Blaze Class for Sale

Originally posted by Neptune That Ok makes a Musto seem relatively good value at £11,500 inc combi - also fits in your 70-75kg sailor bracket.

yes but its got 2 sails, high performance etc didn't seem a fair comparison.

Originally posted by SimonW99 You have to put all of this in context.  The Phantom is £8395 without a sail so at least 10k on a trailer, without any racks or centreboard -  probably more. The blaze has racks and a centreboard, neither of which are cheap to build and give it options not available on other boats, you are not comparing like with like. You can also pay a lot more for a Solo. The nova has always been decent value. Ultimately its about volume and complexity. Production boats have volume, more consistent build costs and generally can be produced down to a lower price. Smaller run boats in epoxy are more expensive and by the time you are down to producing individual boats they will be very expensive to build.  As soon as you start adding low volume carbon rigs, centreboards and racks, you are not only increasing cost, but building a very different product and in the blazes' s case one that is faster round a course than anything else on the list despite being an older design, primarily because of the racks which manage the power of the rig upwind.  A 10k all in singlehander with racks, from Jo Richards following his aero principals would be considered a complete bargain!

I think I am comparing like with like, they are all slow fleet (1000 plus) boats with a single sail suitable for a 70-75kg sailor. Whether it has racks or not doesn't really affect the appeal to me. The amount of carbon in a blaze is why I think it stands out as expensive. In the ok and British Moth case it is my opinion it is probably because of carbon and because the average owner is perceived to be a baby boomer with lots of cash

Supernova is the best value that might be why there's 100+ at the nationals next year. Was at the inlands in September 56 boats ...

I didn't say the Blaze was particularly slow, I said other folk feel it's not good in light weather, which, I found to the contrary as long as you keep its arse out of the water it goes just fine in light conditions.

My problems were, as always launch and recovery, in fact the Solution is the only boat I have had no trouble with in that regard and that includes the D Zero which is as easy to recover as the soap from a foaming bubble bath, with nothing to grab hold of and that nodule on the bottom to keep clear of the beach it's a two man job.

I've not sailed a modern Supernova, but the early ones built by that guy that used to make boards were quite light (Giles Reinforced Plastic) and from memory not that difficult, as is the Phantom. A boat of similar size and volume to the Blaze and at one time similar handicap when my chum and I raced against each other him in the Phantom, me in the Blaze, recovering the Phantom a piece of cake, recovering the Blaze we needed someone else to help us.

Here's a thing, single handed should mean single handed, i.e. you could go down to the beach and launch recover on your own, that is the defining point, i.e. One man launch one man sail, not group launch one man sail group recover, it limits your useage time to only going out when everyone is at the club.
Probably another reason the Laser dominates, you can just about chuck that together on the beach launch it and get it back up with only minor physio once a week.

I can launch and recover the Solution un aided, maybe I've got a light one, maybe it's the actual weight they say it is, another anathema in dinghy world lying about boat weights, it would also be even better with a carbon rig in that regard.

Edited by iGRF - 13 Nov 15 at 11:57am

Originally posted by iGRF I didn't say the Blaze was particularly slow, I said other folk feel it's not good in light weather, which, I found to the contrary as long as you keep its arse out of the water it goes just fine in light conditions. My problems were, as always launch and recovery, in fact the Solution is the only boat I have had no trouble with in that regard and that includes the D Zero which is as easy to recover as the soap from a foaming bubble bath, with nothing to grab hold of and that nodule on the bottom to keep clear of the beach it's a two man job. I've not sailed a modern Supernova, but the early ones built by that guy that used to make boards were quite light (Giles Reinforced Plastic) and from memory not that difficult, as is the Phantom. A boat of similar size and volume to the Blaze and at one time similar handicap when my chum and I raced against each other him in the Phantom, me in the Blaze, recovering the Phantom a piece of cake, recovering the Blaze we needed someone else to help us. Here's a thing, single handed should mean single handed, i.e. you could go down to the beach and launch recover on your own, that is the defining point, i.e. One man launch one man sail, not group launch one man sail group recover, it limits your useage time to only going out when everyone is at the club. Probably another reason the Laser dominates, you can just about chuck that together on the beach launch it and get it back up with only minor physio once a week. I can launch and recover the Solution un aided, maybe I've got a light one, maybe it's the actual weight they say it is, another anathema in dinghy world it would be even better with a carbon rig.

Originally posted by iGRF My problems were, as always launch and recovery,

Whilst not arguing with the principle that its daft to have a boat that cannot be readily launched and recovered by the crew alone, personally I would extend the daftness to sailing on a shingle beach with a shorebreak with anything larger than a sailboard.

My alloy trolley (which floats) is a blessing where I sail, but I can't help thinking it would be something of a struggle to deal with floating boat and floating trolley in waves.

Edited by JimC - 13 Nov 15 at 11:11am