Ballast preference for racing yacht?

[robt.c.warford]

Three circumnavigations plus and I like my ballast glued on SOLID.

[xarax]

Righting force is created this way,too.
(Does it count for a fixed or a canting (related to the mast) keel?

[DanishBagger]

A weighted swing keel (not a canting one, but the old-fashioned one).

But then again, I don't mind not coming first – at least I will be safe, sound and in a good mood.

[sharpii2]

Originally Posted by gbr43926

Hi all,
When considering a modern Medium sized racing yacht, for example a J 109 (35ft) what type of ballast would YOU prefer?
Basing your opinon on;

Righting force created,
Affordability,
Useability,
Reliability,
+ anything else which would sway your decision.

Options are;

A) Standard fixed keel
B) Movable water ballast
C) Canting Keel - please state if engine/non engine hydraulic, pulleys? etc

Thanks!

INMHO, any sailboat that needs an engine constantly running is a motor sailor and should be classified as one.

If I'm going to allow someone an engine to cant their heavy ballast, I should also have to allow someone use the same amount of engine and fuel fitted to a propeller.

Man the manual hydraulic pumps, matey. Pump like yer lives depend on it! What is worse?

Losing or dying?

If you pick the second choice, what kind of racer are you? Ahrr!

Seriously.

This question is too open ended to mean much.

There is a whole galaxy of options open to racing.

I'm aware of at least three different kinds:

1.) One design, (very highly restricted)
2.) Class design, (a little less restricted) (includes rating systems in some cases) and
3.) Open (very mildly restricted. Often just length, with a few safety requirements, and multihull or a monohull specific)

The first part of your question should have specified which of these three types of racing we are talking about.

Also, are we talking about what we would choose if we were setting up a new class or one design?

Or are we talking about just an individual boat?

In the second case, if I were Bill Gates rich, or even Kieth Richards rich, I would want to have the fastest thing afloat, limited maybe by just length.
If it breaks, I can always throw it away and get a new (and even faster) one.

Its one thing to win after a committee considers your rating. It's quite another to win by being the first across the line. I would much prefer the rest of the fleet looking at my transom.

In this case, I would definitely pick a canting ballast with an engine to cant it, if I could get away with it.

It's a very hard thing to beat and is probably safer than a deep, fixed bulb keel. It seems all the bulb keels I hear of getting into trouble have been the fixed type.

Not that it is inherently less safe, but because it offers idiot designers and builders engineering options that should best be ignored.

Besides, about three decades of open design (mono), single handed, long distance ocean racing has all but proven the canting ballast concept is king.

In racing, the equipment gets to reside in the best part of the boat. It's what makes the boat go fast. The crew are just cargo. Stick 'em anywhere they will fit.

As long as they are out of the way.

Now that's if we are talking monohull, (also not specified in your question).

If we are talking multi, gimme foils for my leeward floats.

Why drag all that hull through the water if I don't have to.

Just let me get the relatives I least like out of my will, before we depart.