Joe wrote:
Your Johnson 18 has hard Chines?


Nope. The hull sections are developed from the ellipse, max
lift, minimize sirface area & drag... a little unplanned
benefit is that the steering is very responsive & light with
no surprises.

Yeah in sea keeping. Ol Swabbie thinks 20 footer in 30 knot winds is a
survival condition.

That's because he doesn't know how to sail!

.... I was just talking about prime sailing conditions
and great surfing above hull speed. A single reef, board down to 11
feet, nice stable comfortable wheelhouse to drink coffee and snack of
sandwiches as the auto pilot handles the wheel.

And Doug you take you hand off that tiller to eat or drink your going
over in those conditions.

Depends on when... the boat is very well balanced and as
long as you're well between the ditches, you can take your
hand off and steer with mainsheet & body language. Now, if
you catch a wave wrong, dig in, aren't prepared, and the
helm snatches itself out of your hand (like say for example
you're trying to open a beer), then you have a problem. And
a tiller pilot ain't gonna help!

... In 24 hours we would pass you in 48hrs we
would be coming back to rescue you.:0)


No way, every hour would put at least 5 miles or more
between us.... however, depending on the circumstances,
after a few hours I would probably want to pull alongside &
offer to trade for a little while, take a break.

Hey when are you going to get that Swift Solo? I'm thinking
about it, but am also seriously considering bigger boats.

Fresh Breezes- Doug King