WOA: Westsail Designers Comments

Bill Crealock is an accomplished cruising sailor, author, and designer of the Westsail 42 and 43. Through cruising the Atlantic, the South Pacific, and England, through refining the Westsail 32, and through designing a myriad of sailboats in his illustrious career that continues though this century, Bill has developed an interesting viewpoint on his ideal sailboat.

There was a time when cruising boats were a direct offshoot of working sailboats, and some of this heritage remains. I have cruised aboard some of these massively timbered craft, mainly because of the time they were inexpensive to buy. They are a long way from my ideal, yet I must admit that there is a charm about being able to literally pace the deck and to feel the ease with which a 70 foot Brixham Trawler, for instance, will slide along at seven knots with only the gentlest of movement. But the state of the art design has advanced since then, and the more modern cruising boat is infinitely more efficient and the sailor has a choice of types and displacements and rigs to suit his particular purpose.

The question of displacement is perhaps one of the more commonly misunderstood facets of cruising boat design. There is no single choice which is ideal for all uses, but displacement itself is not the vital ingredient in performance which some might suppose. The Westsail 42, for instance, has a displacement length ratio (a measure of the relative weight of a boat) of approximately 360, which might be considered at the upper end of the medium displacement range. Above 400 could be considered heavy displacement and below 300 light displacement. Yet Finisterre, one of the most successful offshore racing yachts of her day, was about 390, and some 12 meters ran well over 300. And the Westsail 32, although refined away from a work boat heritage, is still considered a fairly heavy displacement cruising boat. Yet she has a ratio within 10% of many ocean racers of the 60's and 70's. Clearly displacement itself does not affect the performance of such boats, and it is the overall proportioning of hull and rig which has the greater effect. Contrary to popular belief, the heavier displacement boat may show up surprisingly well in light airs whereas the lighter boat may have its greatest advantage in smarter breezes when surfing or semi-planing at the top end of the speed range. The lighter boat will accelerate faster and be more responsive to each puff, but she will have a quicker natural period of pitch and roll and ride more fussily to her anchor; because of her greater responsiveness she will need a firmer hand on the helm and self-steering may be difficult. There is no displacement to suit every taste; for those who seek the ultimate responsiveness in their boat, light displacement may be the way to go, but they must then be prepared to forego some other conveniences. There will have to be a tighter limit on tankage and stores and personal gear and engine size, for a laden boat designed for light displacement but carrying at extra 5000 pounds may have increased her displacement by 25% while a heavier boat carrying the same added weight may have increased it only 16%. I do not however advocate the old unmodified work boat types. Their displacements were often so great that is was impossible to carry a sail plan large enough to give adequate ratios, and underbody shapes and, in particular, keep shapes, were grossly inefficient. Better than nothing-it is true- but a long way from ideal. In displacement, then, as in so many other aspects of the cruising boat, the pounds must match the purpose.

		Westsail the World...


Westsails as seen through the eyes of its' designer.....
	Bill Crealock is an accomplished cruising sailor, author, and designer of the Westsail 42 and 43. Through cruising the Atlantic, the South Pacific, and England, through refining the Westsail 32, and through designing a myriad of sailboats in his illustrious career that continues though this century, Bill has developed an interesting viewpoint on his ideal sailboat. There was a time when cruising boats were a direct offshoot of working sailboats, and some of this heritage remains. I have cruised aboard some of these massively timbered craft, mainly because of the time they were inexpensive to buy. They are a long way from my ideal, yet I must admit that there is a charm about being able to literally pace the deck and to feel the ease with which a 70 foot Brixham Trawler, for instance, will slide along at seven knots with only the gentlest of movement. But the state of the art design has advanced since then, and the more modern cruising boat is infinitely more efficient and the sailor has a choice of types and displacements and rigs to suit his particular purpose. The question of displacement is perhaps one of the more commonly misunderstood facets of cruising boat design. There is no single choice which is ideal for all uses, but displacement itself is not the vital ingredient in performance which some might suppose. The Westsail 42, for instance, has a displacement length ratio (a measure of the relative weight of a boat) of approximately 360, which might be considered at the upper end of the medium displacement range. Above 400 could be considered heavy displacement and below 300 light displacement. Yet Finisterre, one of the most successful offshore racing yachts of her day, was about 390, and some 12 meters ran well over 300. And the Westsail 32, although refined away from a work boat heritage, is still considered a fairly heavy displacement cruising boat. Yet she has a ratio within 10% of many ocean racers of the 60's and 70's. Clearly displacement itself does not affect the performance of such boats, and it is the overall proportioning of hull and rig which has the greater effect. Contrary to popular belief, the heavier displacement boat may show up surprisingly well in light airs whereas the lighter boat may have its greatest advantage in smarter breezes when surfing or semi-planing at the top end of the speed range. The lighter boat will accelerate faster and be more responsive to each puff, but she will have a quicker natural period of pitch and roll and ride more fussily to her anchor; because of her greater responsiveness she will need a firmer hand on the helm and self-steering may be difficult. There is no displacement to suit every taste; for those who seek the ultimate responsiveness in their boat, light displacement may be the way to go, but they must then be prepared to forego some other conveniences. There will have to be a tighter limit on tankage and stores and personal gear and engine size, for a laden boat designed for light displacement but carrying at extra 5000 pounds may have increased her displacement by 25% while a heavier boat carrying the same added weight may have increased it only 16%. I do not however advocate the old unmodified work boat types. Their displacements were often so great that is was impossible to carry a sail plan large enough to give adequate ratios, and underbody shapes and, in particular, keep shapes, were grossly inefficient. Better than nothing-it is true- but a long way from ideal. In displacement, then, as in so many other aspects of the cruising boat, the pounds must match the purpose. Bill Crealock – Naval Architect Westsail 28 - Westsail 32 - Westsail 39 - Westsail 42 - Westsail 43

Westsails as seen through the eyes of its' designer.....