the IMOCAs are actually faster than Comanche but their foils are also contributing to that.
On a traditional fixed mast boat the spreaders have two functions 1) stiffening the mast and 2) adding leverage to the shrouds to enable them to attach to a narrower base. On most multihulls the the spreaders on rotating wing masts only carry out function 1) via the diamond wires and the boat itself is wide enough to handle 2) but the IMOCA isn’t wide enough, hence the need for outriggers on the boat. Unlike multihulls with diamond wires the IMOCAS don't have any spreaders on the mast itself, and the outriggers also reduce the compression on the mast thus allowing them to use a lighter spar section.
I've tried to explain to 'lubbers' for years, that sails are, at least in principle, wings in a vertical configuration.
And so much more efficient than those "parachutes" the old square-rigged boats used!
@@SailingTipsCa Well, they didn't have airplanes in those days!
@@g.stephens263 No I don’t think they had quite figured out how bird wings generate lift yet!
It appears that Alex is not tethered to the boat. Yes, he's got a harness on but I fail to see the life line.
I know - he’s not really setting a good example from a safety perspective!!!
Thanks, that was very interesting, you got a new sub
Awesome - thanks so much!!!
Love these back strike like the x79 or x99 Yachts. You have to keep them close on the luv side, for stabilisation of the mast.
The X99 has running backstays and checkstays which not only support the mast, but can actually bend the mast to shape the main sail. These are in addition to a “traditional” forestay, shrouds, and backstay, so lots going on there! Boats with rotating wing masts typically have a “tripod” rig with a forestay and two shrouds connected to a common point on the mast to enable it to rotate. The shrouds are outboard and aft of the mast base, so these boats don’t typically use a traditional backstay, which also enables them to fly huge flathead mainsails. They sometimes use running backstays and checkstays to support the mast as well, but a rotating mast typically doesn’t bend in the same way as the fixed mast on an X99.
great vid
Thanks - glad you liked it!
So it's a permanent wing on Wing setup to bring your make the best of your sales to use the whole surface to move the boat
Exactly - the mast is a permanent part of the sail!
@@SailingTipsCa Yes I understand... It reminds me of when I down wind sail wing on wing....! Is it a permanent wing on wing option..or is it just for stability of the sail an use every part of the sail to push wind in the direction your going ..? I hope I make sense... Not good at technical words
DEAR SAILING, I UNDERSTAND WATER DRAG. I WONDER IF IT WOULD BE BENIFICIAL TO ATTATCH SOME KIND OF VIBRATING MACHINE TO THE INSIDE OF THE HULL TO HELP TO SHAKE THE HULL FREE OF THE WATER WHEN TRYING TO ESCAPE AND FOIL??? TINY BITS OF AIR BEING ALLOWED UNDER THE BOW. OR TINY BITS OF WATER SHAKEN LOOSE FROM THE BOW AND HULL?? WHAT DO YOU THINK??? 🇺🇸 THX, PATRICIA
Interesting question! The concept of “air lubrication” for ships is a real thing however it seems to require a flat bottom, which not all sailboats have: www.marineinsight.com/green-shipping/how-air-lubrication-system-for-ships-work/
@@SailingTipsCa Dear Sailing.
MY GOSH, I READ THE REFRENCE YOU GAVE ME!! BUBBLES. IS. A. THING!!!
I WASNT FAR OFF!! THANKS😃👍🇺🇸
"because the mast rotates you cant use spreaders attached to the mast" Uh..... yea you can. The spreaders just have diamond wires that attach to the base of the mast and separate spreaders that go to a fitting on the front of the mast. Think most beach cats
On a traditional fixed mast boat the spreaders have two functions 1) stiffening the mast as you noted and 2) adding leverage to the shrouds to enable them to attach to a narrower base. On a beach cat the spreaders only carry out function 1) via the diamond wires and the boat itself is wide enough to handle 2, but the IMOCA isn’t wide enough, hence the “spreaders” on the boat too!
Seems like a boat would go faster if it wasn’t underwater half of the time. Why do these boats bury their bows so much?! Can’t they design more buoyancy up front to keep the bow from punching into every wave?
That might be a good topic for another video! The thinking is that wave-piercing bows cause the bow to pitch up and down less, and pitching slows it down more than having water on the deck.
they fly now, you know?
@@ohnezuckerohnefett Yes many of them also have foiling capabilities, which even further reduces pitching, as long as the foils haven’t broken off, as was the case with Alex’s boat in this particular video.
the foils need to be in solid water to create stability. Wave in the ocean are much higher and wider than a 60’ or even 100’ boat going 30+ knots. The boats are design to cut through the water and shed it quickly. Others could provide more correct and precise explanation. Great video!!
@@superior451 Yes and that’s why lots of ocean-going race boats have a combination of partial-lifting foils and water-shedding bows!
great explanation ,, but sailing that thing does not look like a bundle of joy .
Not much in the way of creature comforts!!!
Interesting video but overpowered by ridiculously loud musak
You're not the only person to mention that so I haven't used music in subsequent videos!
...and when you dig the outrigger into the water...
I'm sure it has happened once or twice!
Why is he not wearing a lifeline??
That’s a great question! He’s not really setting a good example…
The sound editor should be fired. The horrible sound (it's not music to everyone) obscures the narrator's comments. I had to slow it down to understand it. Most "music" on TH-cam is way too loud. Sound editors should not be promoting their music when the content has nothing to do with music.
Thanks for the feedback - you’re not the first to mention this and as a result I’ve stopped using background music on videos. For me it also greatly simplifies the production process and I also no longer have to deal with licensing/copyright issues.
@@SailingTipsCa Thank you very much. I watch the channel for sailing, I like to hear the sounds of the waves and rigging, etc. Even if there is no audio, I can imagine what it must be like. I think your explanation of the rig is very well done! Thanks for that.
I don't need this fancy expensive technology. In weather like that I go to sleep & the wife/partner takes her frustration & anger out on the yacht & weather. Ha Ha.
LOL that’s a great approach!!!
Music is way too loud
I agree it’s distracting - haven’t used music in any subsequent videos!
Do the foils make a difference?
They certainly help in some conditions, but although you can’t see it in this video, Alex had already broken his starboard foil off and therefore completed most of the race with only one foil. He initially thought is race was over, but he still came in second despite only being able to foil on one tack, but not the other. The other interesting data point on foiling is that the Jules Verne Trophy for fastest circumnavigation is still held by IDEC Sport (trimaran) in its pre-foiling configuration, and despite the rising prominence of full foiling in the five years since the record still hasn’t been broken. There are reliability questions as well…
@@SailingTipsCa I have to admit that the Americas Cup cats are super fast when up on foils, but Alex Thomson would be fast on water wings. I guess if they have the right conditions they can almost fly.
@@philgray1023 Yes some skippers are fast regardless of what they are sailing! I recently did a video on foils to illustrate some of the physical and practical limitations: How Fast Can a Foiling Sailboat Actually Go?!?!?
th-cam.com/video/SWGBgR_Np3E/w-d-xo.html
After watching this video I just got smarter
That’s better than the alternative!
Wake up people....outriggers are at least 20 years old....
Still most people don't know what they're for hence the video!
I want to hear the narration.
I don't want to hear the annoying music.
But the are mixed, so I stopped the video.
Why are so many youtubers doing this ?
There’s somehow a prevailing notion that music makes videos better, so I think I felt “pressured” into using music and tried it on a few videos and you’re not the only person who has complained! I haven’t used music in my last four videos and they have performed well, so going forward I’m only going to use music when I’m not talking. Thanks for your feedback!
Distracting music
Thanks for your feedback! I haven’t used music in subsequent videos and I think I’ll keep it that way, unless I’m not talking!
Rubbish! That's not how that works.
Which part?
Terrific video, but couldn’t hear a damn thing with that music in the background.
I haven’t used music in any subsequent reasons for that exact reason!!!
Nice video but this music is very distracting!
Thanks for the feedback - you’re not the first to say that! I haven’t used music in subsequent videos for this reason!