Scow with a hint of bow?

Discussion in 'Sailboats' started by Terje Dahl, Nov 22, 2022.

  1. sharpii2
    Joined: May 2004
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    sharpii2 Senior Member

    I doubt that it will disrupt the IRC that much, because it probably takes into account the length of quarter buttocks. A scow has much longer quarter buttocks than most pointed bow monos. Sail carrying ability is quite closely related to quarter buttock lengths. With a scow bow, it is possible for the quarter buttock to be longer than the at-rest waterline. I imagine the IRC also takes into account the weight of the boat.

    An alternative to the scow bow is the apple bow. This is when the maximum beam is so far forward that the bow (in plan view) has an almost semi-circular shape. Joshua Slocum's SPRAY was like this, But it was quite heavy. It did, however, have an excellent course-keeping reputation. He sailled it around the world alone with no self-steering vane, and no engine.

    An apple bow has a lot of tight, compound curves, and is relatively difficult to plank up. But it is an excellent shape for fiberglass.
     
  2. skaraborgcraft
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    skaraborgcraft Senior Member

    Sounds like that describes a lot of old Dutch types also. Then there was "cods head and mackerel tail" types, which seemed to be a common cruising type before the IOR types became popular.
     
  3. CT249
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    CT249 Senior Member

    Where's the evidence that the Rocket is as fast as is claimed? It's hard to see from a video but it certainly doesn't look like 17 knots of boatspeed if that's what's claimed.

    The national French handicap doesn't show the other cruising scows to be particularly fast at all.

    I still can't work out why the scow shape is said to be superior. Why not take the 800 lines and extend the bow? For a marginal increase in surface area and weight, you get far more deck area, a lighter displacement/length factor, more interior space and more speed in most, if not all, conditions.

    Lots of scows are like taking a 10m boat and chopping off the front 1.5m. It makes for an inferior boat, not a better one.
     
  4. skaraborgcraft
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    skaraborgcraft Senior Member

    Depends, I do not think it is as black and white as you may like to suggest. Given a length restriction, the pram bow can have better deck space, below accomodation and higher righting moment. I cant speak to sailing qualities as I have never sailed one, but even as a coastal boat or a weekender to potter around on, i can see why the extra space "for a given length", would be attractive, even if often the boats are not.
     

  5. Paul Scott
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    Paul Scott Senior Member

    IIRR you can can have 2 of 3:

    affordability

    performance

    accommodations

    ?

    (There are different expressions of this ^, but the truth is, boat ownership is getting harder by the day, and the dream is a seductive one.)
     
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