D-Zero

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Watching that again.. I just wish I sailed somewhere i could use one without either smashing it up a beach or taking out the back of the centreboard case on an underwater wreck or island. It's such an excellent sailing experience, it's got a kick back rudder now I noticed at the Dinghy show which is half my problem solved and they had a peachy blue boat with a blue sail there as well, very tempting...

Edited by iGRF - 16 Mar 16 at 9:49am

The Solution has a centreboard and rudder and remains the 2nd nicest s/h boat I've ever sailed, if it had the D Zero rig it would be perfect.

I've owned a Blaze albeit briefly and it's too big for me given my new desire to continue to improve in really gusty horrible conditions, which I am in the Solution. One day you'll be getting actually old( as against nearly old like folk in their forties & fifties), and I hope you'll be lucky like me to have found something that as you approach seventy you are still visibly improving at. (Might I suggest kitesurfing in your case)

But however I might be improving on the water, my humping stuff about on the slipway/beach/slippy grass& mud skills and power I find are not improving with age, so heavy old boats like the Blaze and the jurys out on the Hadron but it is a big assed boat, don't tempt me in the way they might.

In my view actual sailing quality and ease of slipping into a 'groove' the D Zero has it by a country mile, the Solution is close, but it lacks the stability of water line length, but then in a tacking match it would probably out perform a Zero, not that I like to entertain tacking duals since I'm useless at tacking from port to starboard.

So 1= D Zero, 2= Solution 3 I would pitch the Aero, but that is without the benefit of sailing a revamped Super,

There is a lot to like about the Aero, but and I wish I'd spent a bit more time in the 7mtr, it wandered and I couldn't get it to 'groove' that well it also almost wandered as the centre of effort came back with the sail but that was the 9m and it is dacron and un stayed, maybe the 7 wouldn't be so bad, but in all the other departments it excels, fittings, weight etc but it lacks a centreboard of course which is why the Solution Trumps all for where I sail.

If I were at Grafham or the London res's or anywhere with easy access and docks then the D-Zero would be parked in my boat space, as it is amongst the slippy mud, nettles on the gravel pit with the half sunk wreck, the hidden underwater island and countless other obstacles I'm only these three years becoming completely aware of, the Solution remains supreme, I even managed to finish an astonishing third over the water in an orrible gusty race and have won a handicap in lighter conditions in it, against a lake full of bandits so it suits my purpose right now.

Edited by iGRF - 16 Mar 16 at 10:56am

I've owned a Blaze albeit briefly and it's too big for me given my new desire to continue to improve in really gusty horrible conditions....

Carbon mast and 'Fire' sail - that is all you need and there are many lightweights who either sail full-time with the Fire sail or switch down when they might otherwise start to struggle.  And of course they now get to race with the smattering of women increasingly getting into the class ....  (who might be now annoyed with me for encouraging you to join them.... )  

Knock back foils - of course you need them.  Rudder is nice to have but imo the centreboard is essential and not just for the shallow water stuff.  I don't just want to reduce the amount of foil area presented. I want to move the balance point back towards the transom almost board style.  Plus I can raise and lower it from the wing whenever I want .. rounding the windward mark or approaching the leeward one it hardly helps the cause in a decent breeze if you have to shuffle in and forward to manhandle a dagger with one hand (or more on occasion !!) at the front of the cockpit .. that is 'crew work' anyway if you have no choice in having a dagger in my book.


Edited by Cirrus - 16 Mar 16 at 1:51pm