Steadying Sail?

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Phish

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Mar 5, 2023
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Lifelong sailor here.

We will be swallowing the sail here soon, buying a trawler, and doing the great loop. We don’t know much about trawlers, learning…

We would like to do the Bahamas, and cross some of the Great Lakes.

As sailors, we have always put out a sail in lumpy seas to pin the boat over. Always.

So what’s up with a trawler? Should we be looking for a boat with a steadying sail? If not, why not? It seems very hard to find this, as least when I am looking at boats for sale….

Any advice welcome.

David
Seattle (for now)
 
Last edited:
Short answer, NO
Don't limit yourself to a boat with a steady sail. You will not need it most of the time unless you plan to travel a lot in prime sailboat conditions broadside to the waves/wind.
 
Sure.

But what happens when you are crossing from Miami to Bimini and large rolling waves are on your beam? Wouldn’t that be really bad? Stuff flying and breaking all over the boat, seasick, etc?
 
The basic production trawler does not have a satisfactory steadying sail

The mast is way too short and some of the sails were poorly made for the job.

You are usually better off with any of the other forms of stabilization which all of them come highly recommended for ocean work in the average production trawler.

Sow your stuff properly and rolling shouldn't be an issue. If Someone gets seasick, choose better weather of a different kind of boat.

Google "Steadying sail Trawler Forum" and you may find a lot of conversations pretty much saying the same.

If you are willing to adapt the rid, then it may be competitive with some of the other forms of stabilization.
 
And if you plan on the Great Lakes you will want to do the Trent Severn. Also some of Erie Canal has height limits. If you have a mast big enough to make a successful steadying sail it will be too tall for the bridges. Then you will come to hate taking the mast up and down.
 
Willards often came with steadying sails. I've owned two. In San Francisco, the "Slot" is legendary - it's where afternoon winds come through the Golden Gate Bridge unfettered. Creates steep 4-foot chop from the west. Transiting N to S means decent sized seas on the beam. I can tell you a steadying saily had very little effect on my boat. It would dampen the roll a bit so it wasn't totally useless, but it took a half a hurricane. I set the sail once or twice but that's it. Not worth the effort. And a Willard 30 has a relatively large sail area.

Best I can tell The Loop is around 6000 miles. Crossing the Gulf Stream will not be as comfortable on a trawler as it is on a sailboat. For the other 5900 miles that comprise The Loop, a trawler will be much more comfortable than a sailboat.

Peter
 

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A steadying sail mast (if upgrading from usual production trawler mast) can be on a tabenacle that makes raising and lowering very easy. Once in confined waterways, it isn't a daily or weekly chore.

Even many production masts come on pivoting bases and while some additional rigging is required, it can still be an easy one person task.

There are many net articles on small sailboat mast raising and lowering to give ideas.
 
psneeld said:
The basic production trawler does not have a satisfactory steadying sail

The mast is way too short and some of the sails were poorly made for the job.

You are usually better off with any of the other forms of stabilization which all of them come highly recommended for ocean work in the average production trawler.

Sow your stuff properly and rolling shouldn't be an issue. If Someone gets seasick, choose better weather of a different kind of boat.

Google "Steadying sail Trawler Forum" and you may find a lot of conversations pretty much saying the same.

If you are willing to adapt the rid, then it may be competitive with some of the other forms of stabilization.
Click to expand...
What are all of the “other forms of stabilization “???
 
Gyroscopic - Seakeeper is one brand, Paravanes, Active fins - I think Imtra is one brand, Bilge keels, and there are others that are less common.

Look up boat stabilization systems and there is years worth of reading.
 
Well of course I know about that system. But way too excited for what would be a smaller boat.

What are all of the other “many systems”?
 
Phish said:
Well of course I know about that system. But way too excited for what would be a smaller boat.

What are all of the other “many systems”?
Click to expand...
There are 4 systems I posted, I'm done....Google is your friend.
 
Phish said:
Well of course I know about that system. But way too excited for what would be a smaller boat.

What are all of the other “many systems”?
Click to expand...

Active Systems:
  • Paravanes - outriggers (custom made).
  • Hydraulic actuated fins (Naiad, Wesmar, ABT, etc.)
  • Gyro's (Seakeeper)
  • Variations - Magnus rotors (fairly new concept - I only sorta understand it so best to Google); electrically or pneumatically actuated fins

Passive systems
  • Bilge keels - long shallow keel that runs parallel to the keel.
  • Sails (anywhere from small steadying sails to a full sail plan)
  • Other systems - there are some "bat wings" and variations - these you can Google because they are pretty odd and difficult to explain.
Arguable that sails are an active system, but regardless, they're a stabilization system. I'm sure I missed one or two but you get the idea.

Each has their plus and minus, some are more expensive than others (Paravanes are probably the least expensive to add to a boat - call it $10k). Some do not retrofit well into an existing boat (Seakeepers). Hydraulic fins are the most popular. As a rough estimate, cost to add to an existing 40-foot boat is in the $50k range.

Here is one of the last Willard 40's built and has Naiad hydraulic stabilizers. Currently listed for $228k in Connecticut, but I think this boat spent most of it's life in the upper midwest meaning she spent half the year in a heated barn and might be pristine.


Peter
 
We traded from sail to trawler about two years ago. We often cross big waters and our KK Manatee has a high pilot house which can really rock and roll.

Our two primary systems for dealing with a beam sea are:
1) Tack
2) Wait

Both have been working fine with no maintenance issues.
While we occasionally miss the steadying pressure that comes with sail and deep keels, we also love the extended comfort at anchor that a trawler offers.
 
Our family trawler had steadying sails. 39ft and 17 tonne in the slings. They very rarely reduced the roll much at all.
A bit of fun to use and looked salty, but no other benefit.
1.JPG
 
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