Thanks to all on this subject. After more thought, I am a bit suspect on the knotstick. If (in theory) my P-19 should max out somewhere around 5.5-5.9 knots due to "hull speed" I would expect the knotstick to either bounce around this speed due to wave influence, or stay constant in the range indicated. I would expect it to measure my speed through the water to be measured correctly (which would read faster than over land), which unless I was planing consistently, would be gated by my hull speed through the water. I frequently had it off the 6 knot chart, which either indicates planing, or the knotstick read incorrectly. Anyone care to comment on this? I was about 55-60 degrees off the wind the whole way--will the P-19 plane in such a tack? Am I not understanding "hull speed" correctly?
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: J.J.Falkanger <gatorjj@mindspring.com>
> To: wwpotter@tscnet.com <wwpotter@tscnet.com>
> Date: Monday, July 19, 1999 12:05 PM
> Subject: Speed
>
>
> >- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
> > West Wight Potter Website at URL
> > http://www.lesbois.com/wwpotter/
> >- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
> >I know there's been a lot of discussion on the speed of Potters, and
> measuring speed, etc. Wanted to throw in my 2 cents from this past
> weekend's trip.
> >
> >I used both a knotstick and a GPS, and had a fixed distance I covered. The
> distance between Cape Lookout and Beaufort Inlet is about 6.5 nm, which I
> covered in about an hour and a half (I know, real scientific so far!). In
> rough terms, I averaged about 4 knots. During this run, the knotstick
> (which claims to be accurate to .1 or .2 knots) almost never read below 5
> knots, and sometimes came off the scale (past 6 knots), while the GPS would
> read in the 4-5 knot range.
> >
> >I would have expected one of 2 things--either the GPS was slow and I would
> eventually see 6 or 7 knots on it as compensation (as eventually, if I'm
> doing 5.5 knots the GPS would error the other way), or the knotstick would
> bounce up and down due to waves, between 4 and 7 knots). Neither happened.
> I suspect the reasoning behind all this is we were sideways to the waves,
> and keeping a reasonably steady course, we went sort of straight at about
> 4.5 knots, but also back and forth in tiny increments about a knot? Does
> this make sense?
> >
> >
> >J.J. Falkanger
> >Cary, NC
> >P-19# 792 "Fozzguppy"
> >**************************************************************************
> >Increase your income using Covered Calls. Search for the best returns.
> >Free trial at http:www.poweropt.com/etm
> >**************************************************************************
> >
> >It's time for E*TRADE (SM)
> >Get your free @etrademail.com address at http://www.etrade.com
> >
J.J. Falkanger
Cary, NC
P-19# 792 "Fozzguppy"
Boat Pictures at http://members2.clubphoto.com/jj119874/
**************************************************************************
Increase your income using Covered Calls. Search for the best returns.
Free trial at http:www.poweropt.com/etm
**************************************************************************
It's time for E*TRADE (SM)
Get your free @etrademail.com address at http://www.etrade.com