Hybrid !

Bimbling with boats is about all many of us can do for the foreseeable ...  So here is one I started cobbling together over the winter.  Just 'finished' this 'special' with the current limitations allowing a fast finish but cannot test / trial yet of course !! 

It is simply called 'Hybrid' for now and is 4.25m overall and maximum beam of 1.60m (and lightish).   A mixture of ideas in fact to trial / assess.  Initial sail area in photos is approx 9.3m2 and the spars used here are carbon.  Intended primarily as a non-winged hiking design with centreboard with a higher boom could also make a GRF style trapeze platform maybe.  Why do it ?   But equally and especially now ...Why Not !  

Not a Blaze rig ... though the mast is v.similar to both Icon and the Blaze 'family'.  Not H2 in terms of general ‘bulk’ or freeboard but with a bit more (v.necessary imo) than say a Zero.    The original concept was for an exceptionally easily driven simple hiking hull but not to the point of becoming ‘demanding’ light and simple but capable of carrying a reasonable weight.  The hull underwater is almost pure Icon, (cos that one really is slippery yet ‘easy’) but it is 215mm (9") shorter and the freeboard is very much less than found on an Icon or H2.  The sail in the pics is in fact based on an early Icon development main but modified by Dick Batt to suit the rig dimensions and rake.  (The boom is currently made from old Blaze outer wing tubes – cos I was waiting too long for a larger diameter tube to arrive)   So NS14 inspired with touches of Blaze, Icon. and yes even some  H2 and Zero in there if you like !    This concept is much lighter than say a Blaze and if ever in full epoxy would be much lighter still.