i think the whole idea of theoretical hull speeds has sorta gone the way of the...uh...square rigged top'sl.
i mean, what difference does it make? Velocity Prediction Programs (VPP)s have made an attempt at rating boats for handicap racing and work reasonably well, but as far as I know the newest rating system that is trying to gain international acceptance, e.g., IRC, is based on a series of VPPs, averaged over a range of conditions and sea state probabilites (the IRC algorithims are a VERY closely guarded secret) [sorry about the spelling of "algorithims"]. People, on this list, can attest to the fact that a C27 will do 9-something knots off a wave front with a chute up in 25-30 knots of breeze. But a better representation of normal speeds assuming a clean, fair bottom and decent sails would be the polars for the boat. (I had them once and then they disappeared into the polarsphere) The bottom line is if you're racing One Design and the guy who started next to you is higher and faster, you're screwed. tf
