Weight VS Ballast
Magico1@aol.com
Thu, 17 Jun 1999 01:57:24 EDT
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West Wight Potter Website at URL
http://www.lesbois.com/wwpotter/
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Hi Gang, I have been reading all the posts about adding ballast on
Potters. I started sailing potters 25 years ago and used the words of Stanley
Smith and Herb Stewart as a guide. I didn't buy a potter because it was a
fast boat, but I didn't want a slow boat either. The Potters are cute, funky
little boats with wierd lines that can't possibly sail well. So it gives me a
lot of pleasure when I can dust off a boat over twice my length. You have to
keep these boats light to make them sail well, so I don't recommend adding
ballast in the bilge. But, I do advise adding 15+ pounds of lead in the
bottom of the forepeak. This is used to get her down on her sailing lines.
The bow has to be low to keep the bow wave from trying to curl under the
boat. And her stern has to be high to get a clean break. When the stern is
low , as the boat moves through the water she digs a hole,as water rushes in
to fill the hole the boat is pulled back. Other than a MK 2 mainsail and 15
pounds of lead, my small potter is stock. On the big Potters it is important
to get the stern out of the water as well. But they make a much nicer bow
wave than the P.15. The old HMS 18's are much heavier than the new ones, so
downwind the new Potters have an edge. The bottom line is, keep em light, but
have them balanced.
Jerry Barrilleaux P.14 # 564 Breezy & HMS 18 # 48
Sunshine