Maxprop wrote:
I had a rather lengthy discussion with a Beneteau factory rep at a boat show
a few years back.

Why?


Sometimes when I find a boat salesman of amusing mendacity, I'll start
playing along just to see how far he'll push his act. It's really
amazing what these guys will say some times.


.... I was inquiring whether, in the company's opinion, their
boats were truly offshore passage capable. He, predictably, answered to the
affirmative. I asked him why, and he gave me all sorts of reasons, such as
the method by which they laminate all bulkheads to the hull and deck
structures, their rigid gridwork under the sole, etc.--things of a
structural nature. When I asked about stability and seaworthiness, he
seemed at a loss. I commented that many of their boats had less than a 1:3
ballast/displacement ratio, and he said, "Oh that's really not terribly
important."

Well, it depends on what your sailing goals are.

.... Sure wish I'd had the company's graphs during that discussion.
It seems to me that the reps are spoon-fed the company standard line with no
particular enlightenment.


Some of them are good & knowledgeable sailors who will say anything to
sell a boat, others are simply not well educated in naval architecture.
The most mendacious salesmen I've met, as a group, are the ones pushing
the Seaward line. Don't know why that brand seems to attract them, but
one really outrageous character was trying to sell us a Schock and
making all sorts of ludicrous statements, including "heel angle has
nothing to do with sailing speed or helm balance." At this point I was
semi-serious about that particular boat and challenged him to explain
why, at which point he got impatient and insisted that "when you have
much experience as me, you'll understand."

Anyway, the ballast certainly contributes to reserve stability & a high
LPOS but it's not the whole ball game. Given a choice for hard offshore
passagemaking between two boats, one with a 10% lower B/D ratio but a
much higher LPOS, the other with more ballast but also some negative
factors like a wide flat deck, big unprotected hatches, or the like, I'd
pick the one with higher LPOS.

And remember that some extremely under rated factors in seaworthiness
are things like... do the cabin sole access panels lock in place, ditto
the galley cabinet doors, does the bilge pump have a good suction
screen, how good is the non-skid in the shower...

But I digress... sorry...

A high ballast ratio is a very good thing for hard sailing. Gives sail
carrying power and makes the boat more manageable, at the very least.
But it takes away from all the amenities that help sell boats!

Fresh Breezes- Doug King