Pointing Ability

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Anonymous (not verified)
Pointing Ability
Good Day, I am interested to know how close the Wharrams point to windward or how many degrees are covered in a windward tack.
Anonymous (not verified)
Re: Pointing Ability
The Wharram's ability to point is dependent on many factors. Boat model, rig type, sail quality, water conditions, boat weight, bottom condition. When our Tiki 30 has a clean bottom and we ar in relatively flat water with 10-12 knots of breeze we can tack through about 95 degrees. If the water gets lumpy or boisterous our performance will deteriorate. The boat is light and does not like to get carry well through wind waves. If you are sailing to weather and you try and sail to high,pinch, the boat speed will drop off dramatically and you will also start to slip sideways a lot. You have to keep the bus moving. At best a Wharram will not point as well as a fin keel mono hull. It will generally keep up with a full keel heavy cruiser to weather if not go faster. A boat with dagger boards will usually sail better to windward but there are trade offs involved. And there aren't many boats that will sail as well to windward in 28" of water. And the Wharram's ability to sail as well to weather in 28" of water goes along with not breaking anything if you hit bottom while going full speed. Most boats with daggerboards will advertise that the draft is 12-18" with the boards up. This also means with the rudders and motors up as well and so it really means they will float, not sail, in that much water. They won't sail or motor well in 30" of water. Everything about boats is a compromise of some sort. The Wharrams do their thing very well.
Anonymous (not verified)
Re: Pointing Ability
I cruised on a pahi 26 fulltime for ten years across the pacific and around se asia. This was 15- 25 years ago and back then it was easy to compare sailing ability when near harbors where other boats were sailing. The pahi 26 out sailed just about everything it met when beating. I would sight along a crossbeam and that was the course on the next tack, through 90 degrees. There was maybe 5 degrees leeway, unnoticable except by sighting along the wake. Most wharrams have had extra accomodation added by raising the decks and adding houses or fixed awnings on the platform with susequent lowering of bridgedeck clearance and increasing windage, often with raising the mainsail higher off sea level as well. These changes obviously reduce pointing ability. Maybe it isn't obvious since people say they don't think it matters.(?) The drive force in sailing is delicate compared to motoring so windage is critical. Unfortunately it is impossible to make this kind of comparison with my current Child of the Sea because I can't find but two or three other boats without engines running, over the last four years of sailing california, central america south pacific and micronesia. In general unmodified wharrams point far far better than deckhouse catamarans.