Center of Effort vs. Center of Lateral Plane

Perhaps the best way to appreciate the dynamics of sailing boats is to sail dinghies. I sailed them for ten years, all sorts. I never got the visceral feeling for my 36 footer that I did for all the dinghies.
Part of the problem with discussing the dynamics in abstract is that there are too many variables amounting between them to an infinite number of returns. Furthermore what my old math master used to call the problem of small angles rears it ugly head. For, just say, a small angle of heel the change in helm weight might be immeasurable.
Again, while long narrow boats may have little change in helm with heeling, dinghy sailors know that high angles of heel cause heavy weather helm whether that is in one of the old "minimum wetted area" boats or a broad planing hull. The lateral displacement of the driving force is the principal cause of weather helm.

 

Thank you Chris. You are spot on. I was mistakenly calculating the forces above and below DWL in level conditions. Yesterday I included the angle of heel into the calculations. Well the results were much in line with the mast and keel positioning of most boats. Thanks for helping me work it out.