Devotti Single Hander

Here here. Unless there is a decent single hander hiker with a kite there is no life after the 300 for a single hander hiker. May be the Vareo should had been the 300 with a kite.

In fairness though Jeffers this was the only boat I have heard of that had the asym fitted properly. Would it not be wise to revisit it now the hull is epoxy? May be a smaller Kite? It certainly wouldn't cost much to add a 'Kite pack' that would be attainable by the current membership. IMHO I think a trick really is being missed by the Blaze as other boats that have converted are not the best.

IC :- from those that I have spoken too 'On a club course they are dangerous as you can not see to leward from the sliding seat.' In translation what was meant by this statement was that you can not run up and down the side if the boat to change your viewing angle as you can with a trapeze boat.

Vortex :- Has a habit of nose diving (please correct me if I am wrong) but certainly the complication of a trapeze.

Vareo :- Damn hard work upwind but a real blast downhill

Are there any other active classes out there?

An asymmetric Blaze would not only be fun uphill and down but is a simple stable hiking platform to work from learn with.

And how would it not benefit in the same way with rewarding time in the boat. Surely Upwind technique would remain with the added new tactical gains and losses to be made finding the shifts and pressure downwind.

Paul etc

The rights and tooling are owned by Cirrus but we work very closely with the CA who are totally independent.  The ultimate design rights are owned by others but we now have an agreement in place to purchase them.  The Blaze has a very successful niche of its own and sales are still expanding (16 already delivered and 3 more in production since March) but the CA is rightly cautious about changing a successful formula (if it aint broke don't 'repair' it !) .... we agree with them btw.  The changes we have made to date are to do with refinement under CA guidance and both the CA and Cirrus have been careful to ensure that 'new' boats do not totally outclass early ones - it is still identical hulls, foils, spars, sails - you really can buy an old Blaze, give it loads of tlc and maybe a new sail and get right up there.  

Cirrus are however investigating derivatives particularly for sales overseas.  As is widely known we are developing a 'big guys' version that will have a rather innovative rig on it but use 'all Blaze' below the boom - if launched in the UK it will be aimed exclusively at larger helms and will have the power for them.  This will feature a taller, rotational mast and the current favorite is an imported Ozzi 'wing section' that is overrotated with a larger fat-head sail.   This will be stepped on the boat in the next two weeks and a first development sail will follow very quickly.  In other words we are going for high efficiency as well as a larger sailplan - I have raced both boards and Tasars in the past and am totally convinced that improved sail shape whether via camber inducers or over-rotation of the right section is an under-exploited area for general dinghy use.

Anyway - Spinnakers .... Yes these have been tried on the basic boat.  They work very well but yes the 3000 one is a tad on the ambitious side - but we have some better photos of that one !!  The question is not whether it can be done but if there is a real market for it beyond a small band of forumites - same as any new idea here.  I really like the Musto skiff myself in this part of the market and think it is the best of what it does - and there are plenty of other similar classes out there already as well.  A Blaze spinnaker variant would not be in the same area of the market but would of course be fun to develop and to race but we are not sure there is sufficient potential in the UK for it as a commercial proposition.  A '100' variant on the other hand is aiming at a different, and for us, new market and potential new group of owners - and so might be the right platform at some point .... in the future.  (and we do not give too too much away in forums until ready !).  One step at a time for now - many a builder has rushed to market far too quickly and perhaps a few have lived to regret it in the past 20 years. 

Blaze720 (aka Cirrus Raceboats)

GRF - Why not give the MPS another go ?  Tricky.... perhaps but it would seem to fit your broad requirements pretty well and as with everything time in the boat is the key.  ... or perhaps something like small high performance cat with spinni - Shadow (?). You are welcome to try a Blaze but I'm not sure it is what you are after.