Been Sailing my H-17 for 15 years in all conditions. On the H-17, the wings rarely stuff into waves. We are launching off the tops going to weather. Also, righting is not a problem, just be patient, it will come over. Caleb

Wings are great for recreational sailing, cruising, family boat, etc.

But I just have to say something about wings vis-a-vis racing. Most of the popular beachcats require getting crew weight forward for best performance in the kinds of relatively light-air conditons experienced in most parts of the country. Wings add weight aft of the mast, which is only beneficial in heavy air and make it pretty impossible to get enough crew weight forward to keep the sterns from dragging in most light or moderate wind conditions.

In addition, the way in which the wings are attached to the boat make it very difficult for the crew to get forward on the bow of the boat -- knee-knocker, shin-cracker -- to counteract the weight. And when the crew is required to keep moving forward and aft on the boat to keep the boat balanced properly, you can forget it if there are wings attached.

For our seminars, if someone is coming with a two-person boat that has wings, we usually recommend that they take them off for the seminar, because otherwise they are not going to be able to learn the basics of proper weight distribution. And leaving them on would be cruel and unusual punishment for the crew.

All the wings that I have seen come right up, if not further, than the front crossbar.

Can you trap out on non-winged boats fore of the crossbeam?

You can trap out as far forward as your trapeze wire will allow you to go. But you need something to hold onto to keep you from flying backward.

My crew frequently traps forward of the front crossbeam on my 6.0na because it has soooo much volume in the bows. Rarely do (did) they trap so far forward on my 5.2 but they sometimes stradled the front beam.

Jon, your line over the wing will not make a difference in the righting of the boat until the upper wing clears the vertical plane of the upper hull... mast about 45 degrees to water or until the righting line doesn't touch the hull. Probably could use a diagram... here is one that is close to the same reason...

http://home.columbus.rr.com/teamteets/catright.html

The text at the bottom describes the line placement.

Who knew, thanks for the detailed explanation. All I knew was the boat came over with no problem related to the wings. Thanks again Mike.

excuse me but even you hot shot racers are recreational sailors. i mean really who gets paid for bouy bouncing? back to the wing thing- wings are the best thing since they invented crew!

As a recreational sailor, I have to agree with others that have shown a preference for wings. (I sail a H18M, with the shorter wings.) My wife and 7 year old love them. The wings really came in handy while crossing Tahoe last year when the wind kicked in hard and there was 3 foot chop. As a racer, my experience has been thus: 1- In really really light air, thank goodness I've had them - great paddling platforms, 2- in moderate air the wings are 40 lbs extra and don't add to performance, 3- in really good winds (20+), the extra leverage really allows you to push the boat hard by keeping it flat and ultimately results in less depowering while heading upwind, and more rear leverage when flying downwind.
In the end, check the conditions you sail in and contrast that with the type of sailing you do. Hell, you can always take those loungers off in 15 minutes.
Best Regards-

tell that to the solo sailor

Mary,
I must disagree with your generalization regarding wings and racing. Yes, in light air, they are a disadvantage, but in stronger wind...12 and above...they have proved to help in two ways on our Mystere 6.0: first, my crew can trap on the wing and add much more leverage and second, going up-wind, he uses the wing support for additional leverage up front. Maybe its the hobie wings you were referring to or maybe its my limited experience as opposed to the experts in Key Largo, but we use 'em and love 'em.
John

for me, the weight of the wings are a mixed blessing. I don't know how much the H17 wings weigh, but like I said before I have no problem picking them up with my pinky. However, I'm about as skinny as a beanpole at 6'6" and a shy bit over 170, I can use all the weight I can get honestly. In light air, its easy to take them off too

Boiler70, it sounds like you are agreeing with me rather than disagreeing, because my post referred specifically to the light and shifty wind conditions which are experienced in most parts of the country in the summer. And I am certainly not an expert -- I'm just giving my personal opinion as a crew who has had some very bruising experiences with the wings on Hobies. And it is not the wings themselves that are the problem -- it is those things that attach them to the boat. I am sure the real problem is that I am just not young and agile enough.

Yeah, I was agreeing with you.

Sorry if it sounds like I was not, in an act of defiance, I am refusing to take my medication