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Performance tips for Ericson 25+

rssailor

Moderator
I race an ericson 25+ here on the bay and would like to make her faster. Bought a new main and the sailmaker recomended extending the length of the headstay to cant the mast aft. I have made the turnbuckle for the headstay as lose as practically possible. I run a 150 and a 130 plus an 80 jib. Use a harken unit 00 without the drum and have dual jib halyards. I have three spinnakers and run one off the masthead and the other two fly fractional. The boat uses a Pole that is 11 feet long. Goes really fast off the wind, but not so good upwind. Have a pretty good bottom, not perfect. I have a backstay adjuster with 24:1 purchase. Run a ridged spring vang with 16:1 purchase that is double ended. Have an internal outhaul that is 12:1 purchase. Main has roughly 210 square feet instead of stock 165 square feet.
Wanna make this boat go faster upwind. Any tricks or pointers? Ryan
 

Nigel Barron

Notorious Iconoclast
Headstay

I actually did much the same with my Ericson 27. I also backed the headstay turnbuckle off all the way, found this was not enough, so simply added about 5 inches of Vectrus (3/16" = 4,500lbs). Worked great. I also have started experimenting with a bigger main to improve upwind performance. Might be worth a try...

Nigel
 

Bob in Va

Member III
A possible solution

Have you considered installing a toggle between the turnbuckle and the deck fitting? It's a great way to get a couple of inches of extra length if all you are looking for is mast rake. I am curious as to why the rake will make the boat faster upwind - and curious as to what the helm feels like when the boat is on the wind with the setup you describe.
 

rssailor

Moderator
toggle

I am thinking of using a double at the top of the mast as I want to keep the furler drum as close to the deck as possible when I do use it cruising. Using five inches of line as a headstay extender is bold. Already using a bigger main, and that helps, but I am thinking that I have maxed out on sail tweaking devices and some tecnique needs to be developed. Does anyone with a plus series use running backstays? Ryan
 

Seth

Sustaining Partner
25+ tips

You have done a great job maxing the boat out for light air and downwind sailing. The backstay adjuster is key to optimizing the mainsail shape, and all the other additions are also great.

My guess is your worst area is upwind-and especially when it is blowing.

The focus needs to be on sailing the boat as FLAT as you can. Blade out the main(with backstay and vang), and use the smallest headsail that will give you enough power. You need to be ale to get the headsail sheeting in VERY tight. I think you may need a 98-100 Blade that will fill the foretriangle, and still sheet inside the shrouds or at least in between the lowers and the upper/intermediate bases.

The 130's (ish) sized sails typically suffer upwind due to the wider sheeting angles. The angle gets wider as you go forward until you can get the #3 range and go inboard with the sheets. You may want to try inhauling the #2.

When sailing with the 150 or 130 and you are at the upper end of the range, drop the leads back to twist off the leech and flatten the sail. This will help the boat get back on its' feet and moving forward instead of sideways.

Finally, re: running backs: In theory, you are a good candidate due to the in line spreaders not helping hold headstay tension. On the other hand, they are a pain, only helpful when breezy, and I think you can set the rig up for light and heavy conditions so that with the proper rig settings you can have a tight enough headstay when you need it.

This is general info-if you want more details please contact me directly.
Cheers
 
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