The Solo

Hmm yes traveller, have tried twice to fashion some crude device, once out of kite chicken loop rope and more recently out of a bit of garden hose, which I found to my general disquiet was not long enough so the traveller kept getting stuck on the wrong side, not that it matters much I generally sheet the boom in by hand and stand up for better effect in those conditions, like proper sailing.

Originally posted by NickM Graeme, Solos are indeed quick in light winds. Something to do with the (relatively) large sail and fully battened rig which helps to keep in shape when the wind won't do that for you. Downwind in a drifter they will keep up with pretty much anything. But in over 12kts you may struggle to sail it anywhere near handicap unless you are over about 80kgs or have a flatish sail. Get an old wooden one and use it on the lake. You will probably find it is under weight too.

The thing is, on paper, boat length, sail size, it shouldn't be anywhere near the EPS, however badly I might be sailing it. Nor are full batten sails renown for light wind performance, the fact was he wasn't just ghosting he was visibly faster, he would have won clean overall if I hadn't gotten in his way, I'm no slouch in those conditions, so it can only really be to do with the underside of the hull as I see it, which could also be why it shoves so much water around when it's windy. The smart money you would think would have been on the nearly new boat, Mildred, crisper sail, younger, presumably stiffer hull one would imagine lighter as well.

It's a bit of a deep V hull isn't it, I've not seen one flipped over, but being designed to be built in ply I assume there's a keel and ribs and the rocker is preformed by the keel, he didn't seem to be heeling it over like the rest of us had to, not only to reduce wetted area, but to keep form in the sail.

I have a big old soft sail now, that should work better in light air, helps me come out of the transitions better without all that thrashing at the boom to get the battens to pop, I didn't notice him having to do anything like that. I made the mistake of fitting a tapered batten in the one full batten that does resist, but nowhere near what the full batten sail is like. I probably made a mistake in applying to much kicker it's the only way I can flatten it off and get the mast to bend (being a gnav) banging loads of Cunnigham is not what I'd tend to do in light air, nor did the Solo appear to have much either and it has those slack shrouds, it's the second time I've come across them, slack shrouds were all the rage in Blazes ever since Steve Cockerill toasted them with a set, although my more likely guess that was the sailor not the settings, it's very difficult to sift through the facts in all this.

Edited by iGRF - 04 Dec 13 at 9:08am

Graeme, Solos are indeed quick in light winds. Something to do with the (relatively) large sail and fully battened rig which helps to keep in shape when the wind won't do that for you. Downwind in a drifter they will keep up with pretty much anything.

But in over 12kts you may struggle to sail it anywhere near handicap unless you are over about 80kgs or have a flatish sail. Get an old wooden one and use it on the lake. You will probably find it is under weight too.

what it is about a bloody Solo that a)Attracts allegedly 100 new boat sales a year, b)makes it so fast in light air even old wooden things & c)Attracts helms like Geoff Carveth who once upon a time had the skill set and self respect to compete in a proper class.(Mistral One Design) 

Originally posted by Rupert New Punks at the Dinghy Show? Where did that come from?

Rumour, conjecture, just trying to flush him out..