How do you (personally -- looking for your experience with your Ericson) adjust your helm balance? Also, roughly how much weather helm is acceptable/normal for Ericson's (and at what angle of heel)?
I am finding 1-2 spokes worth almost always; Raymarine wheel-pilot starts struggling with anything over ~ 1 spoke worth, and I underdtand windvanes will too, so I want to be able to control this better (plus for speed/efficiency).
That 1+ spoke worth is (e.g.) on a close reach in 10 kts True, with a 130% jib trimmed to spill air from the top and the (full) main sheeted out until practically luffing (carrying a large bubble in luff/front of the full main). The thing I do not understand is that I would have thought unloading the main should reduce/eliminate weather helm -- and in fact allow me to get some lee helm. 10 kts true seems too low for the answer to be that I should have reefed the main, though maybe that's it -- boat (E34 basically) was not overpowered; rail not in water, not even that close -- not taking any wave bits over rail at all, so don't think issue was heel-induced weather helm... unless that kicks in seriously when one still has 6" of clear freeboard on the lee side (sorry; no inclinometer) -- are the boats that delicate in terms of handling? Traveler was centered, but that should have further depowered the main by allowing more sheet out/leech to curve off and spill air. Sails are ~ 25 years old, so assume their shape is poor.
Anyway, I am used to (in other boats -- Catalina 36's, J24's) being able to adjust helm balance reasonably easily... feel that either I forgot how (possible: fair period of no sailing prior to getting this Ericson) or there is a trick with the Ericson.
Any comments/advice appreciated.
PS: 8 spoke wheel, 1.5 turns - so 12 spokes worth of turn to either side until the stop; unsure exactly where the stop is, so assume this is somewhat less than 7.5 degrees/spoke (assuming 90 deg. at full stop... suspect it might be less, since 90 deg seems pointless). So I'm talking 7.5-15 deg of weather helm. By two spokes (~ 15 deg) you really feel it on the helm. 1 spoke seems pretty steady; in fact sometimes I can get the boat to sail with that without even putting the wheel brake on -- rudder just stays over at one spoke off for quite some time with hand off wheel. I have been assuming that one should aim for ~ 1/2 spoke (~ 5 deg ish) of weather helm as a matter of safety; my question here is more about why I can't seem to affect it by depowering the main -- once I can control it, I can figure out what works best for me.
I am finding 1-2 spokes worth almost always; Raymarine wheel-pilot starts struggling with anything over ~ 1 spoke worth, and I underdtand windvanes will too, so I want to be able to control this better (plus for speed/efficiency).
That 1+ spoke worth is (e.g.) on a close reach in 10 kts True, with a 130% jib trimmed to spill air from the top and the (full) main sheeted out until practically luffing (carrying a large bubble in luff/front of the full main). The thing I do not understand is that I would have thought unloading the main should reduce/eliminate weather helm -- and in fact allow me to get some lee helm. 10 kts true seems too low for the answer to be that I should have reefed the main, though maybe that's it -- boat (E34 basically) was not overpowered; rail not in water, not even that close -- not taking any wave bits over rail at all, so don't think issue was heel-induced weather helm... unless that kicks in seriously when one still has 6" of clear freeboard on the lee side (sorry; no inclinometer) -- are the boats that delicate in terms of handling? Traveler was centered, but that should have further depowered the main by allowing more sheet out/leech to curve off and spill air. Sails are ~ 25 years old, so assume their shape is poor.
Anyway, I am used to (in other boats -- Catalina 36's, J24's) being able to adjust helm balance reasonably easily... feel that either I forgot how (possible: fair period of no sailing prior to getting this Ericson) or there is a trick with the Ericson.
Any comments/advice appreciated.
PS: 8 spoke wheel, 1.5 turns - so 12 spokes worth of turn to either side until the stop; unsure exactly where the stop is, so assume this is somewhat less than 7.5 degrees/spoke (assuming 90 deg. at full stop... suspect it might be less, since 90 deg seems pointless). So I'm talking 7.5-15 deg of weather helm. By two spokes (~ 15 deg) you really feel it on the helm. 1 spoke seems pretty steady; in fact sometimes I can get the boat to sail with that without even putting the wheel brake on -- rudder just stays over at one spoke off for quite some time with hand off wheel. I have been assuming that one should aim for ~ 1/2 spoke (~ 5 deg ish) of weather helm as a matter of safety; my question here is more about why I can't seem to affect it by depowering the main -- once I can control it, I can figure out what works best for me.