Cruising Sailors Forum Archive

Dragonfly vs. J133

It would be an interesting experiment. I'm not familiar with the J133 in the real world. I've sailed alongside a J120 in several situations. They are able to out-point our Dragonfly 1200 and make better VMG in light air. However, once the true wind speed rises above about 10 or 12 knots (getting closer to 20 apparent) things become about even to-windward, speaking in terms of VMG. On other points of sail we can pretty much run away from them if the apparent wind is above ~15k. I think the real limiting factor for the J is that it's not designed to sustain on-plane, so exceeding hull speed is a transient condition at best while it's surfing a wave or overpowered in a deep reach. With its narrower hulls, a Dragonfly is less limited by hull speed on any point of sail, and we frequently are able to sustain 10+ knots in flat water, despite approximately 37 feet of waterline.

As for your conditional "the waves are not swell-like" that is indeed a significant factor. A swell is less of an issue but a short steep chop makes life uncomfortable and slows the boat too. In short steep chop I'll often slow the boat to 4 knots or even less, to windward, just to keep from launching off waves and abruptly slamming down into the next. I haven't been aboard a J when beating into a steep chop, but suspect I might make the same judgment just for the comfort of crew and to go easier on the equipment. Those conditions are where a heavier boat might do better, but still wouldn't be comfortable.

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