Devotti Single Hander

Originally posted by gerunamo= ] to those who say the boat is ugly, who here has actually brought a boat on the merit that it was pretty , not that it was the right boat for you , or good fleet? g=]

After various boats I swore blind that I would Never buy a bloody wooden boat again as long as i live!, BUT I brought the IC for the reason that it is varnished all over & the only paint is on the seat & centerboard.

However I have never sailed her yet,sliding seat should be fun,cassette rudder should also be a laugh a minute for launching & landing,toe straps are mounted the wrong way ( along the seat rather then along the boat ) & you walk round the back of the boom rather then duck under,So it`s nothing like I have ever sailed before,

So with the proper TLC she will be back on the water,at the back of the fleet!With a helm who completly wrong for the boat, too heavy,too stiff,too set in his way`s ,interesting time ahead! 

So to answer that question - Yes I did & I am glad that I made that decision.

I think that they're really looking at targeting Phantom, possibly Finn and maybe Blaze sailors looking for a bit more of a challenge.  I would have thought that maybe £8k - £9k would probably be as much as they could charge and generate some proper interest?  Don't know how much a new Phantom is, I spent £5500 on mine nearly new a couple of year back.  

Originally posted by gerunamo= ] to those who say the boat is ugly, who here has actually brought a boat on the merit that it was pretty , not that it was the right boat for you , or good fleet? g=]

I would if I could afford to! I'd have undercover storage with a Dragon, a Fairey Finn, a 505, a 22 sq metre, an 18' Jollyboat and anything else that took my fancy, with a roof high enough to rig up in undercover, and a slip leading down to perfect sailing water.

As it is, I sail a Firefly, which is as pretty as any of the above, but I can't claim it as the sole reason. And I sail some boats because they were cheap, not pretty, and happen to be about what is needed at the time.

I also thought it looked good, but my overall impression was of the size of the thing!  Are there really enough big men out there who will spend that sort of money to own such a boat and thus create enough of a racing circuit?  I suspect Alistair is right: terminally niche.

The phantom is on a roll right now (probably a sausage roll ) and has to be much, much easier to transport and set up, as well as being considerably more affordable.

i do from the photos but i couldnt make the show!!