Hello Jake,
The Tornado Sport is 10ft wide and weighs 395 pounds and has 251 sqft of sail area and is sailed by two 160 pound people.
Platform righting moment equals 395 x 10/2 = 1975 ftlbs of righting moment.
People righting moment in the trapeze position equals (2 x 160)(10ft + 2.9ft) = 4128 ftlbs.
Total righting moment equals 1975 + 4128 = 6103 ft lbs.
Righting moment to sail area ratio = 6103/251 = 24.3.
This number right here is why the Tornado runs away and hides from the narrow gauge boats when the wind blows. There are other 20ft boats with similiar weights and sail areas to the Tornado and when the wind is light, they can stay on the same leg as the Tornado, But, let the wind pick up and the Tornado is gone! The Tornado with its superior righting moment to sail area ratio can continue to drive the sails hard as the wind builds while the narrow gauge boats have to depower.
Designing a narrow boat with a similiar sail area/plan as the Tornado does two undesireable things to the sailing contest.
First, the narrow boat will be slower than the Tornado in medium and especially heavy winds. Second, the narrow boat will favor heavier sailors more than the Tornado as the wind increases because the narrow boat is overpowered with sail area for its maximum righting moment capability.
Jake, if you had ever sailed a 12ft wide boat, you wouldn't want to go back to 8ft. A fifty percent wider boat will obvisously generate 50% more max righting moment. Fifty percent more max righting moment will generate 50% more max sail thrust out of the same sail area. Fifty percent more sail thrust is WOW! It is like putting a supercharger on the engine in your car and burning nitromethane fuel. It will blow you away with thrills and excitement and speed. To control 50% more horsepower than you ever have before will scare you at first but you will get the hang of it. It will change your attitude toward heavy air sailing and it lets average size people be more competitive when the wind blows. Increasing righting moment by making boats wider is the least expensive go fast there is.
Good Sailing,
Bill
