Is 7 knots fast with 370lbs in three to four foot seas??

[riverratrealtor]

My stepson and I took our new (used) Sunfish out on Lake Huron today in moderate winds looking for waves and after a while, we found some BIG waves and big wind as well. We had my GPS on board and while we were heeling I would get us on the wind as hard as I could and my God, we were flying! We are new to this, so I'm not really sure if this is fast, but the GPS showed me 8.4 miles per hour at our fastest. We had an absolute blast out there! Almost flipped it on a tack when a rogue wave caught us but we both (by chance) dove on the windward rail and she sat down for us before the sail got wet. Nick had never sailed before and the usually nervous and aprehensive kid was blown away. He is a sailor now. He loved it. As did his brother Chad, who had sailed with me yesterday. I will admit that after having previously sailed only on a 38.5 Benneteau (crewing as a grinder) today's experience was quite a thrill for me too!

I was curious though, how fast can we make this thing go? How much can the tiller handle take before it snaps? Is there anything we can do to the hull to make it move faster?

Also, I was concerned about the pulleys blowing apart or the "footman cleats" ripping out of the deck. Can I make the boat/fittings stronger? If we were to have an equipment failure out where we were (300' of water and no shelter) I would be concerned. We made several people with boats keenly aware of our plans however and I was not foolish enough not to have signaling equipment, some tools and extra lines on board.

Anyhow.. What can I expect from this boat? We want to FLY! But we often have heavy seas with the good winds.

Any input/safety suggestions would be GREATLY appreciated. My kids and I are addicts now. Junkies if you will. We need more!

Thanks!

Justin (riverratrealtor)
Black River, MI

[email protected]

 

[blueberry]

Equipment failure is always possible. Best way to prevent them is good maintenance. If it happens in heavy winds and prevent you to sail, you'll have to be towed. Fortunately, the sail can be easily lowered down. Always leave a good rope at the bow.

 

[LAuman]

I’m pretty new to the Sunfish, too, but I’m a little surprised that no-one’s replied to your post. . . So I’m going to make a few comments despite inexperience. I’d be interested whether other folks agree or not.
In my opinion, 370 lbs. is too heavy for the ‘fish. It would be very hard on the gear, especially in a strong wind, and would make it very difficult to plane (skim, get a high ratio of boatspeed to windspeed). From a safety standpoint, there would be a lot of strain on the rudder, tiller, blocks, spars, etc. Gear failure might be a little scary in deep, cold water.
The S’fish is not the quickest-planing of boats, but with a good drive:drag ratio, it will plane, and I’d guess it would do 10 or 12 mph in a 15-20 mph wind on the close reach and maybe a bit faster on the beam reach. In a planing mode, there would be somewhat less strain on the gear. Again, however, I would guess that it would take a lot of force to get 370 lbs. up onto a plane. You can perhaps tell by whether the hull is making a second wave parallel to the transom or dragging one at the stern vs. “skimming” with one big bow wave and a flat wake. It actually is a little bit like FLYing, because, in flat enough water, you’ll feel the boat transition up onto the plane.
It IS fun , but I wouldn’t go far offshore in windy conditions with so much stress on the boat.