[MHml] Do I need a screecher?

[Bill Gibbs]

A first issue is how you define "need".   The cruiser mentality is not supposed to be overly focused on speed.  This is the domain
of racers.

 

A second issue is just how heavy your cat is.  Screachers shine on fast boats.  The apparent wind angles (AWA) you experience on any
point-of-sail/TWA combination depends on how fast you are going.  3 boats on the same heading and in the same TWA will experience
different AWAs based on their speed.  Faster boats are always sailing higher AWAs and have a greater need for sails that can be
carried at higher angles.  Afterburner, for example, rarely sails with the AWA greater than 70, even when gibing downwind.

 

I understand the name screacher (aka screecher) comes from "screaming reacher" and was coined by multi racers looking for bigger
sails to use at higher apparent wind angles when reaching.  It is a headsail flown from it's own luff rope, not a forestay, and with
a tensioned straight or hollow cut luff.  Usually furled.  It may be cut flat or full depending on it's intended usage.  It may be
sheeted inside or outside the shrouds, again depending on it's intended usage.

 

Sonrisa, my prior 40' cabin cat, had a flexible arrangement allowing the screacher tack to be moved to lee for sailing high, or to
weather for sailing deep, basically changing the sheeting angle.  Still, it was only faster when reaching.  Afterburner has two
screachers currently, a smaller one that sheets in front of the shrouds (and inside), and a maxi-screacher that sheets outside the
shrouds with a maximum foot length (both by GM Sails).  The first is used for close and beam reaching, the second is used for broad
reaching and sailing downwind.  We haven't used our mid-range asymmetrical spinnaker since we got the maxi-screacher.  The screacher
encourages us to sail hotter angles downwind, with at least equal vmg, if not better in some conditions.  

 

If your boat is a cruiser, than a screacher will give you extra speed when close or beam reaching, and you can figure out how much
time you spend on such courses.  How often do you sail with the apparent wind 40-60 degrees?

 

Bill

Afterburner

 

 

 

  _____  

From: multihulls-bounces at steamradio.com [mailto:multihulls-bounces at steamradio.com] On Behalf Of arjan at pacbell.net
Sent: Wednesday, February 21, 2007 7:22 AM
To: Informed discussion of multihull issues
Subject: [MHml] Do I need a screecher?

 

I have been starting to sail my new 43' cat around the last few weekends and I have a self tending jib and a asymetrical spinnaker.
I can point pretty high with the asymetrical but that's been in lighter winds  <10knots. however I can't sail to deep nothing below
about beam reach.  Where does a screecher become an advantage? and is this just a slightly fatter cut genoa?

 

 

 

Arjan Bok
www.rotkat.com



 

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