Sunfish's favored tack

[Stache]

Ok, been out a half dozen times and I have noticed that my Sunfish much prefers sailing on a port tack. Yes, I have the boom on the port side of the mast. So why is it that the boat goes faster on the port tack?? This afternoon I played with different points but she just seemed faster with the wind on her port side.

 

[beldar boathead]

The only way to tell if a Sunfish is faster on port than starboard would be to either measure via GPS, or rig one with the sail on the wrong side of the mast and see if the one with the boat on the right side beats the one with the boat on the wrong side. Given the boat has more power on starboard, I would be surprised if it is somehow faster with less power on port. Perhaps you were in some sort of wave situation that made it feel faster on port, or maybe you are just more comfortable sailing on port.

 

[Stache]

Thanks beldar,
From all my reading and from just looking at the rig it would seam logical that she be faster on a starboard tack.
Mascoma Lake normally has a pretty steady and straight North wind. Tacks to NE and NW about equal and wave action the same. I was wondering if the mast might act like battens in the sail creating an effect like a jib & main.

 

[minifish2]

Judging by the screen shot, you certainly are not making the headway on starboard that one would normally expect. I don't know about the speed but the pointing angles would make me want to see your setup. Can you take some pics, or better yet have someone take some of you next time you are out?

What you really need is a sailing buddy, ideally a good Sunfish sailor, to sail with for a bit.

A few questions to get started: approx what was the wind speed? how high was your lower spar off the deck (eg 3 inches, 5 inches, etc)? what is your gooseneck setting (eg 15 inches back, etc)? are you using a mainsheet block? where do you sit in the boat, realistically speaking? On starboard, is your right calf flush against the front of the cockpit? Does the tiller ever touch your left thigh?

The best thing you can do is find some sailor(s) to 'race' against upwind. It will really help your upwind progress. Once you get your pointing sorted out you can re-look at the speed question.

 

[Stache]

#1. my interest is soley for recreational sailing. Just messing about in a boat. Performance is not my main concern.
#2. after doing some reading of the Sunfish Bible I have made markings on the boom and Spar and am playing with different "settings". Rigging the boom high for visibility and safety in coming about.
The original question was because I noticed a difference that was the opposite of what I expected.

 

[beldar boathead]

Assuming you want to be able to go upwind and get where you are going in decent time, you should make at least one adjustment to the boat. If you want to keep the sail that high, that is fine, although it limits controllability and performance, especially in higher winds. But the one thing you should do is move the gooseneck back to probably 20 inches or so from the tack. The way you have it set up now, there is way too much sail behind the mast. It means you will have significant weather helm (too much pull on the tiller) when going upwind. Adding a ratchet block right behind the centerboard would also add controllability, but many Sunfish have spent their whole lives without one (although the factory started providing them on all Sunfish, racing or recreational, a number of years back. ) bb

 

[Stache]

Thank you. I have been playing around and adjusting and honestly yesterday afternoon there was such light wind I really wasn't paying as close attention as I should have been to placement.
Note the black lines on the boom. These are at the recommended placements.
Note the yellow tape on the Spar, also at the center of the recommended place for the halyard.

Also, someone placed a jam cleat on the top aft end of the dagger board. Mainsheet runs through the "hook" on the front of the cockpit and then I "lock" it in the jam cleat .