The Solution.

Supernova rakes and in the last couple of years, there have been adjustable lowers to prevent the rig dropping to leeward. Some people swore by it, but as it was usually howling by the time I have much rake on I could never see the benefit.

Originally posted by JimC Originally posted by gordon1277 Everybody says it was Epoxy build that made the Phantom much quicker not the carbon rig. Really? I'd be intrigued to see the evidence for that.

Why repetive and dull? For once people weren't dissing a product but talking sensibly. But maybe that gets dull.

Originally posted by Woodbotherer Ah so in effect you phantomers as well as raking aft you are in fact raking aft and heeling the rig without heeling the boat. I get that, what happens to the pie and cup holders? As to me, I shall try it in this, I just don't normally in anything else I've sailed, did it once in that 500 and felt mad, then that was a weather helming biatch at the best of times and the EPS already feels and looks like its raked too much on it's regular settings in fact I have recently gone more vertical and swear I've got a slightly better turn of speed. So anyone else experience really noisy kickers banging about?

The kicker on my Solution makes a horrible noise when tacking; it is the shackle that some of the blocks are on scraping across the thread on the  bolt that it moves across. I was going to change the bolt for a smooth one as opposed to one with a thread but haven't got round to it yet.
I have had the boat since June last year .
I let the rig rake back as I get overpowered, also lifting the board a bit to keep the balance on the helm. Loads of kicker, the downhaul doesn't do a huge amount I have found. I have the lowers set so when the mast is upright and the sail is up, they are just taught, stopping the mast from going forward as kicker increases.
As the wind increases I let the lowers off to allow mast bend although of course as you rake it back the lowers slacken off anyway allowing this to happen.
I use the flat sail, I also have a full sail but have struggled to get a good shape on it; I am going to keep trying it this year although I have to say I always went quicker with the flat sail than other Solutions using the full sail.
As you have found, it is a lovely boat to sail, tacking and gybing easily etc.
I have found no need to sit too far forward when hiking; it definitely likes to go low and fast upwind. If you try and point too high with sail pulled in too tight it just stalls out and goes sideways.
In light winds though you need to get forward to lift that wide stern up and out.
The only bad habit I have encountered is when broad reaching in strong winds, if you let the boat heel a bit too much the rudder gives up and you can screw up into the wind. I asked the designer what to do if this happens and he said let the main out; when I did that it was the only time it chucked me into windward!!
Check you have some sort of righting line, they can invert quite quickly and are a bit slippery to stand on.
Glad you are enjoying, I look forward to hearing experiences from your learning curve... and yes, what a great looking boat too.
Sometimes I wonder what it would be like with a kite and a trapeze but then that's not the point of it after all.

Originally posted by SimonW99 This is getting very repetitive and dull. Lets go cycling instead ..... oh, but hold on he has an aluminium frame and I am on a steel frame, and over there he has carbon and he has faster wheels than me - what do you mean we all get treated the same!!!