Review of Carrera Helmsman

Basic specs.

The Carrera Helmsman aka Carrera is a sailboat designed by the Swedish maritime architect Håkan Södergren in the mid eighties. The Carrera Helmsman is built by Roslagsbatar.

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Hull

The hull is made of fibreglass. Generally, a hull made of fibreglass requires only a minimum of maintenance during the sailing season.

Interior

Note: the boat has also been sold to be self-made/-interiored, which means that the quality of each boat may vary.

Rig

The Carrera Helmsman 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.

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 Carrera Helmsman is 1.52, 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 7.4 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 Carrera Helmsman is about 147 kg/cm, alternatively 828 lbs/inch.
Meaning: if you load 147 kg cargo on the boat then it will sink 1 cm. Alternatively, if you load 828 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 Carrera Helmsman is 26.7.

Comparing this ratio with similar sailboats show that it is more comfortable than 42% of all similar sailboat designs. This comfort value is just below average.

L/B (Length Beam Ratio)

What is L/B (Length Beam Ratio)?

The l/b ratio for Carrera Helmsman is 4.80.

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 Carrera Helmsman is 143 which categorizes this boat among 'ultra light racers'.

90% 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 Carrera Helmsman with ISO 8666 reference sail is 21.8, with a 135% genua the SA/D is 25.1.

The SA/D ratio indicates that it is faster than 92% of all similar sailboat designs in light wind.

RSP (Relative Speed Performance)

What is Relative Speed Performance?

The Relative Speed Performance for Carrera Helmsman is 66

The relative speed performance is 66 which means that a it is faster than 66% of all similar sailboat designs.

Maintenance

Rig

Dimensions of sail for fractional 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	33.8 m	(110.9 feet)	12 mm	(1/2 inch)
Jib/genoa halyard	33.8 m	(110.9 feet)	12 mm	(1/2 inch)
Spinnaker halyard	33.8 m	(110.9 feet)	12 mm	(1/2 inch)
Jib sheet	11.5 m	(37.8 feet)	14 mm	(0.55 inch)
Genoa sheet	11.5 m	(37.8 feet)	14 mm	(0.55 inch)
Mainsheet	28.8 m	(94.4 feet)	14 mm	(0.55 inch)
Spinnaker sheet	25.3 m	(83.1 feet)	14 mm	(0.55 inch)
Cunningham	4.7 m	(15.4 feet)	12 mm	(1/2 inch)
Kickingstrap	9.4 m	(30.8 feet)	12 mm	(1/2 inch)
Clew-outhaul	9.4 m	(30.8 feet)	12 mm	(1/2 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.

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Finally

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References

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