Hello Paul,
To add a contrary and undoubted disputed opinion, here's my two pennyworth.
On obtaining WB107 in 2009, I found her unacceptably tender, with or without topsail and think the ballast/displacement ratio is too small.
In often prevalent gusty conditions, I frequently shipped water and gave myself some concern
To aid matters, the following amendments were made.
To reduce weight topsides:
1/ Hollow wooden mast fitted. Supplied by Noble Masts Bristol. (I know you have the same on Partan.)
2/ Lightweight 42mm dia. aluminium topmast fitted in place of solid wood original.
To aid stability below:
1/ Approx. 80kg lead ballast fitted in cabin sole and in cool store/washbasin lockers under bunks.
(Securely fixed but easily removable if required to reduce towing weight.)
2/ 22kg HD battery fitted under cabin threshold. (Step lengthened by 3" to allow both battery & portapotti stowage under.)
In my opinion, this has improved stability and sailing capability a whole lot.
I like to use the topsail in winds up to fc.3, as I find, that with tension on the topsail leech, together with a stainless horse extending across the stern, the gaff does not swing too far out, the sail shape is better and I can sail closer to the wind, without losing all speed.
Once the topsail has to come down, I usually find upwind performance disappointing.
Sometimes I sail on a friend's Winklebrig without added ballast, who never uses his topsail and even then it seems unduly tender and he often finds it necessary to reef down in quite moderate conditions.
Regarding trim, my boat lies slightly by the head at her mooring but once I park my 16 stone in the cockpit, even keel or slightly by the stern soon occurs. I use a tiller extension, to normally sit well forward.
Nothing of weight is kept in the stern lockers, anchor and cable being kept on the foredeck or forward end of the cabin sole.
Except if there is a lot of wind, my passenger usually sits on a seat in the companionway, which keeps the weight fairly neutral.
I do carry some weather helm, with or without topsail, which I prefer but nothing excessive.
I do agree that a bigger jib sounds a good idea. Though I have on occasion been forced to reef the main, I have never found it necessary to reduce the jib.
Though I haven't sailed with same, I think the high peaked gaff is probably a much better setup than low peaked gaff and topsail.
Mike Seller provided me with dimensions and I intend to follow this course the comoing winter.
(Mike, I contacted Arun Sails, successors to Rockall and though they promised to get back to me, so far they haven't but we have a good local sailmaker, Goacher, who will knock me one up if necessary.)
I considering this, I am still debating whether to use the same length of boom as the low peeked gaff and add a mizzen, as used and recommended by Martin, or go with the standard high peaked setup with longer overhanging boom. (Probably the latter, as I am somewhat lazy.)
On this note, a friend with a WB has added a small mizzen to his own design, mounted right aft behind the transom, which he finds o.k. but when I was with him in light winds, experienced difficulty with the stern blowing round, when running with wind astern.
Martin now uses a balanced lug mainsail, to balance the mizzen by moving the centre of effort forward, which works fine for him.
I have a balanced lugsail on a Ness Boat, which is fine on its own but in my current fiddling to add a jib, even with an added bowsprit, I find that a jib and balanced lugsail just don't like sharing the same space.
Also, to stop the lugsail and spars dropping in a disorganised heap on the deck and crew, I find that lazy jacks, fwd and aft, increasing compilation, are needed to control the thing.
Regarding my extra lead ballast, I am so well pleased with this, that I will probably cut up the cabin sole and encapsulate the same weight of lead shot in resin within the space between inner lining and shell.
...................
To add a contrary and undoubted disputed opinion, here's my two pennyworth.
On obtaining WB107 in 2009, I found her unacceptably tender, with or without topsail and think the ballast/displacement ratio is too small.
In often prevalent gusty conditions, I frequently shipped water and gave myself some concern
To aid matters, the following amendments were made.
To reduce weight topsides:
1/ Hollow wooden mast fitted. Supplied by Noble Masts Bristol. (I know you have the same on Partan.)
2/ Lightweight 42mm dia. aluminium topmast fitted in place of solid wood original.
To aid stability below:
1/ Approx. 80kg lead ballast fitted in cabin sole and in cool store/washbasin lockers under bunks.
(Securely fixed but easily removable if required to reduce towing weight.)
2/ 22kg HD battery fitted under cabin threshold. (Step lengthened by 3" to allow both battery & portapotti stowage under.)
In my opinion, this has improved stability and sailing capability a whole lot.
I like to use the topsail in winds up to fc.3, as I find, that with tension on the topsail leech, together with a stainless horse extending across the stern, the gaff does not swing too far out, the sail shape is better and I can sail closer to the wind, without losing all speed.
Once the topsail has to come down, I usually find upwind performance disappointing.
Sometimes I sail on a friend's Winklebrig without added ballast, who never uses his topsail and even then it seems unduly tender and he often finds it necessary to reef down in quite moderate conditions.
Regarding trim, my boat lies slightly by the head at her mooring but once I park my 16 stone in the cockpit, even keel or slightly by the stern soon occurs. I use a tiller extension, to normally sit well forward.
Nothing of weight is kept in the stern lockers, anchor and cable being kept on the foredeck or forward end of the cabin sole.
Except if there is a lot of wind, my passenger usually sits on a seat in the companionway, which keeps the weight fairly neutral.
I do carry some weather helm, with or without topsail, which I prefer but nothing excessive.
I do agree that a bigger jib sounds a good idea. Though I have on occasion been forced to reef the main, I have never found it necessary to reduce the jib.
Though I haven't sailed with same, I think the high peaked gaff is probably a much better setup than low peaked gaff and topsail.
Mike Seller provided me with dimensions and I intend to follow this course the comoing winter.
(Mike, I contacted Arun Sails, successors to Rockall and though they promised to get back to me, so far they haven't but we have a good local sailmaker, Goacher, who will knock me one up if necessary.)
I considering this, I am still debating whether to use the same length of boom as the low peeked gaff and add a mizzen, as used and recommended by Martin, or go with the standard high peaked setup with longer overhanging boom. (Probably the latter, as I am somewhat lazy.)
On this note, a friend with a WB has added a small mizzen to his own design, mounted right aft behind the transom, which he finds o.k. but when I was with him in light winds, experienced difficulty with the stern blowing round, when running with wind astern.
Martin now uses a balanced lug mainsail, to balance the mizzen by moving the centre of effort forward, which works fine for him.
I have a balanced lugsail on a Ness Boat, which is fine on its own but in my current fiddling to add a jib, even with an added bowsprit, I find that a jib and balanced lugsail just don't like sharing the same space.
Also, to stop the lugsail and spars dropping in a disorganised heap on the deck and crew, I find that lazy jacks, fwd and aft, increasing compilation, are needed to control the thing.
Regarding my extra lead ballast, I am so well pleased with this, that I will probably cut up the cabin sole and encapsulate the same weight of lead shot in resin within the space between inner lining and shell.
...................