Apologies for the misunderstanding.

I now appreciate that it is more of a reflection on the type of people who sail the boat, than of the vessel itself.

Is that some outlandish Scandanavian oath?

I was just thinking, what with al the debate about womens olympic classes and what not, how about the Tasar replacing the 470, the 29xx for mixed crews, the 49er for men, the Byte CII for ladies, 79er as mens and womens keel boat, eerrrr and i suppose we could stick with the laser for men, for now.

The following public service announcement was bought to you in association with Bethwaite boats inc.  I'm sure there is a serious point in here somewhere? 

Pity then its a 35 year old NS14

Hi Guys

who are all you Tasar Fans ? will we see you at our events? The new sails are a blast and transform the boat in 15 Knots+

Woulkd be great to see you at our events

Rod Tasar 351 58 kg upwind planning boat and 25 yrs old!!

Hi DS

I can loan you a Tasar no problem.

 Unfortunately, despite our relaxed approach to self certified measurement I think the Cherub would be spotted !

Go on give give the Tasar a go , Despite all of its 30 year old faults !!

Borrow a Tasar for the Nationals, I'd love too!

Ben, will you crew?

Hi Tickel

I use the big North American style clam cleats CL207 on the kicker, it never falls out and is easy to adjust. Alternatively the new clam cleat keepers should also solve your problem. The new jib has a halyard so a mere £750 for a set of the sexy mylar sails could make you look even cooler and be class legal.

Derbys not far from Oxford. There will be a training day there in July, just arranging now. There are 3 new boats there this season, 5 in total. Another one will be at Bartley when the 3 boats there can get a date sorted. Hope you can get to one of them.

Tim Knight

I'm not sure about the vintage car comparison.  Most old cars I've owned/driven are pretty dreadful.  I think the Tasar, although being 30,  is probably better than many popular modern one designs.   Its design brief ( sparkling performance, no kite, light weight, non macho crews, etc),  and its subsequent execution/production did not come about by accident or back of a fag packet doodle.  Its a direct result of the clear understanding of performance sailing dinghies by the designer, Fank Bethwaite.  Its a case of technical excellence over marketing

It then comes as no surpise that the 49er & 29er are winners.  The 59er is a dark horse and I see the Tasar history is repeating its self.    The B14 is 20 years or so old but nevertheless a brilliant design. 

Take  look at the Bethwaite web site.  Thankfully, their boats are better than the web site.  This company is pushing performance sailing into new areas and for that I applaud them. 

Hi guys

It might be thirty years old but they do last very well. Iam after a very cheap Tasar in repairable condition  parts or hull only, any leads to abandoned boats or bits would be greatly apppreciated. I would be prepared to travel long distances. Thanks guys

Rod  Ph 01276 29158

There is what appears to be an abandoned red Tasar in the boat park at Datchet Water SC.

It used to look OK but has suffered over at least 10 years oof neglect. I think that the mast (perhpas just the top section) is bent.

Call the club office and see if it's abandoned or they have the owner details ?

Good luck

Richard

[QUOTE=damp_freddie] [QUOTE=Isis] [QUOTE=damp_freddie]
While the 59er will make light work of 505s and cherubs etc in under 10 knts

Yeah, you won't be planing, the 59er will. The tasar will upwind too.

Quoe:
' A light crewed up tasar will plane up wind  in 9knts breeze.'

Come on- this is getting daft. A Tasar will not plane, productively, upwind in a f 3 (unless by 'upwind' you mean a close reach).

Not many modern high performance dinghies will plane upwind in 9 true knots of breeze.

Having sailed one for a few years I can confirm that they will plane upwind when its really blowing hard but you need at least a Force 4 for it to be worthwhile.

They are great boats and offer fantastic performance for effort required but do have limitations.

When it was breezy we would get blitzed upwind by 470s, Contenders etc.

When it was light they would struggle to hold time gainst Larks, Sorpions, Albacores etc.

Lets not make people think that the performance is skiff - like etc

"Sailing in sub 10 knots is boring"

Isn't the above why we go racing, so there is need to concentrate to make the boat go at its optimum speed whatever the wind strength? Things get boring if on your own in light winds (or I get bored, anyway - some people love to drift) but add some other boats to race against and the boredom should go away, even if it isn't exactly replaced by an adrinalin rush - more by the urge to go faster than your rivals and the satisfaction that brings.

Getting bored will make you loose concentration, which in turn will mean you sail slower, which means you will be beaten by your rivals, which means you will get more bored, and do even worse.

Maybe if speed is all to you, you should take up motorbike racing? 

(Sorry, my 4 year old has just discovered the "Boring" word, and I'm getting a little pi$$ed off with it...)

Hold on a tick. Speaking for the 59er - not the Tasar. We are now faster than 505s in all conditions. Closest is 12 - 15 knots less than that we beat them by nearly half a leg - just did it last weekend. Over 15 we are faster as well. (We just have more difficulty staying upright) Haven't sailed against UK Cherub or B14. I suspect that it would be a close thing against these boats with different boats winning in different conditions.

We have fitted a trapeze and that fixes the performance problem that used to be there in 13 knots plus of breeze. I'm not knocking the other boats either just stating facts.

We don't try to plane upwind until the breeze is at least a steady 15 knots plus. 

ok i have not sailed a tasar but would love a go in one

after reading all this are looking at the class websitei am turning into a bit of a fan

copmlue of things i would like to know i know you get 35 boats at nats last year but how meany do you consitonly get at opens

and i gaver by all the talk they proferm best on handy cap in light linds agenst 505s b14ect

but what is there best wind for going agenst boats like phontoms 420s rs 200 laser 2000 ect

thanks jamie

well last time i could only just get the kite up then planing then down befor i went up then bank and into the bar

so i wont be bring it ithere in a hury but i am only sailing at opens fot the rest of the year as i am at the top

but at the end of this year im going to sell it as my m8 that sails his is moving on to a 700

hi Guys, 

I have been sailing as an average standard  Tasar sailor for the past seven years in handicap mode at QMSC . Their best handicap wind strength is above 12 knots. They DO NOT sail well against the likes of RS 200, Phantoms, Scorpions and Flying 15's in sub 12 knots but course format has a big impact. We are almost unbeatable on a windy M course.  In a windy Black Rock Pursuit and QMSC pursuit I finished 20 mins (corrected) in front of a quality sailed RS 200, beat all RS 400 and finished 5th overall to RS 700s and Dart cats. The winder it is the better they sail to their handicap and all without a kite or trapeze  they are also rated as one of the most comfortable hiking boats ever built. Dont know where the light wind comments come from, certainly not QMSC experience.

Consequently they are popular with Parent child and  couples combos and frequently sailed as second boats.

 A 140kg combo will plane up wind in force four on inland water. Ignore all other comments on the threads!! A 165kg combo will plane up wind in force four but will be left behind on tight reaches and dead down wind against the lighter Tasar crews.

My boat is over 25 years old, weighs 58kg cost less than £500 and as a class we get 35 boats at Nationals. So please somebody please explain why people still buy over weight slow expensive RS200s. Something to do with marketing B*** S*** Have you ever weighed a 200 and compared it with the manufacturers figures. Try it you will be surprised!!

New Boats are now readily available, and with the new Mylar sails they really are one of sailings best kept secrets, but, a technical niche boat just read Franks book

Yes they do have faults but it was designed with racing pedigree above marketing B S. Any body wanting a trial sail is welcome to sail my boat and we can always arrange loans  for Nationals attendence.

Rod Porteous Tasar 351

Porteous

say if you wanted to get a boat to go and win opens and the nats how much money would you have to spend on geting a boat and what kind of sail number would you need

ow yer and i read some wart that the new sails have made a big diffrence to the prorformance so dose that mean now if you want to win you need them

Hi 5420

You could win the Nationals in my Boat no problem, purchased at £500 replacement bits and pieces sub £100, Mylar sails £650.Or you could buy off the shelf new boat 6.5k they are superb and built  to a very high quality by Bethwaite boats. However I also run 2  no 29ers and a Topper so my sailing has to be on a budget!! Lucky kids eh!

Recently some really top quality boats went for well under 1.5 -2k.race ready in Dacron mode  But there is always the over priced tat about, seek class association advice first

Boat weight is a much debated class issue and I have strong views but not necessarily correct. In my view Light is best, early boats were 58 kgs and can still be found with  help from those in the know, the weight steadily increased and a book can be written about the changes . For a short period some 80 kg barges were built.Current class rules is 68Kg. Up end the boat onto its transom and put onto a bathroom scale to weigh. Try that with an RS 200 single handed!! But condition must also be taken into consideration

In drifter, sub 2 knot Dacrons probably best, 1 -20 Knots Mylar best. 20-25 Knots equal. Above 25 I think, but only marginal, Dacrons take over due to greater ability to change shape but in this strength  I need some more practice.

The  real  advantage of the Trannies is the increased visibility which makes sailing the boat so much easier, just ask any windward mark port tack barger!! mentioning no names!!

A well sailed Dacron boat will still beat a less well sailed Trannie boat.Same old story, its the man on the stick.

The Tasar is a very Techy boat, it really is a triumph of racing design over marketing. Ignore the horror stories and sail one in 20 Knots and you will be guaranrteed to be knocked flat by its performance.

If you are near QMSC you are welcome to a trial sail

Rod

i probly wont get one but i was thinking i would love to sail one with my bro at the nssa to see if we could win it

and i must admit they look relly cool but it would be the same story as my 29er i had i would have an awsome boat with no one to sail it woth

"A 140kg combo will plane up wind in force four on inland water"

At last a single-hander which I can sail without going on a diet!

Gordon!

Porteus is correct about the Tasars exceptionally clever design - and the fact that you can get a fully competitive boat occasionally at bargain prices.  £ 1k would be tough but not impossible but £ 2k is relatively easy and at £3k its almost a certainty - He was lucky to find a very good one going for a song but older Tasar's do not seem to age in the way that some manufacturers suggest (as they try and tempt you with a new hull every few years !)  Generally worst case a bit of DIY and a set of new sails might be required - say £ 700 - compare that with the alternatives but the mains do last very well so maybe just a jib ....

It's a tough boat to sail on handicap in lighter winds here in the UK, it takes time to adjust to its demands,  but you just have to try one to appreciate why it seems to turn ordinary sailors into class fanatics.  Anyway who can get too excited about winning any race let alone a handicap one in near drifter type conditions.   When it blows it's fantastic and will embarrass any number of current SMOD's occasioanally both on the water and on handicap.  Why no recent UK SMOD manufacturer has not pinched many of its key concepts is a complete mystery !   It's relatively simple and if it had been better marketed in the UK back in the late 70's and early 80's would have become a major class here as it is in a number of other countries.  

It will still be a refined international class and gently growing  when many of the current SMOD favorites here have been quietly dumped by manufacturers.  Overweigh and over-hyped many current UK SMOD designs will continue to struggle in the future to make the transition to becoming truly international.   It took the bethwaites to show that (near) SMOD's could be both truly innovative and exciting and international in appeal and any new package has to be at least as good as most of their ones to make it.

The Tasar did it decades ago, was years ahead of its time then and still sets the highest standards even today - it is simply one of the very best of any age, a veritable design classic.

Blaze 720

Hi guys,

5420, If you want to win at the NSSA you need to start practicing in a Tasar NOW as they are really tricky boats, a couple of top squaddies jumped into one at the Whitstable Nationals and really strugged to get decent results, and they were good sailors! If it howls you will trounce other boats particuarly at Bassenthwaite which is a gusty inland location for this years NSSA . If you are really serious about the NSSA and a competent sailor we might be able to sort a lone boat.

Light wind TASAR sailing is all about main sail twist, pull the traveller fully up to the wind ward side, boom just off centre line and light mainsheet tension such that the boom just rises above the horizontal. Mast rake should be at the most vertical of the tolerance range and rig tension soft such that the leeward shroud goes loose , looks odd but it works. Slack jib luff so wrinkles are appearing. With Dacron jib the jib car should be two clicks out and jib tension constantly adjusted as an over tight hooked leech kills speed. Jib slot and sheeting makes a huge differance. Iam still playing with Trannie settings for light wind and so can not comment yet.

The Crew and helm should be fully forward with the leward gunwale about 75mm above the Water line.

 The helm should tack in front of the main sheet and thwart, face backwards leave the main sheet alone and use the traveller ropes to tack as if you were sailing a transom sheeted boat,  place your feet either side of the thwart to control boat role. Due to the flat aft sections and low rocker the boat does not respond well to roll tacking , its more a case of gentle in and out and smooth actions.The "in front of Thwart"  tacking takes practice but when done correctly gives huge gains.Practice out of sight, cos you can get into all sorts of knots with your crew!!

The above is how to do it, however I hate light wind saiing, get bored and loose concentration, much better to go for a cold beer instead!!

Mike Blaze 720 is spot on, I know of a Tasar for £900 and another for £1500 that are bargins and capable of top performance. If you are seriously interested contact me via class web site.The boat runs with VERY low rig tension which means old boats remain sound, This in fact is a major challenge for the class because people were un willing to buy new boats. However we are now importing new boats from Bethwaite Australia at really low prices and we have just sold five boats. The boat may be bought in Kit form and various packages are available from Signal Locker at various prices.

Tasar-- a well kept secret.

Rod, Tasar 351

Happy birthday Tasar you rank amongst the worlds' greatest sailing dinghies.

However Tasar owners there comes a time when you just can't do it anymore, my solution was to build the JB 5/50, believe me it will keep you in dinghy sailing for many more years.

It costs a lot more than a Tasar,goes a lot faster, its more stable and like a Tasar there's not a lot of go fast stuff to worry about.

If you older Tasar sailors would like to know more email me at mailto:info@jbboatco.com.au - info@jbboatco.com.au