Boat of the Show?
Printed From: Yachts and Yachting Online
Category: Dinghy classes
Forum Name: Dinghy development
Forum Discription: The latest moves in the dinghy market
URL: http://www.yachtsandyachting.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=6527
Printed Date: 14 Jul 25 at 6:30am
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 9.665y - http://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: Boat of the Show?
Posted By: G.R.F.
Subject: Boat of the Show?
Date Posted: 07 Mar 10 at 9:37pm
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I'm worried about Mark (Jardine) I think the stress of running this online
gem and facing the barrage of complaints about all your bad behaviour is getting to him. He's completely lost the plot, if indeed it was totally his decision and he hasn't been brow beaten into it by the 'wood is good' brigade. Seriously why would you waste a complete bit of your life hand riveting some clinker built replica fishing boat from 1732 together and fitting it with sails. Redwood it was called or some similar red sounding descriptor. It would make a good fireship to be buried at sea in is about it's only point as far as I an make out. And the lunacy doesn't end there, not that I was in any hurry to see it, but 2nd place was a GP14 ffs, God knows what they must have done to that to put them in the running, probably found a way to make cardboard and mdf look shiny, knowing your typical GPer, the lunatics have most definitely taken over the asylum. Boat of the show for me, other than my chosen ride for this year, was a really tastily sorted foiler followed by a really well sorted Blaze, had to photograph every bit of it, and I like that canoe but still don't get how they make them go without a wiggle stick thing at the back. As for people who like wooden boats, for a starter they shouldn't be issued with driving licenses and 2nd not allowed near trailors, watching them try and get clear during the breakdown... Doh like Crown green bowls when it starts raining.. Switzerland anyone? ------------- https://www.ease-distribution.com/" rel="nofollow - https://www.ease-distribution.com/ |
Replies:
Posted By: haroosh
Date Posted: 07 Mar 10 at 9:55pm
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Having not been at the show i'm not in a great position to comment but I'm struggling with a well sorted Blaze being even remotely near 'Boat of the show'??? What is there to sort on it??? ------------- Keith RS100 GBR 116 (XLR8) |
Posted By: G.R.F.
Date Posted: 07 Mar 10 at 11:03pm
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Well, it illustrates the point, my opinion of Boat of the show, is equally out
of kilter to Marks.. Personal taste.. and Mark's totally lost it.. ------------- https://www.ease-distribution.com/" rel="nofollow - https://www.ease-distribution.com/ |
Posted By: ham4sand
Date Posted: 07 Mar 10 at 11:08pm
i would again say the cherub. Best sorted one i have seen for a long time. I agree that wood boats are completely pointless also personal opinion Really as grf said ------------- John Hamilton cherub 2645 - cheese before bedtime cherub 3209 - anatidaephobia laser 176847 - kiss this [FORSALE] |
Posted By: ifoxwell
Date Posted: 08 Mar 10 at 7:46am
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I dont agree with the whole anti wood bit... however I do
agree that this year there was enough innovation at the show to warrant something else. Personally I liked both the 12's, the 14 with all the funky string on it was pretty impressive and of course the most impressive new mass production boat in years and years, the RS100. So i'd have picked one of those! Ian |
Posted By: Mark Jardine
Date Posted: 08 Mar 10 at 8:00am
 I wasn't quite dragged off from Ali Pali in a jacket that does up at the back although Graeme was trying to get one for me.Yes, it was the National Redwing that won, 1800 brass rivets and all - a stunning boat. After re-visiting the shortlisted boats below for a second round the judges were unanimous on the choice of winner. The top five were: 1st National Redwing 2nd GP14 3rd Merlin Rocket 4th International 14 5th National 12 Ben McGrane (his I14 was 4th) was incredulously saying "only 4th?" repeatedly to me on Saturday night while shaking his head. He still was shaking his head when I saw him on Sunday. I'll be writing a report on this a bit later - just playing catch-up on my inbox at the moment. |
Posted By: Presuming Ed
Date Posted: 08 Mar 10 at 8:52am
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Brass rivets? ITYM copper.
And what's wrong with a wooden boat. It's a renewable resource, and carbon negative (until you burn it). It's not built using solvent filled epoxies. And when you're finished with it, it's not going to hang around in landfill for 5000 years. |
Posted By: Rupert
Date Posted: 08 Mar 10 at 8:53am
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It wasa good to see a few boats at the show not based entirely on the petrochemical industry. Trouble was, even the majority of wooden boats have gone down the "seal it in plastic and make it shiny" route. So I was pleased to see the Redwing hadn't, but I'm not sure that was enough to make it boat of the show. ------------- Firefly 2324, Puffin 229, Minisail 3446 Mirror 70686 |
Posted By: G.R.F.
Date Posted: 08 Mar 10 at 9:12am
Er the same as what's wrong with a wooden automobile? Fine in it's day, but the worlds moved on. Do they still make coffins out of wood even? ------------- https://www.ease-distribution.com/" rel="nofollow - https://www.ease-distribution.com/ |
Posted By: PeterG
Date Posted: 08 Mar 10 at 9:32am
Hi GRF, You're right, of course, the world's moved on and most of us on the forum probably wouldn't buy a wooden boat. I certainly wouldn't. I'd love to own a Bonezzi Contender, but for a clumsy oaf like myself to sail it off a shingle beach would be nothing short or sacrilege - I'd have to keep it on the mantlepiece to admire in the evenings, though I might have a little difficulty getting it to fit. So I wouldn't buy one, but that doesn't stop me going all weak kneed and ooh and aargh when I see a beautiful wooden boat somewhere like the Dinghy Show. There were a couple of very nice plastic Contenders at the show, I'd love either of them, but they don't make it as boat of the show for me. I was more interested in the 50's Firefly, the hull was probably made about the same time as the ones I used to sail. It looked great, though I'm not sure how you fit two in there anymore, and it probably losses out on being boat of the show by being much too comfortable having had the new deck fitted. Terrible thing progress! ------------- Peter Ex Cont 707 Ex Laser 189635 DY 59 |
Posted By: Presuming Ed
Date Posted: 08 Mar 10 at 9:39am
Find me a plastic boat as good looking as this. (OK, so Carl makes composite plastic/veneer boats, but wow, they're pretty.) ARGHEREREE£Ee £"%$$%£"%$"£% forum. Go here: http://www.carldouglas.co.uk/images/gallery/rosewood.jpg |
Posted By: G.R.F.
Date Posted: 08 Mar 10 at 9:40am
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Hi PeterG
Well it is each to his own of course and whilst the world has moved on wether we like it or not, clearly for some it hasn't or it won't or their luddite nature refuses to amongst other things permit them to learn how and when to disconnect the trailor when reversing into tight spots and allow folk to get on with the task of dismantling their stands and go home.. Wood is not good, wood is a sign you're well overdue a trip to Switzerland.. RANT over.. ------------- https://www.ease-distribution.com/" rel="nofollow - https://www.ease-distribution.com/ |
Posted By: Presuming Ed
Date Posted: 08 Mar 10 at 9:44am
And who died and made you king? |
Posted By: getafix
Date Posted: 08 Mar 10 at 9:49am
Doug Lord ?  ------------- Feeling sorry for vegans since it became the latest fad to claim you are one |
Posted By: winging it
Date Posted: 08 Mar 10 at 9:50am
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Grumpf, I know it will be a futile task to try and tell you this but wood has a whole different raison d'etre. Wood is about having put your boat together, mostly by yourself, and actully enjoying putting something of yourself into it, more than just bimbling. Wood is combining two hobbies - wanting to sail, but also wanting to make something lovely that you can take pride in for how it looks, as well as for how it sails (which is mostly down to what you have done yourself, not some other bloke) Wood is really about combining two hobbies - sailing and boat building, which I reckon gives you the best of both worlds. I know you'll tell me I'm deluded and need the men in white coats, but you won't be the first, besides, they carried me off long ago and I've never looked back! ------------- the same, but different... |
Posted By: winging it
Date Posted: 08 Mar 10 at 9:52am
and thank you Ed, that was lovely ------------- the same, but different... |
Posted By: G.R.F.
Date Posted: 08 Mar 10 at 10:06am
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WIng wang your deluded..
Forgetting for a moment the driving skills of bearded sandal wearing fireflyers, it's bad enough fifties boat kits are still being promoted as modern sailing, but for grown men to be whiling away their lives, hand, yes hand riveting, what? There must be thousands of the little bits of copper when there are perfectly good glues these days, is well just impossible for the modern mind to comprehend.. Then again I guess it's a bit like basket weaving, you have to give them something to do when they're out of the jacket and under medication.. It takes all types.. And you do see them all at that show.. Dignitas should definitely take a stand. ------------- https://www.ease-distribution.com/" rel="nofollow - https://www.ease-distribution.com/ |
Posted By: G.R.F.
Date Posted: 08 Mar 10 at 10:10am
Yes, nice, that reminds me I must remember to get my dining room chairs down to the restorer .. (tip don't let the line break when you post images, drag the bottom right hand corner of the text box to the right so it stays in one line, it's a glitch in the software..) ------------- https://www.ease-distribution.com/" rel="nofollow - https://www.ease-distribution.com/ |
Posted By: Neptune
Date Posted: 08 Mar 10 at 10:12am
| . |
Posted By: didlydon
Date Posted: 08 Mar 10 at 10:20am
Wood = Luverly! Sorry GRF. You aint got no soul if you can't admire a decently done timber boat!  ------------- Vareo 365 |
Posted By: G.R.F.
Date Posted: 08 Mar 10 at 10:30am
Here, if you must make a boat from wood, at least make it look modern. And it's about time y'all woodheads started talking Bamboo, it's the 'modern' and acceptable face of hi tech build if you must feature wood.. ------------- https://www.ease-distribution.com/" rel="nofollow - https://www.ease-distribution.com/ |
Posted By: Daniel Holman
Date Posted: 08 Mar 10 at 10:38am
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Wood is good. You have to go to some fairly exotic composites before you can beat the engineering properties of wood. It is renewable* easy to repair etc etc. Sure it is not always the most robust material, but modern coating systems have done a huge amount to rectifty this. Plus, whilst remembering that the purpose of the yacht (or windsurf board..) is to give pleasure to the yachtsman, there is little to match the warmth, uniquity and soul of a boat containing timber. Obviously we now live in a world where we all have approximately 127 seconds of free time each week, so homebuilding kits, and legacy designs from back in the days of homebuilding kits are perhaps less applicable. However there will always be a market for new all wood boats, and there will always be enthusiasts who will enjoy the intoxicating thrill of moving across the water in a vessel that they have built. And how about mixing the best of both worlds? Structural wood veneers in female moulded FRP products is crossing over from windsurf boards, giving the personality of the wooden boat, with the robustness and low maintenance of an FRP boat. The (admittedly not quite finished) purple A Rater at the show that we built being a good example of this. Esoteric class, certainly, but thoroughly modern thinking, materials and techniques. |
Posted By: Guest
Date Posted: 08 Mar 10 at 11:12am
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Grumpfs; I'd have thought you more than most would be thankful for the fact that beauty is in the eye of the beholder ------------- |
Posted By: winging it
Date Posted: 08 Mar 10 at 11:46am
yes, I have now seen grumpf in real life  ------------- the same, but different... |
Posted By: Dougal
Date Posted: 08 Mar 10 at 12:49pm
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Not a boat i know, but a nice example of wood and modern materials in harmony... |
Posted By: G.R.F.
Date Posted: 08 Mar 10 at 1:01pm
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I'm totally familiar with the use of wood in modern construction, poplar
for snowboards, with ash sections to fit the binding to, veneers in surf and windsurf boards, bamboo as I said before is the wonder green material of the age, woven into cloth it even has anti bacteriological properties which means you can make for example boardshorts that don't give you jock itch if you wear them longer than you should. It can be grown in volume quickly from an amazingly small footprint, very green indeed. But for the most part, 'they' don't do that do 'they'? When they're not totally blocking the cause way with their doddery old trailer they build antiques for reasons that are totally selfish.. Using wood materials that are not necessarily renewable that quick, but whatever, each to 'is own, but should they be encouraged with trophies is my point.. ------------- https://www.ease-distribution.com/" rel="nofollow - https://www.ease-distribution.com/ |
Posted By: marksey
Date Posted: 08 Mar 10 at 2:55pm
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Ben McGrane (his I14 was 4th) was incredulously saying "only 4th?" repeatedly to me on Saturday night while shaking his head. He still was shaking his head when I saw him on Sunday. Any one who knows Ben "im a 26 year old midle aged man" McGrane would have definatly had a little chuckle at this statment, 4th is his dream, thats 3 really good reasons to be grumpy!
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Posted By: BarnsieB14768
Date Posted: 08 Mar 10 at 3:26pm
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Interesting readinga and Rick is right. It is in the eye of the beholder. Having wondered around looking at the build quality of various builders/fleets, felt that there were more classes making that extra effort (how many Scorpions). Pogie the Firefly looked fantastic but the outside of the hull has yet to be finished according to Jono Pank. Nobody mention Glenn Truswell's I14 on the Hyde stand. Some great inovations and very well finished. Also liked Ben's as well. Merlins, well always well presented and up there. Thats the standard the class maintain. Other wooden boats, to many to list that looked really good but the Harlken Scorpion did it for me in wood if looking at modern and wood. Good show and only downside was getting out of London |
Posted By: G.R.F.
Date Posted: 08 Mar 10 at 3:30pm
I'm most thankful for that other well known quote about people in glass houses chucking rocks about.. ------------- https://www.ease-distribution.com/" rel="nofollow - https://www.ease-distribution.com/ |
Posted By: ChrisC
Date Posted: 08 Mar 10 at 4:26pm
Seen lurking in the back of the RS factory - a 'one-off' RS100 Wood' - a special for a Uk customer who plans to sail on the South Coast. Its almost finished, they just had to pop into town for another bag of copper tingles to rivet on the side wings ! Apparently the boys are really pleased with the Sapele foredeck - they reckon the 20 coats of traditional yacht varnish should be almost tack free by the time it gets to the Uk - but the animal glue and caulking is going to need a bit of time to dry out.>08_164603_Picture_1.jpg"> ------------- Not now Kato (you fewl) ! RS100 421 (8.4) Ex - Vortex Assymetric 1090 and 1208 Ex - 49er NZL142 (crew) |
Posted By: Slippery Jim
Date Posted: 09 Mar 10 at 9:51pm
mermaid fashioned out of a polished German pork knuckle... Yes I“ve also seen GRUMPFY-POOS for the first time in real life. Indescribable... ------------- Pass the skiff, man! |
Posted By: rors
Date Posted: 09 Mar 10 at 10:21pm
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Perhaps people like to sail classes with a bit of history, trophies worth
winning with great competition eg 75 Xods 60 odd Fireflys, same with the Scorpions at their nationals to name just 3 classes and some great fun people to race against. There are some great old and new boats out there shame on you GRF for having a go at the Firefly. I suggest you have a go sometime and see how you get on, don't worry they have plastic ones too so you won't get splinters... |
Posted By: mike ellis
Date Posted: 09 Mar 10 at 11:07pm
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Great history... Trophies worth winning... Try the I14. Or the IC for that matter. Never mind 60 year old one designs.
------------- 600 732, will call it Sticks and Stones when i get round to it. Also International 14, 1318 |
Posted By: tickler
Date Posted: 09 Mar 10 at 11:17pm
| I just built a sort of Gothic porch for a customer in wood. It would have been unsuitable in plastic but perhaps a modern porch in plastic would have been OK. There is however something attractive about wood being used in modern design. GRF is highly critical about the use of wood in boats but one wonders how design affects the rest of his life? What does he drive, Audi? Is his house modern, high tech? Plastic chairs? Marcell Bruer? Eames Chair? made of plywood and leather? but still a design classic. Or is he an oak beams man with roses round the door and flagged floors? Heaven forefend that he should jumble it all up, Victorian house with plastic windows and DFS sofas. We need to know these things before we can judge his opinions with any degree of accuracy. |
Posted By: G.R.F.
Date Posted: 09 Mar 10 at 11:38pm
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Edwardian House, (1907) with full blown all plastic double glazing, central
heating plus wood burners, why we've even installed electrickery.. Furnished old stylee, mainly mahogany, antiquee stuff which is well out of fashion now, have you seen the pricing of brown furniture these days? Wish it had been like this when we were being overcharged for all this old 2nd hand junk from a couple of centuries ago. Now the home is the province of swmbo, but when it comes to toys, I like new, and new every year if I could have it that way and the techier the better. New toys make up for the loss of faculties.. ------------- https://www.ease-distribution.com/" rel="nofollow - https://www.ease-distribution.com/ |
Posted By: tickler
Date Posted: 10 Mar 10 at 7:27am
| These details will help to encourage understanding in our sailing world. I reserve comment on your windows........I made my own. |
Posted By: rors
Date Posted: 10 Mar 10 at 7:30am
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Interestingly GRF you can have a techy wooden boat just as you can
have an old house with underfloor heating if you like. But then I guess you can have plastic plates which you throw away each time you eat your ready meals if you want too. There's plenty of room in sailing for new and old thank goodness. Go on try Firefly sailing, I dare you, see if you can keep up with the socials and let alone the competition. |
Posted By: getafix
Date Posted: 10 Mar 10 at 9:04am
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Guys don't take the bait. Design is contemporary or not, materials are a choice of the designer and builder. Wood is not old, any more than carbon is new, perception is as important as the asthetic. .... That's why I'd have a nice, low-maintenance, carbon spars, FRP RS100 if I had the dough! ------------- Feeling sorry for vegans since it became the latest fad to claim you are one |
Posted By: G.R.F.
Date Posted: 10 Mar 10 at 10:01am
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It's like kids in the playground isn't it?
Go on try this.. Dare you. It'll make you feel great..
Cept it wont, it'll make you old and decrepit even sooner, you'll lose whatever charisma you're clinging on to, catch dementia, start peeing your pants and before you know it you'll be blocking the entire Alexandra Palace access ramp having forgotten you've even got a trailer on your ancient Morris Oxford 1957 model or what you're even doing there and why. And as for remembering where you last put it.. ------------- https://www.ease-distribution.com/" rel="nofollow - https://www.ease-distribution.com/ |
Posted By: alstorer
Date Posted: 10 Mar 10 at 10:17am
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Anyway, wasn't it not a "Boat of the show" competion, rather a "concours d'elegance"- nothing to do with performance or design, everything to do being highly polished- in the car world, they're competitions for mind-staggeringly tedious people. ------------- -_ Al |
Posted By: rogerd
Date Posted: 10 Mar 10 at 12:47pm
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May be they should change the rules and give everyone who buys an entrance ticket the chance to vote. I put money on it(not much mind) the woodies would come out on top. |
Posted By: Cherub Guy
Date Posted: 10 Mar 10 at 12:51pm
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I agree that the hobbies of sailing and DIY can be brought together with a wooden boat but so can composite. In fact home building in modern composites is much easier. We recieved a lot of admiration for the presentation of the Cherub on our stand which was home built and fitted and fully rigged weighed less than a laser hull. Sorry to be biased but the Cherubs stopped using wood about 30 years ago and 'Flat Stanley' was the first dinghy to be built from kevlar foam composite. She's still going today. Don't get me wrong I think a well finished wooden boat is pretty but if you want a light and strong hull, modern composities are the way forward. Eventually people will realise that light and strong is the way forward and so much easier on the back. |
Posted By: rs405
Date Posted: 10 Mar 10 at 1:00pm
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Having owned Flat Stanley I can tell you that, whist it was known for being insanely quick, it was also known for being darn ugly. It also had wooden decks so don't knock wood too much. As a spectacle I would have to say the A-Rater did it for me. Not sure I would want to own one but it was a great bit of craftsmanship. Other woodies also caught my eye. As I have said though, if it was a case of take one home, it would be the 14s or the Cherub. ------------- 420, 470, 405, laser 4000 |
Posted By: G.R.F.
Date Posted: 10 Mar 10 at 2:30pm
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Is there anyone on this forum who didn't own 'flat stanley' at one time or
other? ------------- https://www.ease-distribution.com/" rel="nofollow - https://www.ease-distribution.com/ |
Posted By: Rupert
Date Posted: 10 Mar 10 at 2:54pm
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Me, though I did co-own 2 boats with a previous owner of Flat Stanley, so there is a link. Maybe we should see how long it takes each forum member to find a link (apart from this forum) with an owner of Stanley? ------------- Firefly 2324, Puffin 229, Minisail 3446 Mirror 70686 |
Posted By: alstorer
Date Posted: 10 Mar 10 at 3:00pm
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I've helped an owner do work on it. ------------- -_ Al |
Posted By: rogerd
Date Posted: 10 Mar 10 at 4:32pm
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I would give her a home so I could be a future owner. |
Posted By: JimC
Date Posted: 10 Mar 10 at 4:35pm
I really don't think so: ISTR early Tasars were kevlar/foam some years before, and the first foam Cherubs were built in the late 1960s, although I have no especial memory of when kevlar came on the scene. A http://www.sailingsource.com/cherub/test/doku.php/history/flat_stanley_story - contemporary write up doesn't seem to regard the construction as being especially radical. |
Posted By: G.R.F.
Date Posted: 10 Mar 10 at 4:44pm
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I was the probably first person to make a boat out of Kevlar, or so those
those buggers at Dupont told us at the time. 1976, 1st wave we hit, it fell in half, we were sea trialling it in our suits, barely got it back to the slip where it totally sank. The weave was so fine it didn't wet out, we went through dozens of diamond cutters just preparing the laminate. Back to the drawing board for them, and future preparations featured glass kevlar weaves to assist the process.. ------------- https://www.ease-distribution.com/" rel="nofollow - https://www.ease-distribution.com/ |
Posted By: Slippery Jim
Date Posted: 10 Mar 10 at 4:44pm
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Wot! No pics??!?!? ------------- Pass the skiff, man! |
Posted By: ham4sand
Date Posted: 10 Mar 10 at 5:06pm
IT WAS BUILT IN ZEALAND SO SHOULD TECHANICALLY BE A "HE" ------------- John Hamilton cherub 2645 - cheese before bedtime cherub 3209 - anatidaephobia laser 176847 - kiss this [FORSALE] |
Posted By: rors
Date Posted: 10 Mar 10 at 5:16pm
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What's a 1957 Morris Oxford? What I was driving at (geddit) was that I think you'll find your average Freddie sailor isn't as beardie as you might have thought... |
Posted By: Rupert
Date Posted: 10 Mar 10 at 5:37pm
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These days the average Freddie sailor is a 19 year old slightly hungover student. Much as it was when I was a 19 year old slightly hungover student... These days, I'm a beardie. ------------- Firefly 2324, Puffin 229, Minisail 3446 Mirror 70686 |
Posted By: JimC
Date Posted: 10 Mar 10 at 5:37pm
Looking at the available info Bethwaite and partners seem to have been building Kevlar Tasars in 1975, but abandoned it in favour of glass around 1977. The same records don't make a claim to be the first to have used kevlar. http://www.tasar.org/technical/kevlar_tasar.html and http://www.tasar.org/technical/Tasarstart.html Kevlar seems to have been invented in 1965, http://www2.dupont.com/Kevlar/en_US/index.html First commercial exploitation maybe very early 70s. JimC |
Posted By: G.R.F.
Date Posted: 10 Mar 10 at 7:22pm
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At the time Kevlar was being punted about as the next miracle fibre to
replace glassfibre, I seem to recall it had been used in the Military, bullet proof vests, I think it was also a constituent part of chobham armour but again, it was hearsay of the time. Back then, what was going on 'down under' we wouldn't have been aware of, the M25 had yet to be built and mobile phones didn't exist never mind internet, most of this sort of intel was word of mouth. How we got involved, we were trying to develop a small powerboat that would pull a water skier around a fifty mile course in under an hour using only a 50hp motor, and came across a boat design from a Guy calle Bo Oldenburg, this thread prompted me to look him up, he lodged his patent in the US office around the same time, but he'd already had succesful trials of his stepped hull and chined design. http://www.freepatentsonline.com/3974790.pdf - Patent pdf We bought a GRP version, then with the help of a guy called David Harper, we went up to Bolton or Burnley, somewhere oop North and not far from the Dupont facility and one of their reps suggested using this new cloth they'd just released.. Anyway the rest is as described, it didn't wet out well with either Polystyrene or Epoxy resin fell in half and sank we had to revert back to GRP, (Epoxy then wasn't like the stuff now, there was a place on IOW that I got involved with much later, 79-80 building hollow epoxy aluminium honeycomb sailboards, but that's another story.) The other thing, Kevlar wasn't at all stiff, it's strength was more, impact resistant, that G10 stuff is about the best application that uses it in fibre form. I remember as the boat moved off the sides flexed, but it was light and ultimately it did go fast and we achieved 48 mph with a skier prior to that best speeds were sub 45 mph. ------------- https://www.ease-distribution.com/" rel="nofollow - https://www.ease-distribution.com/ |
Posted By: G.R.F.
Date Posted: 10 Mar 10 at 7:33pm
1957 Morris Oxford, every Firefly, Solo or Streaker sailors tow vehicle of choice.. ------------- https://www.ease-distribution.com/" rel="nofollow - https://www.ease-distribution.com/ |
Posted By: Rupert
Date Posted: 10 Mar 10 at 7:37pm
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Cool. ------------- Firefly 2324, Puffin 229, Minisail 3446 Mirror 70686 |
Posted By: I luv Wight
Date Posted: 10 Mar 10 at 7:43pm
They are still in production in India - the Hindustan Ambassador, now with a facelift -  -not so cool. ------------- " rel="nofollow - http://www.bloodaxeboats.co.uk" rel="nofollow - http://www.bloodaxeboats.co.uk Andy P foiling Int Moth GBR3467 Freedom 21 Codling |
Posted By: rors
Date Posted: 10 Mar 10 at 8:34pm
Don't worry you're not to old, as Peter and Dawn Langdon have proved and also incidentally so has Mike Arnold, legendary Firefly sailor and the man who designed the Alto! |
Posted By: Granite
Date Posted: 10 Mar 10 at 9:00pm
Try now, I have added some pictures ------------- If it doesn't break it's too heavy; if it does it wasn't built right |
Posted By: JimC
Date Posted: 10 Mar 10 at 9:21pm
| Trouble is all those shots are 90s at the earliest. I have a nice "daggerboard visible" a2 sized photo of Flat Stanley in about '85 on the wall here, but its strictly copyright Champion Marine so I can't reproduce it. I never found any reproduceable photos of FS in her heyday for the website (except for the fuzzy one of the underside of the hull). |
Posted By: Slippery Jim
Date Posted: 10 Mar 10 at 9:35pm
Luverly, ta very much. Nice boat, although it looks quite boxy - as if made from aluminium  ------------- Pass the skiff, man! |
Posted By: Rupert
Date Posted: 10 Mar 10 at 9:57pm
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It would be nice to see her converted back to how she started, given that she will never be competitive with the new boats now. ------------- Firefly 2324, Puffin 229, Minisail 3446 Mirror 70686 |
Posted By: JimC
Date Posted: 10 Mar 10 at 11:16pm
I have it in mind for when the time comes. The 84 vintage mast, now in two pieces, is sitting on my garage roof so I have all the right dimensions, and I also have the original North jib, albeit slightly cut back at the clew. |
Posted By: tickler
Date Posted: 11 Mar 10 at 9:32am
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Posted By: I luv Wight
Date Posted: 11 Mar 10 at 10:33am
Here's Mrs P and me at the 1980 worlds in a handy 2nd place ( ie in front of FS ... for a while ) Pity about that trailing sheet  . Using an over-rotating needlespar delta - sort of triangular, and tapered to a wing shape above the hounds a bit like the tasar section. The boat has recently been rescued in good shape, and is being revived. Built from timber + west epoxy, cold-moulded bow sections, otherwise ply. ------------- " rel="nofollow - http://www.bloodaxeboats.co.uk" rel="nofollow - http://www.bloodaxeboats.co.uk Andy P foiling Int Moth GBR3467 Freedom 21 Codling |
Posted By: Slippery Jim
Date Posted: 11 Mar 10 at 12:45pm
------------- Pass the skiff, man! |
Posted By: I luv Wight
Date Posted: 12 Mar 10 at 6:40pm
It was the height of fashion then... The sailing clothing industry hadn't got to where it is now, we used motorcycling one piece suits. here's Erik a few weeks ago   It would look better all yellow I can remember making all those bits! Aaah. ------------- " rel="nofollow - http://www.bloodaxeboats.co.uk" rel="nofollow - http://www.bloodaxeboats.co.uk Andy P foiling Int Moth GBR3467 Freedom 21 Codling |
Posted By: PeterH
Date Posted: 13 Mar 10 at 10:34am
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I drove the car that towed Flat Stanley when Jim Champ trialled sailing with my son before the Harwich Cherub nationals, so I'm in, AND I had a genoa made for my Half Tonner by Peter Kay who was the interviewer in the Flat Stanley report published in this thread, so I'm in again. Peter H |