Plastic Fantastics

Sumo said ....."just to pour more fuel to the fire, in the latest copy of Y&Y they reported that Topper was to stop making GRP boats to concentrate on the plastic ones. That means an end to the Byte and Blaze unless some one else picks up the design, which is something worth posting about!"

The 'press' could have checked things out a bit better - possibly by asking Topper, the 'design rights' owners (who are quite independent) or even the Blaze class association .....  (I thougth that's what journalism was about ..checking the facts etc etc).

With regard to the Blaze at least some 'reports of its demise' have been greatly overdone etc even if by omission !  There are at least THREE different groups who want to build the boat, having formally registered interest and the class has a very rosy future in store with whichever one get it.  This rather confirms the obvious fact that the class is growing rapidly and just beginning to realise its full potential.

Topper have also made it clear that production has NOT stopped in any case and they will continue to build to order until the new builder takes over in the next couple of months.  Their policy change was simply recognition that their future is in committing themselves to their rapidly expanding plastic range.  The only difficulty for them was that the Blaze, amongst their GRP range, was still selling very well.  However they decided that they would find it increasingly difficult to ride two very different types of horses well.  

Focus is the name of the game in the emerging dinghy market and it will be interesting to see how others fare with this issue in the future.   For the Blaze at least it will be a new and very exciting beginning with a new (GRP only!) builder however the boat itself will be unchanged.  

Blaze Class Association 

 

Originally posted by Black no sugar We could always ask feva_kid to go on a mission and investigate at length the adverse effects of the 45ºC he's enduring on his favourite Feva. I'd be happy to donate water bottles and suncream, just for him to step outside and have a break from the forum.

i do have that break from the fourm.i go skiing!and my laser 2 has gone soft from the heat over the years. the toppers are starting too.but the fevas are onlky a year old so no.the vagos at the other club are going soft.

I get that exact same thing with the Vareo!

Over the winter, someone had left the bungs in a few of the club toppers, so one crisp windless day we noticed, and opened them ... It sounded like an airbed deflating, and you could hear the hull cracking back into shape.

Its a good test of wether they are airtight though :P

Pico's and Topaz's seem to survive OK at sailing centres in the med, it's the windsurfing sails that really get it. Sunsail's policy of not having covers for their high performance boats is questionable though!

I have no idea why they have come up with this current craze for plastic boats they are awful. Find the pico, topper and other with a free standing mast are fine but who decided to put strouds on a plastic boat they are awful.  Did anyone tell them plastic flexes!!!!

For the last 2 years Ive worked abroard in two differnt centres in hot weather on both occasions we had fevas out of 20 in both centres over 10 split in the stern either below the bottom gudgen or where the stern is narrowest for the self draining cockpit.  as well as this the masts filled up with mud (not cap on top of mast) so were inherently unstable (even when the hulls did not fill with water due to the splits in them) and the sailed lasted all of about 3 weeks before falling to bits .  I spend ages fixing them wit lots of silcon sealant and stainless steel plates trying to stop the flexing. Fevas and other plastic boats are with shrouds are the worst idea in a long time.