Scow with a hint of bow?

That was an interesting exercise, and from a non-technical point of view I can only agree with it.

When we come to a cruising scow, though, one must wonder how often it is going to plane. The Raison Revolution 29 is 4570kg, which is a heck of a lot of weight for a 29 footer that is going to plane frequently! It's only 225kg lighter in listed displacement than my 40 year old 36 footer, which has sailed halfway across the world, and has a vastly higher ballast ratio so is unlikely to be lower in stability.

Looking at two boats a French mag compared the Revolution 29 against, we see that the Django 980 is longer, a ton lighter and carries a much bigger rig than the Revolution, so it must surely be faster overall. The RM 970 is significantly lighter than the Revolution and therefore probably faster although it has a smaller rig. And yet the RM 970 is rated under OSIRIS as having the same speed as the X332, Dehler 33 competition, Dehler 34 cruiser, Seascape 24 or J/92 - so for a 9.7m boat the RM isn't particularly fast. The Django is rated the same speed as the JPK 1010, Dehler 34 (2016) and XP 33. so again it's not particularly quick for a boat of its length or sail area.

If we assume that OSIRIS has its numbers correct, it's hard to see much evidence that the lighter "Open-influenced" racer/cruisers are particularly fast so one may well believe that the heavier Revolution is unlikely to plane often enough to make it particularly fast - and one still has to pay for those enormous sails.

There's a lot of publicity about the Revolutions and yet it seems impossible to find race results for them. I suspect that if they had done well, the publicity machine would have splashed the news around everywhere.

 

Scows +1 especially with simple collapsible wing

 

This is what you are up against. "Eco-friendly" plywood and recycled foam.

A quirky plywood rocket with sawn-off scow bow - can the Ace 30 disrupt the IRC racing scene? - YouTube

 

This dodger sees these threads and thinks of WWII sub hull shape discussions....it took us a too-long time to change...

To me, the ideal hull is a scow; and the ideal rig would be a pragmatic soft wing...and it will happen...someday!

 

Already been happening.....

 

Why? In what way is a shape that tends to slam waves "ideal"?

The standard WW2 sub hull shape was better for WW2 subs, as they were used at the time, for much of the war.

What is so good about soft wings? As the late, great Tom Speer used to say here, there's nothing inherently better about a thick airfoil, and for many boats there are more efficient sail types such as a single-surface sail of similar weight but greater span.

What scows and "wing style" sails do you use?

Don't you use a boat with a fairly deep and fine bow, pretty much the opposite of a scow?

 

That is an interesting vessel.
But... looks like they still have to find a solution to scow's aesthetic
How is it performing?

 

I love the Baluchon. Scow with keel. Quite stiff they say

 

No idea , just what you see in the video. I would like to see how it goes upwind in a short chop, or rather, how far off the wind it needs to be sailed to keep decent headway. Every boat a compromise. I had a gaff rig on a hull that could point much higher, i see this as the opposite, unless you are willing to drive the boat and be uncomfortable. Racing is different from cruising, and i never saw ultimate windward ability as the be and end all of a good boat, unlike some people.

 

Scow Bows are a thing now. Will see. Stay tuned

Fast Cruising Scow - VPLP Design https://www.vplp.fr/plaisance/asap/

this is a VPLP project for a 12 meters cruising scow

 

I still think its more of a passing fad. Bluff bowed Dutch boats are common in Dutch waters, but just across the Channel in British waters, they do not work so well. I do not think the average buyer will find the "ride" upwind acceptable. Lots of videos of these scow racers planing downwind and wave under spinnakers looking very cool.........not so much footage of them coming the other way. Yes they can when powered up compete with a sharp bow, im just betting most people will find the experience unsettling.

 

We will see. I do not know to be honest, I just like to see new ideas tested.
I think scows could be in some way the monohull answer to multihulls. Cat dont go to windward either but they are more and more diffused.
My opinion is that the main issue is related to the look of these vessels. I like the old chinese junk way, which is to use a very curved sheer, to give some shape to the boat, but it does not seem to meet today's taste.

 

I think "taste", is the important point.

Scows have been around for a very long time, so not a new idea really. Im sure if there was believed to be a market for it, either Benteteau or Jeannaue would have jumped on it long ago. The main market is pretty conservative, and they are doing well selling cats that are not particulary impressive outside of charter fleets. To each their own. Bespoke builders are usually the go-to builders for stuff outside the box.

 

Not quite understand what "diffused" means, but catamarans can sail really well to windward if they are designed properly.

 

I'm thinking about cruising cat that you see chartered in the summer.
Honestly I never sailed a large cat so I do not have first hand impression. I thought they were not windward vessel, I can be wrong.