What if? (Blaze b**tardisation content)

I put trap wires on a Blaze? In my quest for a middle of the road single hand trapeze boat. Since they won't make me a light Contender, the Blaze is a bit lighter, not light enough by far, but better, maybe ditch the racks? What do we think as a collective? I know it goes against your class sensibilities any thought of customising the dross we have to deal with, but humour me here?

Could it work, what would the issues be?



Edited by iGRF - 03 Mar 20 at 2:33pm

It has been done before* and I actually have all the bits to do this but I haven't got around to it yet. And I have had a kite rigged on my Blaze. Maybe this summer I'll get them both on there together. I won't be risking it with the carbon stick, mostly 'cos I don't want to drill it for the extra fixings but the M7 is a sturdy old beast. A nice new Blaze mk4 hull with racks ditched would weigh around 60kg or a little less IIRC. If you went for the carbon mast you'd save another 2.5kg, dyneema standing rigging, another 2kg or so and you'd be down around 75kg all in. There's no appetite for it at class level but for handicap racing why not.

Why not just get a Musto Skiff; much lighter at 82.5kgs all up ...

http://www.mustoskiff.com/sub-pages/weight-breakdown.htm

Well I've ordered a new sail for the Farr 3.7, that is in progress, but I don't think there is a sail made that will undo the waterline length issues v Laser/Aero 7 offwind unless it's full planing hiking, but I do think the Blaze in medium wind with a wire (which keeps me in practise) will remove Lasers and the like from my horizon. We shall see, It's a tin rig, my old one returned for the summer I should be able to sail it better than I did ten years ago when I first got it. From memory it have carbon racks so they don't weight much and I haven't ascertained wether a carbon rig would suit that particular purpose.

I'm quite inspired by the French dude, he's kited it as well, can't see my lot wearing me fully wiring off the racks and a kite at the new 1033 PY, I can hear the howls and wails from here..