Cruisers Forum
 


Reply
  This discussion is proudly sponsored by:
Please support our sponsors and let them know you heard about their products on Cruisers Forums. Advertise Here
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Rate Thread Display Modes
Old 22-08-2016, 16:58   #1
Registered User

Join Date: Aug 2016
Posts: 11
Moorings 3900: is this as good as it gets?

Hey all, I'm relatively new to all this, but have a solid 3 year plan in place to bug out and circumnavigate.

As part of the plan, I'm learning to sail. As part of that step, I've twice chartered cats from Moorings. Most recently, we just finished a week on a 3900 in Tahiti.

So, can I ask a question?

We were sailing West from Bora Bora to Maupiti on a port broad reach (with wind at maybe 120 degrees off the bow) and maybe 1 or 1.5m swell from the SE (same as the wind).

And I'll swear we might as well have been sailing a bathtub.

Seriously, on autopilot (Raymarine ST-something) the boat was swinging back and forth through 40 degrees or more. I half-expected us to pull a 360 between waves.

Then, on our way from Maupiti to Raiatea, which was unfortunately directly upwind and waves, we literally could make NO progress. I mean, with 15kts of wind and 60deg of angle to it, we were making 3kts. I figured it would take us something like 20 hours to make the 40 miles, so we put the sails away and motored.

I know very clearly that I'm not the best sailor and I'm sure there was some improvements I could have made to trim things up a bit or whatever. But I'm a sharp guy, and...

Well, I guess my question is:

Really?!

There's no way I'm selling my wife on doing this trip in a monohull. We have some means, and were planning on the FP Saba 50 or something similar. But man, I'm not sure I can take heading around the whole planet in a glorified bucket-with-a-sail.

Is the Moorings 3900 particularly terrible? Am I doing it wrong? Or is this just how catamarans are?

And, no.. I'm not buying a Gunboat, or really even an Outreamer or Antares. It's going to have to be comfy as hell to get the girl excited.

Am I doomed? Or will the Saba 50 (or similiar) be MUCH better?

Gunnadoit is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 22-08-2016, 17:21   #2
smj
Registered User

Join Date: Nov 2007
Boat: TRT 1200
Posts: 7,265
Re: Moorings 3900: is this as good as it gets?

It's a boat built for charter not its sailing characteristics.


Sent from my iPad using Cruisers Sailing Forum
smj is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 22-08-2016, 17:29   #3
Registered User

Join Date: Feb 2016
Boat: SOLD! 2005 Lagoon, 440, owners version
Posts: 331
Re: Moorings 3900: is this as good as it gets?

I cant answer your questions regarding the SABA however I can tell you that the Leopard 44 we chartered from Grenada sailed much better than that. We usually ran at 40-50% speed of the winds.
Nahbrown is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 22-08-2016, 17:39   #4
Registered User

Join Date: Aug 2016
Posts: 11
Re: Moorings 3900: is this as good as it gets?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Nahbrown View Post
We usually ran at 40-50% speed of the winds.
Upwind?
Gunnadoit is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 22-08-2016, 17:41   #5
Registered User

Join Date: Aug 2016
Posts: 11
Re: Moorings 3900: is this as good as it gets?

Quote:
Originally Posted by smj View Post
It's a boat built for charter not its sailing characteristics.
I'm aware of that. And I'm aware that gunboats will sail better.

But what I'm asking is whether the 3900 is PARTICULARLY bad and whether it takes buying a gunboat to get something resembling 'sailing' to happen in a catamaran?

Or can I expect better performance out of a well made but not 'performance first' cat, like the FPs.

Anyone?
Gunnadoit is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 22-08-2016, 17:56   #6
Registered User

Join Date: Jul 2011
Boat: Lagoon 400
Posts: 183
Re: Moorings 3900: is this as good as it gets?

Your downwind problem seems like an auto pilot issue.

For upwind performance I'd expect the Saba to do better than the Leopard 39. Still, sailboats typically don't scream along bashing to weather. I suggest charter the Saba or similar boats that you are considering. Really helps to determine what you like and don't. In general larger boats are faster and more stable.

Cheers!


Sent from my iPad using Cruisers Sailing Forum
pathlesschosen is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 22-08-2016, 18:11   #7
Senior Cruiser
 
StuM's Avatar

Cruisers Forum Supporter

Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: Port Moresby,Papua New Guinea
Boat: FP Belize Maestro 43 and OPBs
Posts: 12,888
Re: Moorings 3900: is this as good as it gets?

I can certainly do a lot better than that in those conditions in my FP Belize, even full "liveaboard" loaded.
StuM is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 22-08-2016, 18:20   #8
Registered User

Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Caribbean winters, North Dakota/Minnesota summers
Boat: Leopard 39 Owners Version
Posts: 372
Re: Moorings 3900: is this as good as it gets?

I'd say you need to learn to set the sensitivity of the auto pilot and how to set the sails. Maybe you could do better with a bathtub.
Privleoplag is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 22-08-2016, 18:42   #9
smj
Registered User

Join Date: Nov 2007
Boat: TRT 1200
Posts: 7,265
Re: Moorings 3900: is this as good as it gets?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Gunnadoit View Post
I'm aware of that. And I'm aware that gunboats will sail better.



But what I'm asking is whether the 3900 is PARTICULARLY bad and whether it takes buying a gunboat to get something resembling 'sailing' to happen in a catamaran?



Or can I expect better performance out of a well made but not 'performance first' cat, like the FPs.



Anyone?

Two things in your initial post are, just learning to sail and this is the second catamaran you've chartered. What was the first catamaran you chartered and were you happy with it? And if your just learning to sail, I'm sure the problem was more you and less the boat. The 3900 will be nowhere near a performance cat but hopefully under competent hands it should do better than 40-50% of wind speed.


Sent from my iPad using Cruisers Sailing Forum
smj is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 22-08-2016, 18:51   #10
Registered User

Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: Fremantle
Posts: 559
Re: Moorings 3900: is this as good as it gets?

Why not rent a skipper for the day and see what he and you achieve in the same boat ?
And perhaps calibrate the autopilot before you start, everybody prior to you has probably had a fiddle.


Sent from my iPhone using Cruisers Sailing Forum
Redreuben is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 22-08-2016, 18:56   #11
Registered User

Join Date: Feb 2016
Boat: SOLD! 2005 Lagoon, 440, owners version
Posts: 331
Re: Moorings 3900: is this as good as it gets?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Gunnadoit View Post
Upwind?
We were able to sail to 40 off the wind if you trust the gauges... Probably More like 50 degrees accourding to our instructor , but yes I remember sailing 7+ in 15 knot winds.
Nahbrown is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 22-08-2016, 19:07   #12
Senior Cruiser
 
StuM's Avatar

Cruisers Forum Supporter

Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: Port Moresby,Papua New Guinea
Boat: FP Belize Maestro 43 and OPBs
Posts: 12,888
Re: Moorings 3900: is this as good as it gets?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Nahbrown View Post
We were able to sail to 40 off the wind if you trust the gauges... Probably More like 50 degrees accourding to our instructor , but yes I remember sailing 7+ in 15 knot winds.
Is that apparent or true wind angle and apparent or true wind speed?
I do wish people would specify, it makes a huge difference.

40° and 15 knots apparent would be 65° true and 11 knots true.

40° apparent and 15 knots true would be 58° true and 19 knots apparent.

If it was 50° apparent in 15 knots true, that would be more like 70° true.
StuM is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 22-08-2016, 22:04   #13
Registered User

Join Date: Aug 2016
Posts: 11
Re: Moorings 3900: is this as good as it gets?

Quote:
Originally Posted by pathlesschosen View Post
Your downwind problem seems like an auto pilot issue.
Yeah, I did think that was likely.. but the auto worked great on other points of sail and certainly in the lagoons.

Fiddling with the autopilot is definitely beyond my experience at this point, but I'll figure it out.

Thanks!
Gunnadoit is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 22-08-2016, 22:06   #14
Registered User

Join Date: Aug 2016
Posts: 11
Re: Moorings 3900: is this as good as it gets?

Quote:
Originally Posted by StuM View Post
Is that apparent or true wind angle and apparent or true wind speed?
I do wish people would specify, it makes a huge difference.

40° and 15 knots apparent would be 65° true and 11 knots true.

40° apparent and 15 knots true would be 58° true and 19 knots apparent.

If it was 50° apparent in 15 knots true, that would be more like 70° true.
Great point. It was 60deg apparent, 15 knots true wind (about 18 apparent). Like I said, almost NO progress upwind.
Gunnadoit is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 22-08-2016, 22:07   #15
Registered User

Join Date: Aug 2016
Posts: 11
Re: Moorings 3900: is this as good as it gets?

Quote:
Originally Posted by smj View Post
I'm sure the problem was more you and less the boat.
I'm hoping that's true. Expect that's likely.

Thanks!
Gunnadoit is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Tags
mooring

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes Rate This Thread
Rate This Thread:

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Good Food, Good Flavor, Good Value, Good Packaging Steadman Uhlich Cooking and Provisioning: Food & Drink 23 10-08-2018 07:19
Running A/C At Anchor on Moorings 3900 in July windsurferk Atlantic & the Caribbean 38 13-07-2014 15:53
Webasto AT 3900 for sale pdxsailordiver Construction, Maintenance & Refit 1 30-01-2013 18:43
Webasto AT 3900 pdxsailordiver Construction, Maintenance & Refit 0 10-01-2013 14:20

Advertise Here


All times are GMT -7. The time now is 19:17.


Google+
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Social Knowledge Networks
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.

ShowCase vBulletin Plugins by Drive Thru Online, Inc.