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March 2002
PHRF Racing: Get a Better Rating!
Top placing boats, almost always, are better prepared to
race and optimized for performance. Performace and practice
makes doing well
easier by getting your boat’s speed potential equal to
the handicap rating. The premise of PHRF rating criteria is
that a well crewed, well equipped and well raced boat has an
equal chance to place in the money. And preparation of your
boat plays a major part in your success and
enjoyment.
As you prepare for this season of racing, it’s a good
idea to keep in mind upgrading your boat as you maintain her.
Many of the following suggestions were set forth by, former
PHRF Board member, Bruce Cooper.
RIG: Mast tune determines how your sails perform. Check
that your rig is straight at the dock and again while sailing.
Ask your sailmaker or rigger to check if your mast is tuned,
i.e., if your rig has enough prebend and rake, if it is centered,
and if it has proper tension. A tuned rig will help your upwind
speed and pointing considerably!
Put your rig on a diet and focus on removing weight aloft.
This greatly helps your boat's righting and pitching moment;
it means less heeling and more speed! Use Vectran or Technora
halyards. You can eliminate bloodstains on your sails and foredeck
because there will be no meat hooks! New Vectran line with a
polypropylene cover is light, strong and doesn’t absorb
moisture. If you have older “double channel” sheaves
intended for use with wire, you can lighten your load without
replacing the sheaves. Splice on a foot & a half of wire
and swedge the shackle on! Here are a few more ideas:
* Newer ropes are strong enough to lift your boat! Don’t
try this without a safety net. Now, high load capable, nearly
zero stretch rope permit downsizing many of your lines.
* Have your sailmaker supply two feet of luff tape with
cringles for halyard & downhaul to clean headfoil grooves
for faster hoists. Spray with McLube or Boshield.
* For fast and consistent trimming of the genoa, put 1"
tape on the spreaders at 3", 6" and 12" to give
your trimmers an easy-to-use reference.
* Mark your halyards for maximum hoist to add consistency
to trimming your sails. Halyard tension is a big part of sail
shape and speed.
* Make sure your sails, shrouds and backstay have ribbon
or yarn telltales and your masthead Windex is aligned.
* Your spinnaker pole and spinnaker pole track should be
in good working condition If not, you’ll be losing valuable
time at every jibe and mark rounding.
* Keep your spinnaker pole rigged low on the mast (with
the topping-lift pulled aft) so it’s pre-set for the mark
rounding. Saves time rounding the weather mark!
* Remove the roller furling drum for racing and have a racing
Genoa cut full length.
SAILS: The newer cloths are light, stronger and more durable
than. Consider Carbon and blends. Prices are more reasonable
and carbon has advantages over Kevlar and other UV sensitive
materials that make it worth seriously considering. Ask your
sail maker for his opinion on what is best for your use. Make
sure the sails you use most are more recent than the rest of
your sails. And remember, new sails equal speed. Period.
For small repairs, use Tedlar, an adhesive backed Mylar
that sticks well on dry Mylar surfaces. It comes in various
width tapes and sheets. Order some from your sailmaker.
BOTTOM: Put the bottom at the top of your list this year.
A fast bottom will have less drag, which equals greater speed,
acceleration and pointing!
The bottom paint rule for serious racers: pay for it to
be done right the first time so you are not paying someone else
to fix it. Prepare the bottom correctly so the paint sticks
the first time. Stick to the basics: You want a faired and smooth
bottom with a proper epoxy barrier coat and a very smooth paint
job. Shortcuts equals slow.
Ask winning skippers what yard they use for their bottom
and who does the work. You can’t argue with success. Unless
you have a race-prepared bottom that just needs paint, start
by taking off the old bottom paint and barrier coat down to
the original gelcoat. New boats from the factory generally do
not have race-prepared bottoms.
The barrier coat is sprayed in several coats and long-board
sanded to insure any hull or foil imperfections are faired and
corrected. Sanding "orange peel" texture away is especially
important. If left on, your race bottom paint will go on an
uneven surface and lead to a rough, slow bottom. A barrier coat
is the key to a successful bottom. It seals the hull from moisture
that can lead to blisters or worse.
The fastest bottom paints have a harder finish similar to
Micron or Baltoplate. Proline 1088 is an acceptable fast alternative.
Check with the fastest racers to find what they use. Wet-sanding
the bottom before it goes in the water polishes the bottom and
knocks off any small particles. Have your rudder and keel painted
light colors or white to help see kelp or garbage bags.
If your boat does not have flush thru-hulls, switch to them
for a much smoother bottom. Consider installing kelp windows.
The kelp window allows the crew (inside the boat) to see kelp,
etc. While the boat is in its cradle and you can see the prop,
mark the prop shaft inside the boat when the prop is properly
folded or feathered. This makes alignment an easy task when
heading for the start line!
More ideas: If you are racing with a fixed prop, GET RID
OF IT and be sure to immediately notify PHRF to update your
cetificate! A feathering or folding prop is worth major savings
in drag and gives your boat instant speed.
* Use paint-friendly floss line for removal of kelp, garbage
bags, tuna, etc. A polypropylene line knotted every foot or
so is cheap and effective.
* Get the bottom cleaned before each race. It has to be
clean to be fast.
* Hire a bottom diver who knows how to service a race bottom
and uses light duty cleaning methods. Good divers know how to
preserve a race
bottom. Listen to them.
With your sails, rig and bottom in the best shape possible,
you’re almost ready to go racing. But first, you should
get the crew out to practice. Practicing WILL make you faster.
Practice your roundings. This is a good time to break in a new
foredeck person. Practice starts and speed test with a sistership
or a similar boat with a similar rating. Also, review and learn
the racing rules. Then practice some more.
With your boat a little lighter aloft and faster on the
bottom along with a practiced and cohesive crew, you will find
that the rating you have been dragging around is not as tough
to sail to as it was.
Please remember to report any reportable changes you make
to your boat as specified in the PHRF rules. Ask any PHRF club
rep/handicapper if in any doubt about what is a reportable change.
Contact PHRF at 562-438-6712 or by e-mail - fleetoffice@phrfsocal.org
Jerry Kaye
So Cal PHRF Press Officer.
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