K1 - Whats the point?

   Thank you  Slippery Jim,

I live on lake Neuchâtel (Neuenburgersee in German).

I don't race much (about once a year on a friend's boat on lake Geneva).

P.S: I am not a fan of Bertarelli

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koechli Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Newbie Joined: 26 Jan 10 Location: Switzerland Online Status: Offline Posts: 3	Post Options Post Reply Quote koechli Report Post Quote Reply Topic: K1 - Whats the point? Posted: 27 Jan 10 at 8:02pm
	Thank you Slippery Jim, I live on lake Neuchâtel (Neuenburgersee in German). I don't race much (about once a year on a friend's boat on lake Geneva). P.S: I am not a fan of Bertarelli

Slippery Jim Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Really should get out more Joined: 24 Nov 09 Location: Germany Online Status: Offline Posts: 586	Post Options Post Reply Quote Slippery Jim Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 27 Jan 10 at 8:19pm
	Koechli, I´ll pm you. You´re at the other end of CH, but it´s only a few hours drive from Munich. We´ll keep in touch eh? This forum gets very lively but is also quite friendly most of the time, so stay with it and don´t be afraid to ask questions. The answers are often very entertaining too! Cheers! Jim.
	Pass the skiff, man!

Rupert Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Really should get out more Joined: 11 Aug 04 Location: Whitefriars sc Online Status: Offline Posts: 8956	Post Options Post Reply Quote Rupert Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 27 Jan 10 at 8:40pm
	I walked to Lac Neuchatel from a nearby village once about 18 years ago, in the snow. Trying to remember the small lake we were staying by - Mertonsee, or something similar. Beautiful area.
	Firefly 2324, Puffin 229, Minisail 3446 Mirror 70686

NickA Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Really should get out more Joined: 30 Mar 05 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 784	Post Options Post Reply Quote NickA Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 03 Feb 10 at 10:03pm
	Koechli. Have a look here: http://www.vandercraft.co.uk/kayone and here: http://www.k1sailing.com/ I had a good look at the production boat at the boat show in London. For racing, you'd only be allowed one person. For fun sailing I guess you could just about fit two people in it, but there isn't much space - a bit like having two people in a laser. Much faster than a laser up wind as it's very narrow and has >30% more sail area. Probably quicker down wind too as the jib will goosewing right out at 90o. How the hell you get the 65kg bulb keel up, sail it to shore without the keel down and get the boat ashore, I really don't know. Like scowsailor says "Shore crew", probably. Or a nice jetty.
	Javelin 558 Contender 2574

albabe Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Newbie Joined: 06 Feb 10 Online Status: Offline Posts: 4	Post Options Post Reply Quote albabe Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 06 Feb 10 at 8:12am
	The bulb keel weighs 65kg, which means about 50kg with buoyancy of water. Blocks used to raise are 6:1 ratio which means a pull of about 11kg. This assumes that the majority of the bulb remains in the water and there is no friction. The former is likely to be true, but the latter could add quite a bit (anyone who has raised the keel on an Access dinghy will know what I mean!). I therefore conclude that in situ we may be talking about 14kg pull. I suspect that coming in and out is less of a problem than one might expect with two provisos; 1.that the keel does not catch on the kicking strap 2. the tackle can operate on either side of the boom (requires two fastening points on the mast).

scowsailor Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Newbie Joined: 10 Jun 08 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 7	Post Options Post Reply Quote scowsailor Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 06 Feb 10 at 8:36pm
	From the K1 website, FAQ "Can I sail in shallow water with the keel partly up? Yes, we have found that if the keel is raised about half way you can still tack the boat as there is enough movement in the lifting strop to allow the boom to move from side to side. The rudder is lifting too." http://www.k1sailing.com/page7/page7.html So can be tacked with half raised keel. Seems the approach could be to half raise the keel and jump over the side a bit early. Not quite clear if rudder is a dagger lifting rudder or pivoting. Brian

koechli Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Newbie Joined: 26 Jan 10 Location: Switzerland Online Status: Offline Posts: 3	Post Options Post Reply Quote koechli Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 09 Feb 10 at 9:43am
	I asked my questions through the K1 sailing web site and I got a quick and very kind answer from the designer: Paul Handley. He said that you should expect the K1 to be as quick as a Phantom and that it is more comfortable than a Laser because the cockpit is deeper and wider, which I would believe easily. That makes a very nice boat. Too bad that my wife is not convinced to invest yet... Funny enough the price is not the same on the Vandercraft and on the K1 sailing websites... P.S: To Rupert you were probably staying by the Murtensee (good recollection after all these years)

albabe Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Newbie Joined: 06 Feb 10 Online Status: Offline Posts: 4	Post Options Post Reply Quote albabe Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 14 Feb 10 at 8:32am
	I agree with your comments about the team producing the K1. Over the phone, on the net and face to face they have been most pleasant and helpful. I am particularly impressed with the efforts being made to eliminate any weaknesses before going into full production. Following yet more questions from me, I have put my money where my mouth is and paid a deposit. Well done to Vander Craft for filling the gap in the market.

peterthomas Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Newbie Joined: 08 Feb 09 Online Status: Offline Posts: 34	Post Options Post Reply Quote peterthomas Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 15 Feb 10 at 11:12pm
	< http-equiv="Content-" content="text/; charset=utf-8">< name="ProgId" content="Word.">< name="Generator" content="Mrosoft Word 12">< name="Originator" content="Mrosoft Word 12"> I had the pleasure of sailing the K1 on Saturday so I can comment on some of the concerns that have been raised. Actually the answers to most points are on the K1 website (FAQs) so I could just say that the answers are accurate but here are a few observations. First and most important point is that it does sail beautifully and seems fast. Very few other boats out at Datchet on Saturday so hard to be any more precise. Datchet doesn’t have much water in it at the moment (repairing leaks or something) so there is a long slipway with an extra steep section at the bottom. I am 75kgs and 5ft 10ins so not massively well built, but I was able to pull it back up on my own, after a few hours sailing. No need for cranes, winches or teams of helpers. Hauling the keel up on the block and tackle was no problem but this obviously won’t work if the boat is heeled, but then it shouldn’t be in these circumstances should it. So it all works as it is supposed to and, as I say, sails beautifully.

catmandoo Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Visit Member's Homepage Really should get out more Joined: 16 Mar 04 Online Status: Offline Posts: 545	Post Options Post Reply Quote catmandoo Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 16 Feb 10 at 11:21am
	K1 looks pretty good for its purpose and target market . Hopefully though it may inspire others along same lines to my future demographic , would like to think that come the time i'm too arthritic and wrinkled to sail my stealth someone could have developed a K2 , 20 foot , winged with assymetric , bit o flared bow to keep you dry , performance on par with a melges , would be big enough to sail all day and take part in keelboat regattas , they always seem to get better courses and socials (in my neck of the woods - west of scot ) far exceed those normally provided at dinghy events . Yes at that size would need a wee hand to get in and out , but at the age I'm thinking about so would most things Good luck to the K1 hopefully you have started something .