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Review of Arrow (S&S)


Basic specs.

sail specifications
The Arrow (S&S) is a small sailboat designed by the American maritime architect bureau Sparkman & Stephens in the late thirties.

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Hull

The hull is made of wood.


Rig

The Arrow (S&S) is equipped with 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 gennaker or a spinnaker for optimal speed.


Keel

CentreBoard

The Arrow (S&S) is equipped with a centreboard keel. A centreboard keel is a pivoting lifting keel, allowing to sail both coastal and inland waters.

The boat can enter even shallow marinas as the draft is just about 0.69 - 0.79 meter (2.26 - 2.56 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 Arrow (S&S) is 2.27, indicating that this boat would not 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 5.7 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 Arrow (S&S) is about 67 kg/cm, alternatively 380 lbs/inch.
Meaning: if you load 67 kg cargo on the boat then it will sink 1 cm. Alternatively, if you load 380 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 Arrow (S&S) is 8.7.

Low High 14% 0 50 100
Comparing this ratio with similar sailboats show that it is more comfortable than 14% 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 Arrow (S&S) is 3.61.

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 Arrow (S&S) is 50%.

Low High 88% 0 50 100
This ballast ratio shows a righting moment that is higher than 88% 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 Arrow (S&S) is 88 which categorizes this boat among 'ultra light racers'.

Heavy Light 92% 0 50 100
92% 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 Arrow (S&S) with ISO 8666 reference sail is 26.6, with a 135% genua the SA/D is 29.9.

Low High 97% 0 50 100
The SA/D ratio indicates that it is faster than 97% of all similar sailboat designs in light wind.


Over- / underrigged

Low High 98% 0 50 100
The Arrow (S&S) has more rig than 98% of all similar sailboats, which indicates that the boat is significantly overrigged.


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 13m2 (139 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 headsail 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
UsageLengthDiameter
Mainsail halyard 19.8 m(64.9 feet)8 mm(5/16 inch)
Jib/genoa halyard19.8 m(64.9 feet)8 mm(5/16 inch)
Spinnaker halyard19.8 m(64.9 feet)8 mm(5/16 inch)
Jib sheet 6.6 m(21.7 feet)10 mm(3/8 inch)
Genoa sheet6.6 m(21.7 feet)10 mm(3/8 inch)
Mainsheet 16.5 m(54.2 feet)10 mm(3/8 inch)
Spinnaker sheet14.5 m(47.7 feet)10 mm(3/8 inch)
Cunningham3.0 m(10.0 feet)8 mm(5/16 inch)
Kickingstrap6.1 m(20.0 feet)8 mm(5/16 inch)
Clew-outhaul6.1 m(20.0 feet)8 mm(5/16 inch)

Boat owner's ideas

This section is reserved boat owner's modifications, improvements, etc. Here you might find (or contribute with) inspiration for your boat.

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



Finally

We are always looking for new photos. If you can contribute with photos for Arrow (S&S) 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