[C320-list] Handling chop & short period waves

[John Meyers]

Last May we went from a Hunter 25 to a 320. We motored it through a 15 knot
headwind back from Illinois across Lake Michigan to Muskegon in 2 foot chop
and thought it was a dream eventhough it was cold in May. (I do like that
dodger)

406 (name to be determined yet)
John M
.On Wed, Dec 15, 2010 at 9:39 AM, David Nolte <dcnolte at mac.com> wrote:

> Hi Mike,
>
> You posted just fine - welcome!
>
> We know chop here on the Chesapeake. On the Northern Bay where a number of
> us sail, the water is relatively shallow and we experience the Chesapeake
> chop of short period waves in a number of wind conditions.
>
> Before we bought our 320 I positioned myself on a powerboat at the mouth of
> our river one day and watched the parade of boats coming in & out for
> awhile, specifically watching their attitudes and how they handled the local
> chop. My conclusion was that you needed at least 30 feet to slice through
> comfortably, and of course more was better.
>
> In our 7 years with Beach House we have found that to be true. Very
> comfortable for us (and the kids!) in most conditions. Of course 30 knots on
> the nose can be a bit challenging........
>
> Oh, and we usually beat the 34s we see out there.
>
> David Nolte
> Beach House #4
>
>
>
> On Dec 15, 2010, at 9:29 AM, Mike Barrowman wrote:
>
> >
> > Hi folks,
> >
> > My first post here - please forgive me if I've done this wrong.
> >
> > My family currently has a C250 which we are selling, looking for a larger
> boat.  I've narrowed the list to the C320 and the C34, leaning toward the
> 320.  I will need to sail (or have sailed) the boat from the US upon
> purchase to Cayman, so it needs to be able to handle the trip -- which I
> believe the 320 can, and know for sure the 34 can.  Any comments?
> >
> > 90% of my sails will be day sails solo, and it seems the 320 is a good
> boat for this.  But, with my wife and young daughter on the boat, one of my
> key needs is a boat that handles chop well.  Our current 250 bounces over
> the waves a bit too much, which prevents my daughter from enjoying it.  Our
> bay is very shallow and typical winds of 15kts build very short period 1-2
> foot waves.  How would the 320 handle these conditions?  The weight of the
> 250 is only 4K #, so I'm hopeful the 11K # 320 will slice right through, but
> after searching the archive, I'm not sure I've seen a direct comment on
> this.
> >
> > Many thanks,
> > Mike
> >
>
>