Sensible boats?

Originally posted by JimC Originally posted by Matt Jackson The problem now is that I think it is undercanvassed and want a bit more for the light stuff. When you think about it its quite ridiculous to expect to carry the same rag in 30 knots as in 3 knots - the side force is what, 100 times greater?

I guess, but some boats manage it better than others. Does a boat that is 'sailable' in 3kts and 30kts always going to be dull do you think?

Of the boats mentioned here (IMO) Contender - Dog below 8kts. Fireball - Dull below 8kts. AC - unsailable in 25kts?. Phantom - unsailable in 25kts?

I know everyone will disagree and I don't want to hijack this thread so I'll start another - here

Edited by Matt Jackson

I know that some like to take the safe road but if you never push the envelope, you never find out how far you can go. Racing and high performance sailing is not all there is to sailing by any means but I'd hate to think of a life without extreme boats and extreme sailors to sail them. I have both worlds. I have a Swift to push the envelope and a lead mine for when I want to dring a cold one and sail with the family. Having the Swift to master has rekindled my love for sailing and my lust for life. To not have tried to build and sail the Swift because it was out of my league would have been the biggest mistake of my life. At 104kg and 40+ years, I could be concidered too old and big to go there but I'm glad I did.

I'm guessing the Swift Solo...

Originally posted by tickel My son, Lightning 368 national champ in 2005 got bored over the winter and bought a Magnum 8 Moth. What fun on a small lake, speed and splashes. When he broke it for the umpteenth time in two months he got his old Lightning out again. Bliss, he could think tactcs instead of survival and sail with delicacy and finnesse. He then won the Lightning Nationals 2006. Result, back in the bl**dy moth. There must be a moral in this story. I just carry on mending it.

One question I would have is did the time in the Moth help with the Lightning? I have a friend with an FD and he was alway complaining about how his crew didn't have good wind sense and did not move well. His crew tried to sailboard and returned a much better crew for the time. I think he gave up sailboarding but the lessons stuck.

There is nothing wrong with returning to your roots and first love. Sometimes you have to get a little strange stuff to apreciate what you had.

I live inland and if I were at the ocean, it would depend on where I could sail. If there were a good beach access and some protected water, I'd still go for it.

The marina I normally sail out of is one of the worst for launching a small high performance boat. There is very little room between the docks and the breakwater is so high that very little wind that you can use makes it down to the water. I hope they make a ramp to the beach outside the marina sometime soon.