Heave-to-ability

[DDup]

I’ve read that some boats can easily heave-to and others are finicky or impossible to heave-to. Are there principal attributes that make a sailboat easy to heave-to?

Is it a complex set of variables, or are there simple answers like: full-keeled boats heave-to easier than fin-keeled?

What I’m wondering is if there is an easy way for a layperson like me to look at boat ads, keels, and sail layouts, and identify boats that will heave-to easily and boats that will not heave-to?

[belizesailor]

The factors are not that complicated. The biggest is lateral resistance which is determined primarily by keel configuration. Then sail plan (Center of Effort) next. Fin keels tend to not heave to well. Fuller keels better.

Each boat is different so best is to try out heaving to on that specific boat to learn how it behaves or talk to an owner.

There are several threads here discussing heaving to...so give those a search also.

[Cheechako]

A Long keel with full underwater profile forward is best. All boats have trouble heaving to when the sh*t hits the fan though. Water is more powerful than wind. The boat heads up to proper hove to position, green water pushes the bow down when it overwhelms the boat, the boat wallows at the wave bottom with wind blanketed. Repeat often.

[nhschneider]

My fin-keel ketch heaves to exceedingly easily. I drop the main, furl the foresail completely, hoist the mizzen - sheeting it in as tight as I can - and lash the helm hard over. The boat then parks herself at about 20 degrees off the wind.

Fair winds and calm seas.

[westwinds]

I have a centerboard sailboat. With it all the way down, I cannot heave-to. If rotated almost into its cavity, the sailboat will heave-to nicely.

[Suijin]

I have hove-to in a number of fin keel boats very effectively, some of them racer cruisers. Never tried it in a real sled though.

It's really all about balancing main, jib, and rudder. It can take a bit of experimenting for a given boat but once you get it dialed in, you should be good.

[Adelie]

I think the OP is trying to figure out which boat heave to easily before he buys the boat.

Grossly put full keel boats are easier heave to and fin keels are "harder".

Individual boats will vary from this stereotype.

My impression is there is usually a way to get a fin keel boat to heave to. The technique may only be good for that model boat with a particular set of sails and for a specific wind range. A different setup may work with different sails and/or wind range.

[JPA Cate]

I agree that the full keel, heavy displacement mono will heave to and stay pretty much in place. I would not call that "easy". It is easy to heave any fin keel boat to....the problem is that the fin keel boat doesn't really want to stop, she wants to fore reach, and may slide along out of the slick she is meant to be generating.

When the full keel boat is stopped, she, by not fore-reaching, allows a slick, smooth spot in the water that stops the waves breaking on her, so it's good to stay in the slick. So far, we've not been able to make our boat stay in her slick, but nor have we tried really hard.
Usually, we slow her way down, and let her continue upwind. If our destination is downwind, we would continue off the wind, shortening sail if we felt threatened.

All I'm saying, heaving to is easy. Getting the boat to stay where you want, probably easier for a heavy displacement full keel boat, that may not be as much fun to sail as one that is quick and responsive in light airs.

Selecting a boat that suits you well means you have to be clear about how you want to use the boat, what she has to be able to do so that you maximize your pleasure for money spent.

Ann

[Stu Jackson]

Originally Posted by Adelie

<snip>

Individual boats will vary from this stereotype.

My impression is there is usually a way to get a fin keel boat to heave to. The technique may only be good for that model boat with a particular set of sails and for a specific wind range. A different setup may work with different sails and/or wind range.

And many skippers try to heave to either:

1. With too big a foresail

2. Not being truly close hauled before they attempt the maneuver


It takes some practice. Hard to tell about a boat before you buy, so it might help to be more specific once you get closer to a purchase.

But generally, all reasonable sailboats will heave to when properly managed.

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by Stu Jackson

And many skippers try to heave to either:

1. With too big a foresail

2. Not being truly close hauled before they attempt the maneuver


It takes some practice. Hard to tell about a boat before you buy, so it might help to be more specific once you get closer to a purchase.

But generally, all reasonable sailboats will heave to when properly managed.

It takes practice?

I usually just tack over without changing sail setup while beating to weather. (sailing upwind) Then tie off the tiller after I get it about right and go below to do whatever it was I needed to do or to get.

If it's for a squall, I may make further sail and tiller adjustments.

This on an old modified full keel/long keel sailboat.

This could be the difference though between a fin keel boat with some waterline and speed (Catalina 34) as compared to a short full keel boat (Bristol 27)

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by thomm225

It takes practice?

I usually just tack over without changing sail setup while beating to weather. (sailing upwind) Then tie off the tiller after I get it about right and go below to do whatever it was I needed to do and to get.

If it's for a squall, I may make further sail and tiller adjustments.

This on an old modified full keel boat

Yes, it does. I teach sailing, including heaving to, and students usually need a few practice runs to get comfortable with the concept and maneuvers.

It also often takes a few times to get familiar with how a new to you boat behaves. As an instructor/charter captain I run/teach on a lot of different boats....every one has their idiosyncrasies. Including different behavior in different wind/sea states.

That said, once you are familiar with a given boat then heaving to can be as automatic as tacking.

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by westwinds

I have a centerboard sailboat. With it all the way down, I cannot heave-to. If rotated almost into its cavity, the sailboat will heave-to nicely.

Changing the CLR by shifting the board and increasing the fore an aft distribution of lateral resistance...all of which should contribute to heaving to easier.

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by belizesailor

Yes, it does. I teach sailing, including heaving to, and students usually need a few practice runs to get comfortable with the concept and maneuvers.

It also often takes a few times to get familiar with how a new to you boat behaves. As an instructor/charter captain I run/teach on a lot of different boats....every one has their idiosyncrasies. Including different behavior in different wind/sea states.

That said, once you are familiar with a given boat then heaving to can be as automatic as tacking.

Ok.

I had lots of practice "parking" beach cats between buoy races which is somewhat similar to heaving too but without tacking across the wind so I guess that provided me with some knowledge for heaving to on a mono which made the maneuver seem simpler

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by belizesailor

The factors are not that complicated. The biggest is lateral resistance which is determined primarily by keel configuration. Then sail plan (Center of Effort) next. Fin keels tend to not heave to well. Fuller keels better.

Each boat is different so best is to try out heaving to on that specific boat to learn how it behaves or talk to an owner.

There are several threads here discussing heaving to...so give those a search also.

Limited time when I made that post. To explain a bit better for the OP, a paste from an article I wrote on heaving to below. Note that the text below assumes a sloop rigged mono. Technique for other boats may vary a bit, but the principles are the same.

"
Heave to Dynamics. When you heave to you are setting up opposing forces between the head sail and the rudder. The head sail is trying to take the bow down wind. The rudder is trying to turn it up wind. As these opposing forces fight it out the boat pivots slowly around its keel (or more specifically its CLR). This same resistance from the keel also slows the drift of the boat downwind and plays a significant role in creating a protective slick to windward. The boat should be drifting at no more than about 1.5 knots. As the boat drifts thru the water and picks up a little head way down wind, the rudder will begin to win the battle, due to increased water flow over the rudder, and head the bow back up, the jib will excert less force as the angle to the wind narrows and the downwind speed will slow. With reduced water flow the rudder loses steerage and the boat stops turning. Gradually the bow will fall of, jib gain more force, and the whole process repeats itself. The boat (assuming a mono) will be slightly heeled and thus stable, it should slowly cycle between close hauled and close reach as it drifts slowly downwind.
"

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by thomm225

Ok.

I had lots of practice "parking" beach cats between buoy races which is somewhat similar to heaving too but without tacking across the wind so I guess that provided me with some knowledge for heaving to on a mono which made the maneuver seem simpler

Experience always helps. "Parking" beach cats and racing tris is a bit different technique, but I still think of it as a form of heaving to. Ive hove to on a lot of different boats, so on most I can heave to successfully on the first attempt, but some, particularly performance oriented boats, can be more of a challenge. Ive got a Hobie 33 (racing mono) which was not designed to sit still...can be a bit of a challenge to get it to heave to successfully. Very hard to keep it from forereaching...but damn its fun to sail!