Nor am I
Tender boats are good-mostly, Frank. The E boats in question have somewhat higher SA/DISP ratios than many cruisers-meaning lots of HP for the weight-this produces boats which perform very well in light air. That covers the HP thing. Also, they are mostly narrowish in the ends-also a predicter of very good light air performance in that wetted surface is thus minimized. Those skinny ends (this is a very basic explanation) unfortunately do not provide much stability (for the length/beam/WL)-so this design series is relatively powerful, fast in light air, easily driven (lots of sail/short waterline/small wetted surface area).
What does it mean in heavy air? Tippy, so to keep them on their lines you must first flatten sails, then reduce sail. Other designs with fatter back ends are stiffer and can carry more sail in more breeze. The good news is the E-boats will continue to perform well in breeze, as they are easy to push through the water-but they are not doing it as a result of hull shape optimized for heavy conditions-as long as they are kept upright they fly right along.
But, this whole discussion really applies to more boats than many folks think.
A great example are the San Juan 24, 28, 30! These are SUPER tender boats-VERY fast in light air, and OK in breeze-as long as you get the sail off them.
To compare, boats like many PSC boats, the old Albergs, and many Contessas, not to mention Islander 36's, older Swans, Ericson 46's, are stiff, relatively heavy boats with good sail carrying ability, but are not as good as newer E boats in the light stuff. Go farther to things like Valiants, Peterson 44's, Cheoy Lee's, etc. and you have very stiff boats that do not need to reduce sail until much higher breezes, but really do not get going until you have 10-12 knots of wind.
Me? I'll take a more powerful boat that is quick in light air. You can always reduce sail, but can add only so much to a given rig size.
So, none of this is any indictment of the series of E-boats-it is more general advice to the many people I see sailing around overpowered, heeled way over, making excessive leeway, and scaring their passengers. Good sailing practice means carying the correct amount of sail for the conditions. Your boat will always perform better AND be more comfortable to sail..
Anyway. Please excuse me if my posts lately have not been as coherent as before. I am still recovering from knee replacement surgery in December, and it has been less than pleasant. I have been a bit distracted because of it..
You guys have boats which are very good performers in most conditions as a result of a combination of hull shapes, SA, disp ratios, etc. It is just a fact that in order to have a good light air performer, you must get sail off sooner to keep such a boat on its' "feet" as the breeze comes up..
Happy Trails,
S