D-Zero

For the month of April 2013 I was fortunate to have sole use of the D-Zero prototype "Punk". I consider myself to be an average club sailor and am in my mid-50s. I primarily sailed the boat at Grafham Water during this period, and have also sailed her on open water in decent waves, and in estuaries and rivers, in winds ranging from 5kts to gusting 30kts.

Edited by sandgrounder - 13 Feb 14 at 12:31pm

Originally posted by SimonW99 Originally posted by Blue One Originally posted by The Moo Originally posted by Blue One Originally posted by yellowwelly out of curiosity, what would it need to do to make you want to change from the lightning/moth/laser... or what are you hoping for from the RS-0 to be significantly different? Simple, I want laser like sailing experience but with a better, more controllable rig. Didn't your Supernova fulfil that requirement? No. You should know, you have seen me sail it.  The m7 mast is far to stiff for a light weight like me, even the fat boys in the British moth fleet wouldn't use one. My ideal boat has to have the speed of a laser, crossed with the rig control a have with the moth or the lightning." Not sure I understand that with the Supernova. It offers a much greater ability to depower than virtually anything I have sailed before. One of the frequent champions has won Nationals in big winds and is under 75kg so unless you are superfly would have thought it wouldn't be an issue.   With the cunningham full on and the forestay dropped back I can sail it flat and unfeathered up to 18 knots and yet still can be fully powered at 8 knots. Mast is reasonably stiff I 'd agree, but the controls more than compensate. It gives me a greater control range than my Laser with two sails.  I realise that thin flexi carbon masts are a simpler and increasingly cheap way of extending the broadness of the power range, but I have yet to sail one that matches the range that can be generated by a good traveller (d-one, megabyte) , or adjustable forestay ( Supernova, Phantom, etc ) when combined with a decent cunningham set up.

Edited by Blue One - 13 Feb 14 at 1:22pm

Sorry, if you think I was dissing the supernova, I wasn't. It's a great boat, so much better than a laser, but just not for me.

Originally posted by iGRF Originally posted by SimonW99 hiking is strictly forbidden. Hiking should be forbidden, ungainly, uncool, ungentlemanly, toilet style knafness, everything bad about the sport, right there, if man should be outside of the boat then he should be supported, by rack or wire.

Perching ones rear on a wing is far more dignified then dangling off wires or dealing with the corner turning knightmare that is the sliding seat