geohan,
I did read that posting first, and it was very helpful, but it seemed to address the issue of a bad vs. good bottom. I know from first hand experience that a shaggy bottom can cost you BIG TIME in speed. We were racing a Beneteau First 38 that had not had the bottom scrubbed in a month. It was like we were towing an
anchor!!!
The bottom of the Melges is smooth as can be right now as gelcoat, as it has always been drysailed. I am trying to figure out if we use something like VC-17 or Baltoplate for the bottom (so we can keep it in the water from May to September), will their be a significant difference in performance. Any insight there???