Beneteau 40 & 43
O43: Good tracking on starboard side - poor on port side
Hello everybody,
I'm an owner of a Oceanis 43 since 2018. I'm really happy with the boat - except with the following situation:
Tracking on the port side is, let's say: poor. Even in ideal wind conditions (12-16 kn wind) the speed is only 5 to 5.5 knots. If there are some waves, you have the feeling, that the boat has not enough power to push through.
On the starboard side, everything is fine: The speed is 1 to 1.5 knots higher, even at higher tracking angles.
I have this phenomenon since sailing the boat in literally every wind and wave condition. This year I got new sails, which didn't make a difference. I checked it the rigg is proper trimmed - there is nothing to complain.
Is this a common characteristic of the Oceanis 43? Maybe due to fact that the motor, skeg and propeller are not in the centerline, but shifted towards the port side?
I'm happy to hear about your experience.
Jochen
Jochen Vetterlein
Hello Mike,
Thank you for your rapid reply!
I'm happy to hear that obviously not all Oceanis 43 have this strange behavior of unequal tracking performance starboard/port. The behavior on my boat is not only slightly. It is visible on the log as well as on the GPS - always. Standing at the helm you think that you are sailing two different boats. You don't need so watch any instruments to notice that.
So, it is to find out the difference between your and mine Oceanis 43. Some ideas:
* Did your boat had a shaft drive? (There are a very few Oceanis 43 featuring a sail drive)
* My boat heels in the harbor slightly to port (about 2 degrees). Was your Oceanis swimming upright?
Best greetings
Jochen
Sep 27, 2021
Jochen Vetterlein
It is only when sailing close-hauled. Unfortunately, this is the only course, where performance really matters.
I‘m going to perform two tests:
- Sailing with genoa only (track cars on the same position). In this case any (unequal) trim of the mast won’t influence the speed.
- In a few weeks the boat will be lifted out of the water. I will measure the position of the keel to check if there is anything unbalanced.
Any other proposals or experience concerning the unbalanced performance starboard/port of a O43 are welcome.
Jochen
Sep 27, 2021
Jochen Vetterlein
In the meanwhile, I performed some sailing tests trying to be as impartial as possible.
I was sailing close hauled on the starboard and port side. I used the autopilot steering the boat at 37 degrees to the apparent wind. Apparent wind was 12 to 19 knots with almost no waves.
During sailing I monitored wind speed and boat speed acc. log and acc. GPS.
Before sailing I checked that the mast is exactly upright.
I sailed with genoa only and with genoa + main.
My Results:
When sailing with genoa only, the boat was approximately 1.0 kn faster on the starboard side (6kn vs. 7kn).
When sailing with genoa + main there was little difference (7kn vs. 7kn).
From my understanding, the reason for the different boat speed can be caused either by an unsymetric rig or by a unsymetric underwater hull. If an unsymetric rigg would be the reason, I would expect that there is little effect when sailing with genoa alone. But the test results show the opposite.
The only item of an unsymetric underwater hull is the propeller and skeg that are off-centered. But this should have an effect on all Oceanis 43.
There is one more item: In the harbor my boat is not swimming upright, but is heeling 2 degrees to port. But it is hard for me to imagine that this has such a great impact on the performance.
So - I still do not understand what really happens…
Oct 9, 2021