[C38] Boat Speed

[Joseph Launie]

Bill,
    Every boat is a compromise. If speed is all you want, buy an Olson 
40 or Santa Cruz 40 (more bang for the buck than newer boats) A couple 
of things you should consider. Look at the bow of the C-34 and C-38 from 
ahead. Notice the C-38 has a much finer entry. That means that she will 
cut though waves when going to weather while the broader bow of your 
C-34 will pound. That is one reason you spend so much time reaching. The 
Santa Cruz 40 has a fine bow too but is an ultralight so does not have 
the weight to cut thru the waves like the C-38. That may be one reason 
why they built 15 SC-40s and 366  C-38s. The Santa Cruz 40 will move 
very quickly in light air. When the breeze comes up, if there are 2 
people on the SC-40 you will have to shorten sail to a non-overlapping 
blade. Some wives enjoy smashing to weather heeled 35 degrees while 
getting soaked with every other wave but others do not. The C-38 will 
carry its sail when shorthanded very well and is quite dry while doing 
so. Downwind, the SC-40 will fly because it is here that the ultra-light 
really shines. She will surf very quickly and give you big numbers on 
the fun meter. However, going to weather on an ultralight means working 
your way thru the waves. If you hit a wave head on you will stop. I 
raced an Olson 30 for 10 years so am familiar with the drill.
    In short, you have to decide what kind of sailing you are going to 
be doing and how many folks you will be doing it with. The C-38 is a 
dry, relatively fast boat, easily sailed in all conditions by 2 people. 
Probably why there are 366 of them. Joe Launie/Macavity

w humphrey wrote:
> Hello, I am a new user of the listserver and an owner of a 34 
> Catalina. I have heard that the 38 is a fast boat and there may be a 
> possibility that I may purchase one in the near future. My question 
> is: how fast do these boats sail normally. Do owners really see 
> 8-9knts consistently in moderate winds. I am in the great lakes and 
> see 5-6.5 boat speed as an average with winds 10-20 and sometimes 7 or 
> a bit more in 20+. The reason I am considering a 38 is for more speed 
> so any realistic real world experience would be appreciated, including 
> performance in lighter winds.
> Thanks, Bill 
>
>
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