Review of Controversy 30

Basic specs.

The Controversy 30 is a sailboat designed by the maritime architect E. Farnham Butler in the early sixties. The Controversy 30 is built by the American yard Mount Desert Yacht Yard.

Here we would have liked to show you nice photos of the Controversy 30.
If you have a photo you would like to share: Upload Image

Looking for a new boat? Find a Controversy 30 or similar boat for sale

Hull

The hull is made of wood.

Rig

The boat equipped with a masthead rig. The advantage of a masthead rig is its simplicity and the fact that a given sail area - compared with a fractional rig - can be carried lower and thus with less heeling moment.

Keel

The Controversy 30 is equipped with a fin keel. A boat with a fin keel is more manoeuvrable but has less directional stability than a similar boat with a long keel.

The boat can enter most marinas as the draft is just about 1.60 - 1.70 meter (5.25 - 5.55 ft) dependent on the load. See immersion rate below.

Sailing characteristics

This section covers widely used rules of thumb to describe the sailing characteristics. Please note that even though the calculations are correct, the interpretation of the results might not be valid for extreme boats.

Stability and Safety

What is Capsize Screening Formula (CSF)?

The capsize screening value for Controversy 30 is 0.97, indicating that this boat could - if evaluated by this formula alone - be accepted to participate in ocean races.

Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed

What is Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed?

The theoretical maximal speed of a displacement boat of this length is 6.9 knots. The term "Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed" is widely used even though a boat can sail faster. The term shall be interpreted as above the theoretical speed a great additional power is necessary for a small gain in speed.

Immersion rate

The immersion rate is defined as the weight required to sink the boat a certain level. The immersion rate for Controversy 30 is about 89 kg/cm, alternatively 503 lbs/inch.
Meaning: if you load 89 kg cargo on the boat then it will sink 1 cm. Alternatively, if you load 503 lbs cargo on the boat it will sink 1 inch.

Sailing statistics

This section is statistical comparison with similar boats of the same category. The basis of the following statistical computations is our unique database with more than 26,000 different boat types and 350,000 data points.

Motion Comfort Ratio

What is Motion Comfort Ratio (MCR)?

The Motion Comfort Ratio for Controversy 30 is 64.2.

Comparing this ratio with similar sailboats show that it is more comfortable than 100% of all similar sailboat designs. This is a comfort value significantly above average.

L/B (Length Beam Ratio)

What is L/B (Length Beam Ratio)?

The l/b ratio for Controversy 30 is 5.76.

Compared with other similar sailboats it is slimmer than 100% of all other designs. It seems that the designer has chosen a significantly more speedy hull design. This type of design is also referred to as 'needle'.

D/L (Displacement Length Ratio)

What is Displacement Length Ratio?

The DL-ratio for Controversy 30 is 261 which categorizes this boat among 'light crusers & offshore racers'.

46% of all similar sailboat designs are categorized as heavier. A heavy displacement combined with smaller water plane area has lower acceleration and is more comfortable.

SA/D (Sail Area Displacement ratio)

What is SA/D (Sail Area Displacement ratio)?

The SA/D for Controversy 30 with ISO 8666 reference sail is 13.9, with a 135% genua the SA/D is 16.3.

The SA/D ratio indicates that it is faster than 21% of all similar sailboat designs in light wind.

Maintenance

Bottom Paint

When buying anti-fouling bottom paint, it's nice to know how much to buy. The surface of the wet bottom is about 20m² (215 ft²).
Based on this, your favourite maritime shop can tell you the quantity you need.

Note: If you use a paint roller you will need more paint than if you use a paintbrush.

Rig

Dimensions of sail for masthead rig.

Are your sails worn out? You might find your next sail here: Sails for Sale

If you need to renew parts of your running rig and is not quite sure of the dimensions, you may find the estimates computed below useful.

**Guiding dimensions of running rig**
Usage	Length		Diameter
Mainsail halyard	25.1 m	(82.5 feet)	10 mm	(3/8 inch)
Jib/genoa halyard	25.1 m	(82.5 feet)	10 mm	(3/8 inch)
Spinnaker halyard	25.1 m	(82.5 feet)	10 mm	(3/8 inch)
Jib sheet	9.5 m	(31.2 feet)	12 mm	(1/2 inch)
Genoa sheet	9.5 m	(31.2 feet)	12 mm	(1/2 inch)
Mainsheet	23.8 m	(77.9 feet)	12 mm	(1/2 inch)
Spinnaker sheet	20.9 m	(68.6 feet)	12 mm	(1/2 inch)
Cunningham	4.3 m	(14.0 feet)	10 mm	(3/8 inch)
Kickingstrap	8.5 m	(28.0 feet)	10 mm	(3/8 inch)
Clew-outhaul	8.5 m	(28.0 feet)	10 mm	(3/8 inch)

Boat owner's ideas

This section shown boat owner's changes, improvements, etc. Here you might find inspiration for your boat.

Do you have changes/improvements you would like to share? Upload a photo and describe what to look for.

Finally

We are always looking for new photos. If you can contribute with photos for Controversy 30 it would be a great help.

If you have any comments to the review, improvement suggestions, or the like, feel free to contact us. Criticism helps us to improve.

References

[Ref 1]: ISO 8666 Small craft — Principal data.
[Ref 3]: ISO 12215-5 Small craft — Hull construction and scantlings.