wrote

At our club when everyone else is heeling with the rub rail close to
the water and getting their ears wet, our friend in his E32 sails
along with minimum listing of 15 to 20 degrees.


I find that a extremely interesting comment. I never race so I
haven't been able to compare the E32 to other boats. My impression is
that the E32 is not a very stiff boat due to heavy construction and a
lot of volume in the keel (a heritage from the keel / centerboard
original design) that reduces its effectiveness. 20 degree heel with
130% Genoa is reached at lower wind speeds than what I would expect
from my long ago yacht designing days.

I'm usually heeled more than other boats but I tend to be a hard
driver and the boat goes very well at 30 degrees. Displacement alone
is one contributor to stiffness so the E32 might compare well in heel
to a very light boat of the same sail area even though the more modern
one was wider and stiffer.

It's not a fast boat by racing standards but that just means it's 5%
slower in a lot of conditions than a racing type. At the same time,
it's 5% faster than a lot of traditional cruisers of the same motion
comfort and lack of pounding as they go to windward.

Good compromise if you ask me.

--

Roger Long