Blaze or Phantom?

Hi Tony,

I am just over 50 years young too and sail a Blaze at Leigh & Lowton. There is currently only one other Blaze here at the club but I've never seen it sail yet. I tried to buy that boat last summer but the owner was initially asking too much. No sooner had I sourced one from Aberdeen did he come back and offer to meet my price, so if you are interested there is a good boat here.

I have also loaned my boat to a Solo sailor a couple of times last month and he is on the look out for an almost new one. I have also heard encouraging noises from another sailor currently sat on the sidelines so maybe we can start to get a fleet going? The CA also regularly have meets at Bala which seems just ideal for the Blaze.

I think that you do need to try the boats that you are interested in and if you get in touch at dawson_steveATbtinternetDOTcom you could come and have a try. Unfortunately I have been recovering from an operation so haven't been there for a few weeks but I am mended now!

I was initially interested in an RS100 but could't afford one, looked at Phantoms and talked to people at dinghy show who told me you needed epoxy hull and carbon fibre mast - couldn't afford that either. The RS300 I am told is very tricky, though rewarding to sail - I didn't think I was agile enough so struck that off too! That left me with the Blaze which was reccomended by a friend who sails one out of Morecombe and has won lots of events in it. He sailed in our winter series last year a couple of times and did wel lon handicap too!

I have found the Blaze to be well mannered and good fun to sail- I am only an average sailor but have managed to stay pretty close to the two phantoms and half dozen RS300's that have been sailing our winter series this year so think that it is quite capable on an inland lake in the right hands.

If you need any other info just drop me a line at the e-mail address above.

 Tony,  I presume it was yourself who telephone Crosby SC the other day.  If you are thinking about going to the dinghy show, the club will be going there in a mini bus. If you want to go with a gang give us a shout. We may have a few spaces left in the bus.

Originally posted by maxibuddah Tony, as you may see from my sig at the bottom, I sail a Phantom. I have also had a RS300 in my time and enjoyed it immensely (probably the most of all I've owned), however at about 100 kgs I personally would go for a Phantom, at least you might be able to buy one. The Phantom goes exceedingly well in a force 2-3 and only really becomes a struggle in a 5 or above. that said you will feel it in a four too. I've sailed against a very good blaze sailor at Chew Valley and he stood no chance against the Phantom in the lighter winds and likewise we stood no chance in the heavier, so its horses for courses there. Decide which is the wind strength you are most likely to sail in. The Phantom is not that uncomfortable in lighter stuff, no more so than a 300, in fact I spend less time knelt down in the Phantom than I ever did in the 300. It should be said that while you may not perform to PY in the Phantom in heavy stuff it is a very stable boat with the flat aft hull sections and provides a fairly easy ride downwind. As for the chequebook open comment, I feel that you have been misguided. Epoxy boats are about 6-7 years old (sail number 1100+ and plastic are epoxy) and will not be uncompetitive. These are starting about the £4-4.5k mark now so may be within your price range. Polyester boats vary and some are fairly competitive, especially at club level where you may get labelled a PY bandit whatever you do.    As has been said before see if you can try them both out, they both have their merits and will provide you with fun at different times. All I can say I wish you luck in your decision and hope you pick the right one for you. Maxib

Recently faced the same choice and ended up with a used (albeit Epoxy) Phantom.

Both are good boats and the only sure way of knowing what suits you is to sail one.

One big factor for me was suitability for inland sailing ie. good in the lighter stuff and very manoeurvable. Although the rigs are similar sized, the Phantom has less wetted surface area and has a hull shape that allows it to tack very quickly and accelerate back up to speed. The downside is that you do need to hike harder when the breeze is up (although at your weight, which is just a bit more than me that should be no problem).

The Blaze, by it's own admission by the class is not so good in the light stuff (Force 2 is considered it's least competitive wind strength), whereas force 4/5 is where it really starts to get going. The racks obviously allow you to get more power out of the rig in the stronger winds, however you do need to scramble back in off the racks in the type of lulls you get inland.

I dunno, ask a very specific question about bath tubs and get offered advice about toilet seats.

Edited by G.R.F. - 18 Feb 11 at 8:30pm