Blaze or Phantom?

I'm looking for a bit of advise from the floor here.

I'm hankering after a bit of spray this summer after a break of far too long. I didn't manage to get to the show at the weekend as my eldest decided she needed to move out of her flat at very short notice. I digress.

Anyway with no show input I can probably put new boat lust aside. I'd really like to get an RS100, but think I should test my sailing abilities before I spend that much :)

I sail on a river (or will be doing again) with it's usual attendant problems of moored boats, muddy shallows and fluky winds. I'm 6' 17stone of pure lard at the moment. Although I'll tart myself to anyone for a sail, i get annoyed with others when sailing, so single hander is a non-negotiable requirement.

I've always had a thing for ICs but I think I'm old and wise enough to realise that an IC with no experience on a crowded river is probably just asking for difficulties. I'd also need to be an awful lot fitter and nimble :)

Which brings me to my 'sensible' choices.
Blaze or Phantom. I've had wooden boats before, so I think I'll be sticking with plastic this time. but which one? Should I be considering other options (No I DON'T want a Solo, thank you very much).

Thanks in advance for you thoughts

Beardy

I've owned both classes, they are both great boats but are quite different. Blaze - even old ones seem competitive, I suspect you could pick up a quite acceptable early example if you're lucky for around £2k. However, I'm also around 17st and my perception was that the Blaze struggles to carry that sort of weight. Phantom - great boat, great weight carrier, IMHO likely to be more competitive especially on a river. Downsides - big differences in the performance of early wood or grp boats with tin rigs against the modern epoxy/carbon ships. If you want to race you really need to be looking at epoxy/carbon, and this is likely to cost £4k plus.

And I really would forget the Solo, 17st is way too much weight for one.

So if you've got £4k to spend its a fairly easy decision - Phantom.  At less than this it gets complicated! 

The phantom would be better for restricted water no doubt, but the blaze is good when windy. How often is it really that windy?
For what its worth I'm 6 foot and just over 17 stone and still competitive in light and heavy in my phantom. The weight range is between 13 and 21 stone or thereabouts.
You are right about the wooden ones being a bind, best stick with plastic. Try to find an epoxy one and they are about starting at about 4k if you are lucky. They start at sail number 1100. I would imagine that all epoxy ones are rigged with carbon, but as I've said before here it ain't crucial, I've finished with an Ali rig at the nats in the top ten. The hull makes by far and away the most difference.
By the way its takes some time to actually get the boat to top speed after you get it, there is a lot to learn with the rig settings if you want that, and the technique of getting it going fast will come with practice.
Best of luck with which ever you want and get.
Best place to find phantoms is on the phantom website forum.

The above advice seems sound.
The only time I would offer a different opinion is if you had other similar people in Blazes or Finns that you might like to race against.
Level racing, even if its not all the time will get more out of the boat and is more enjoyable IMHO, provided you are racing against people of similar weight and ability.
I think you would be heavy for a Solo, can't think of any other classes I'd rush to consider....

A cheaper Phantom than £4k could be a lot of fun if you are only going to race inland on PY, if that's all you can justify spending. Depends on your expectations and the competition.

Of course I'm going to respond !!.....  Both are good boats, and I've sailed both but now build the one I prefer as an all-round performer ... for me.  But we are all different so best to try out the two yourself.

Many Blazes these days sheet 'off boom' - this significantly speeds up tacking and the old centre-main set-up meant you could be further back down the boat than was optimum when tacking.  This meant many helms were digging the stern in and over-using the rudder to clear the extension.  There are many other benefits as well but that is the 'tacking' advantage.   It takes just 40 minutes to convert one ....

The Blaze is exceptionally potent when it blows because of the fantastic leverage available but don't write them off in lighter stuff ... and of course if you are larger than avarage you can also try the HALO rig.  We recommend 1027 for it (so similar to a Phantom now) and the additonal area can make a huge huge difference in the light stuff.  However if you are sub 80-85 kg forget Halo imho  and stick to the standard Blaze rig.  My view is that the ideal weight for Halo is 95kg+ cos you NEED the crew weight.

I've not sailed the Halo rig at a restricted river location but I suspect Halo would also be very effective indeed - 1) It is a tall rig 2) Pleanty of sail area  3) Lots of leverage If/when it does get up a bit.  The nearest to 'river' sailing with the rig was last years 'Battle of the Classes' race - I was using a Halo rig and was started behind the 2 phantoms but split them by the end.  Similarly at last years 'Beastie' Halo was started a minute or so behind the Phantoms but was I think through   50+% by the end.

Still it does not matter what we think on the forum ... its what you might feel after trying for yourself - good luck whichever way you go.  Contact both CA's and ask to try.

Mike L. 




Edited by blaze720 - 08 Mar 11 at 7:15pm