Jish Posted February 22, 2022 Report Share Posted February 22, 2022 Having now sailed both a Maricat & Windrush I have to say the Windy feels a lot more forgiving downwind in a fresh breeze. Mind you both were 80's GRP hulls with original colored sails. I lost track of the number of times I pitchpoled the Mari, even with mast raked far back. Pushing the Windy downwind I've come close once but even with delayed mainsheet easing the stern came back down (sloop 2 up). Seems the Windy can be pushed harder downwind because of this. I'd love to see them raced against each other. No doubt a Windy vs Mari race has happened in the past. Some footage here of the Mari off wind in a fresh breeze here: And pitchpoling 2 up here: Vs the Windrush 2 up off wind here: Some good footage from the recent Windy states on FB here: https://www.facebook.com/100014023759223/videos/3169188973327399/ I'd love to see some onboard footage of the Windy superloop in a fresh breeze. Happy Sailing Jish Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prince Planet Posted February 22, 2022 Report Share Posted February 22, 2022 Hi Jish, It's generally accepted the Windy is more forgiving - and can be pushed harder off-wind than either the Maricat 4.3 or Hobie 14. You just have to visually compare hull volume ahead of the main crossbeam to see the difference. The Maricat is essentially a 'better' Hobie 14 - whereas the Windrush designers departed from the more pronounced 'banana' shaped hulls of the other 2 - especially forward of the halfway point on the hulls... This means a Windy is a little slower in light to moderate conditions - everything else being equal, and/or the skipper has to work a lot harder to reduce wetted area - in order to pace it with the slimmer-hulled Hobie 14 or Maricat 4.3. At least that's been my experience over many years when competing against them... Having said that, once you get into the top skippers on either boat - they clearly know what to do - and WHEN to do it - to prevent either boat from pitch-poling... at least in anything but extreme / survival conditions... I noticed you were sailing 2-up - and that extra crew weight near the side-stay would definitely encourage either boat to nosedive... but if you did it on the Windy you're more likely to be able to recover instead of going for a swim… Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jish Posted February 24, 2022 Author Report Share Posted February 24, 2022 The Windy did seem a bit slower in the lighter stuff. Me & crew are slowly learning the importance of keeping weight far back on a reach. Very interesting the difference in boat characteristics, upwind/downwind etc. Often a compromise. Even my A class does great upwind but seems a little slow downwind, no doubt large part due to my beginner skills & the sleek bows that cut through water making it seem slow compared to the older designs that blast through sending water spray flying. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prince Planet Posted February 24, 2022 Report Share Posted February 24, 2022 You need to keep the bows LEVEL on any point of sail - and upwind just skimming the top of the water... so weight forward upwind and weight towards the stern offwind... and constantly trimming to maintain that attitude… And. if a boat is 'spraying' water everywhere - IMHO that's a sign of inefficient design - at least in catamaran design... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jish Posted February 28, 2022 Author Report Share Posted February 28, 2022 Good advice, cheers. Inefficient but thrilling, bit like a biplane vs a jet I guess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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