29er bad move???

Give Ron a call;

http://www.mustoskiff.com/dealer-details/usa-and-canada.htm

He has used boats as well as new.

 I sail a 29er singlehanded, which can be very exciting at the best of times. I weigh 11 stone (70KG) and apart from tearing my hands to pieces trying to control kite and main simultaneously it is fabulous fun. Though I'm not always competitive in the local club racing-- who cares when you can have that much fun!-- I can sail it reasonbaly up to the borderline of about force 4 but beyond that you just have to spend too much time luffing the main to get anywhere. I've only sailed it on lakes so far where the wind is particularly gusty and I reckon in more stable winds I could sail up to a higher wind strength.

What I will say, you'll have a fabulous time provided you can move around a boat quickly  and it never stops me from grinning, and if you want to get seriously competitve, get a crew!

PS get double tiller extensions fitted (1.7m long) when single handing it otherwise you can't reach the tiller from the wire!)

Encouraging news there - especially as 2nd hand 29ers cost less than laser's new Vago and look so much more cool.

Single handing a Laser 3k, I've found the main doesn't do much with the kite powered up, so can pretty much be cleated around a close reach position and forgot about.  Oops, no cleat on a 29er - but someone was suggesting a boom mounted cleat?  Goer or not?

Also, how do you tack / gybe with a double extension?  Drop it, run, hope and pick up again? Or what? I'm used to taking mine with me.

Presumably the 29erX won't be single handable!!!! Unless you're Mr J Bethwaite that is.

Why not?  All you need to do is make a small bracket to fit the cleats to...

Alternatively you have to get very good at tying a quick slip knot in the mainsheet to stop it going out too far once you have hoisted the kite.

It is also class legal to put a standard ratchet block & swivel with a cleat on the floor of the boat (attached to the central grab rail) if you prefer sheeting from the floor rather than direct from the boom.

I've tried to think of different ways to cleat the main, and the only one I can come up with is a free rotating ratchet block with an adjustable angled cleat plate on it. The trouble is that when you cleat it off it would probably tie itself into aknot on the boom as the block is not fixed down. there's no other way that I can think of as you need the block on the boom to be flexible in order to get the correct purchase angles.

With regards to twin tillers, they are essential and yes you do momentarily let go of the tiller through the tack or jibe- but only for an instant. The other advantage is that when setting the kite, provided that the hull is flat on the water, you can let go of the tillers as there is enough resistance between the two of them across the stern that they hold the ruder straight whilst you hoist the kite- gets a bit iffier as the wind increases as it is really important to keep the hull flat on the water.