What does "track down sea" mean?

[jsc7]

I read the following sentence in a description of the Bertram 31:

Built on the now-famous deep-V hull designed by Ray Hunt, the 31 could go fast in big seas and tracked down-sea like no other boat that anyone had ever seen.

What does "tracked down-sea" mean in this context?

[boatman61]

Running before I would imagine..

[Alan Mighty]

Originally Posted by jsc7

What does "tracked down-sea" mean in this context?

It's a power boat, right?

Going "down-sea" means motoring in the direction of the waves or swell. Here "sea" is much the same as "seas", meaning the aggregate of waves and swell that texture the air-water interface. Down-sea is more-or-less the same as 'downwind', as long as you have a developed sea with a constant wind direction.

"track" in this context means to hold its course, as opposed to yawing. Depending on boat speed, when motoring down-sea you might expect that the stern of the boat could be pushed about by the peaks of the seas (the wave crests and/or swell crests).

That's perhaps what we could call the original meaning of "track" in English. The word was borrowed into English in the 16th century from French, and the meaning it then had was "to follow a path, to follow the footsteps of (someone or something)".

So "tracked" suggests that the v-hull design gave the boat some grip on the water but not so much as to let the lateral movement due to the wave action move the boat from its course.

[Alan Mighty]

But the more important form of words surely is:

"like no other boat that anyone had ever seen."

That's what is usually called a red-flag.

With the meanings of 'do not believe anything in this boat review' and 'never trust anything written by this author because he or she is just a hired scribbler prone to unreal hype in the service of whoever has slipped him money or benefits in kind'.

[hugosalt]

Yes, certainly an assignment given to a agency copywriter.
However my brother has a 45 year old Bertram and that boat tracks down sea
like no other boat...whatever that actually means!
Actually agree... going in direction of waves with no yawing.

[Scout 30]

Not a red flag in this case. This was a revolutionary hull design at the time which was several decades ago. A true classic and still a great boat.

[Nani Kai]

Originally Posted by hugosalt

However my brother has a 45 year old Bertram and that boat tracks down sea
like no other boat...whatever that actually means!
Actually agree... going in direction of waves with no yawing.

++1. Bertrams are historically great boats that perform well under diverse ocean conditions, including their ability to maintain course with a following sea.

[fatherchronica]

All boats track down sea like no other boat.

[Cadence]

It means handling a following sea well.

[sheldon957]

The Bertram 31 was ahead of it's time and commanded higher resale prices more than any other boat I have ever seen, even decades later.

The only drawback, it was very roll-y in many conditions.

[Cadence]

Maybe one of the best in a following sea was the Caulken's bar tender.

[RSB333]

Cruising in Maine last summer I picked up a biography of C. Ray Hunt - a true innovator in yacht design who is credited with the invention of the deep V hull, which by its nature tracks much better than the more rounded hulls which predominated previously. Most modern powerboats have incorporated the deep V and perhaps improved upon it.
rsb

[Scout 30]

Downeaster / Lobster boat hulls actually track better, use far less fuel & are more seakindly than deep V hulls. IMHO they are really superior unless you want to go fast. The genius of Hunt's deep V design, which actually started out as a racing boat design, was that they could go really fast in rough conditions without beating you & your boat to death.

[GordMay]

C. Raymond Hunt and the Deep-V Revolution
“SOUNDINGS TRADE ONLY” - February 1998 ➥ Ray Hunt - Designer of the Bertram 31 - BERTRAM 31.COM

[Scout 30]

An American Icon who may have had more of an effect on boat design than anyone in history. His Concordia Yawls are one of my all time favorites and a true classic. In fact, these wooden boats are so loved that 102 of the 103 originally built are still sailing today!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concordia_yawls
Concordia Yawl boats for sale - YachtWorld