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Review of H-Boat


H-Boat
H-Boat anno 1972.


Basic specs.

sail specifications
The H-Boat aka H-vene or H-Boot is a sailboat designed by the Finnish maritime architect Hans Groop in the late sixties. Several thousand boats have been produced. The H-Boat is built by the Finnish yard Artekno OY.

Looking for a new boat? Find a H-Boat or similar boat for sale

Hull
Both the hull and the deck is made of fibreglass. Generally, a hull made of fibreglass requires only a minimum of maintenance during the sailing season. And outside the sailing season, just bottom cleaning and perhaps anti-fouling painting once a year - a few hours of work, that's all.

Interior
Interior
Interior of H-Boat anno 1972.
The interior is like most other boats made of teak.
The boat is equipped with one cabin, 4 berths and a galley.
Galley
Galley of H-Boat anno 1972.

Cockpit
Cockpit
Cockpit of H-Boat anno 1972.
Rig
The boat has more than one rig.

One option is a fractional rig. A fractional rig has smaller headsails which make tacking easier, which is an advantage for cruisers and racers, of course. The downside is that having the wind from behind often requires a genaker or a spinnaker for optimal speed.

Keel

The keel is made of iron. Many people prefer lead keel in favour of iron. The main argument is that lead is much heavier than iron and a lead keel can therefore be made smaller which again result in less wet surface, i.e. less drag. In fact iron is quite heavy, just 30% less heavy than lead, so the advantage of a lead keel is often overstated.

H-Boat can enter even shallow marinas as the draft is just about 1.30 - 1.40 meter (4.27 - 4.57 ft) dependent on the load. See immersion rate below.


Engine

An outboard motor is often used on this boat. In that case the boat will typically require a power of 3 - 4 hp, alternatively 64 - 77 lbs thrust if you prefer an electrical motor. Electric outboards are becoming popular for sailboat owners who want clean instant power with less noise and no exhaust fumes.


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 H-Boat is 1.94, 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 6.1 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 H-Boat is about 92 kg/cm, alternatively 515 lbs/inch.
Meaning: if you load 92 kg cargo on the boat then it will sink 1 cm. Alternatively, if you load 515 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 H-Boat is 15.8.

Low High 21% 0 50 100
Comparing this ratio with similar sailboats show that it is more comfortable than 21% of all similar sailboat designs. This is a comfort value significantly below average.


L/B (Length Beam Ratio)

What is L/B (Length Beam Ratio)?

The l/b ratio for H-Boat is 3.80.

Wide Slim 99% 0 50 100
Compared with other similar sailboats it is slimmer than 99% 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'.


Ballast Ratio

What is a Ballast Ratio?

The ballast ratio for H-Boat is 50%.

Low High 90% 0 50 100
This ballast ratio shows a righting moment that is higher than 90% of all similar sailboat designs. A righting moment (ability to resist heeling) significantly above average.


D/L (Displacement Length Ratio)

What is Displacement Length Ratio?

The DL-ratio for H-Boat is 161 which categorizes this boat among 'light racers'.

Heavy Light 85% 0 50 100
85% of all similar sailboat designs are categorized as heavier. A light displacement requires less sailarea and has higher accellerations.


SA/D (Sail Area Displacement ratio)

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

The SA/D for H-Boat with ISO 8666 reference sail is 17.5, with a 135% genua the SA/D is 20.0.

Low High 69% 0 50 100
The SA/D ratio indicates that it is faster than 69% of all similar sailboat designs in light wind.


Over- / underrigged

Low High 92% 0 50 100
The H-Boat has more rig than 92% of all similar sailboats, which indicates that the boat is significantly overrigged.


RSP (Relative Speed Performance)

What is Relative Speed Performance?

The Relative Speed Performance for H-Boat is 73

Slow Fast 73% 0 50 100
The relative speed performance is 73 which means that a it is faster than 73% of all similar sailboat designs.


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 16m2 (172 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 fractional rig.

mainsail specifications genoa specifications spinnaker specifications

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
Fractional rig
UsageLengthDiameter
Mainsail halyard 23.1 m(75.6 feet)8 mm(5/16 inch)
Jib/genoa halyard23.1 m(75.6 feet)8 mm(5/16 inch)
Spinnaker halyard23.1 m(75.6 feet)8 mm(5/16 inch)
Jib sheet 8.3 m(27.2 feet)10 mm(3/8 inch)
Genoa sheet8.3 m(27.2 feet)10 mm(3/8 inch)
Mainsheet 20.7 m(67.9 feet)10 mm(3/8 inch)
Spinnaker sheet18.2 m(59.8 feet)10 mm(3/8 inch)
Cunningham3.0 m(9.8 feet)8 mm(5/16 inch)
Kickingstrap6.0 m(19.7 feet)8 mm(5/16 inch)
Clew-outhaul6.0 m(19.7 feet)8 mm(5/16 inch)
Fractional rig
UsageLengthDiameter
Mainsail halyard 23.1 m(75.6 feet)8 mm(5/16 inch)
Jib/genoa halyard23.1 m(75.6 feet)8 mm(5/16 inch)
Spinnaker halyard23.1 m(75.6 feet)8 mm(5/16 inch)
Jib sheet 8.3 m(27.2 feet)10 mm(3/8 inch)
Genoa sheet8.3 m(27.2 feet)10 mm(3/8 inch)
Mainsheet 20.7 m(67.9 feet)10 mm(3/8 inch)
Spinnaker sheet18.2 m(59.8 feet)10 mm(3/8 inch)
Cunningham3.0 m(9.8 feet)8 mm(5/16 inch)
Kickingstrap6.0 m(19.7 feet)8 mm(5/16 inch)
Clew-outhaul6.0 m(19.7 feet)8 mm(5/16 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 H-Boat 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