Icon Class Association

Icon was mostly intended for those over 140 kg and up to around 170kg !  However if you apply enough Cunningham so the top blades off you can easily get away with a lighter crew for 99% of the time.  Bit like a board sail really ... There was absolutely no point in producing yet another lightweight oriented boat that required helms and crews to look at each other and think 'Well just maybe they should diet next season  ... if we are ever to be fully competitive'    ;-)  

The sail area is much less than a 400 and a bit more than a 200 so very reasonable given the Icon width  ... and the boat is much much easier to keep flat than say an Enterprise upwind in breeze.   .... Mike and Charlotte Bell finished all races they started and proved more than competitive .. as seen in the results !  Was I depowering in a Blaze in the same races (well known to be a bit of a flyer in higher winds) ?  You bet .. it was fairly breezy in a couple of them !

Come on guys ask nicely and you too can have a go !   What ?  No ?  Do you really want to know if it  might do exactly what is claimed ?  Opinions are abundant here  .. and er .... 'variable' so why not see if  we are right or not !  There are plenty of Icon loan and demo opportunities now.  

I'll make an exception for GRF - if he wants to 'wire' it well it is up to him but then he wants a spinnaker as well.  I'm always happy for experimenters to .. 'do their thing' .... for one-offs ... if they really must  ...  

Mike L.

Originally posted by cad99uk Underweight at 140 kg ... I feared that this would be the case.

In our instance this is a good thing.  Mrs B isn't confident in water & can't really swim, so getting her in a dinghy was a bit of a challenge involving holidays in warm places!  So being slightly underweight means that the boat goes well in light winds keeping me interested without scaring the crew!

Falmouth was a great learning experience for us in the boat.  Despite being a bit apprehensive, Mrs B enjoyed the stronger wind days and, and wasn't put off by the lumpy bits in the harbour race.

Also worth noting that the boat seems incredibly forgiving.  A couple of gybes on the windy days weren't exactly textbook but we stayed upright - same thing in the Blaze I'd have been swimming!

Originally posted by iGRF That's why one should be out on a wire..

I understand the point, but as is probably typical of a lot of couples that sail together, our weight distribution isn't exactly even,. Having eaten all the pies I should be the one to go on the wire, but Mrs B isn't up for driving (yet).  Heavier helm seems to work ok in the Icon.   In lighter winds I can move right forward & crew move to the middle / lee side.

Mike B.

Hi All .... We are in the process of developing a thwart option for Icon.   Some members of the 'crews union' are pushing for one asap !  We are canvassing the Icon pioneers out there but (as ever !) we are very keen to incorporate any good ideas that are around ... and from anywhere.  It will be a standard (and retrofittable) option very soon.

If your class has a thwart what are its good features (and bad if you like - you don't have to do it here if needed a direct message is fine) ?  How wide ? , How high ?  Curved ?  cleat positions ? position fore/aft in boat ?.  

The current plan is to build a simple space model in foam/ MDF in  the next week here in the UK before tooling so getting all the ergonomic and aesthetic stuff sorted first.  It will fit into the hull with a mastic bond onto both cockpit sides and a small tower supporting it centrally over the plate case. Control cleats will possibly be attached to the thwart sides (front and/or back 'returns) rather than on the side tanks.   

We promise to listen ...

Mike L.  (Cirrus ) 

Edited by blaze720 - 30 Sep 13 at 5:13pm

The Lightnings have been busy taking their's out, but I like having it. It is too far aft, though. Any thwart needs to be in the right place for light winds.

Originally posted by scotsfinn Doesn't need one Mike. Crew should be working not lazing around on the bench Keep the boat super light and easy to move around. Don't change the boat, just sell more of them to people who understand the principle.

+1