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Newbie with zoom!

Printed From: Yachts and Yachting Online
Category: Dinghy classes
Forum Name: Dinghy Yarns...
Forum Discription: Tell us your sailing stories
URL: http://www.yachtsandyachting.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=12424
Printed Date: 19 Mar 24 at 8:07am
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Topic: Newbie with zoom!
Posted By: Fatsailor
Subject: Newbie with zoom!
Date Posted: 17 Jun 16 at 10:38pm
Hi to everybody, I am new to this forum ,don't have a keelboat, just old dinghies.very old dinghies ,which is okay because i also am old .
I have a question for the knowledgeable amongst you. Does any body know anything about the history/designer,etc. Of the ZOOM 14 DINGHY?I have just acquired one and would like to know as much as possible, particularly if had any handicap? Apart from being at least thirty years old ,that is .
Thanks in anticipation

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F.F.I



Replies:
Posted By: JimC
Date Posted: 18 Jun 16 at 1:16am
http://www.cvrda.org/community/index.php" rel="nofollow - http://www.cvrda.org/community/index.php


Posted By: MerlinMags
Date Posted: 18 Jun 16 at 9:05am
The link Jim gives to the CVRDA is a good place to ask about old dinghies.

There might be someone who can answer your question on this forum, but it is a little less likely.


Posted By: Fatsailor
Date Posted: 18 Jun 16 at 9:37am
Yeah I have asked, did not get a lot of response,i know it's at least thirty four years old ,the seller was using at Rutland in 1982but didn't know who designed it ,
It looks like a Laser 2 .

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F.F.I


Posted By: 423zero
Date Posted: 18 Jun 16 at 9:59am
Sometimes their is very little information about certain classes. 
I have one it is a "Aquabat", all information regarding this boat and it's derivatives are now contained on my website, but after approx' 5 years collecting their is still very little info.


Posted By: Spike Boland
Date Posted: 18 Jun 16 at 4:59pm
The Zoom and the Laser II came out almost at the same time.  Similar boats, wet and for that time quick, with horrible coloured sails.  They were both a little under prepared with cheap fittings.  The first time I sailed a zoom on capsizing I went to get on the board and it snapped right off before I was even on it.  Oxford University Sailing Club persuaded  Laser to lend them 6 Laser IIs as all the visiting universities would get to sail them in matches and similarly the same was done for the Zoom at Cambridge. (At the time Larks and 420's were fleet of choice for University Team Racing).  Oxford University (obviously) made the better choice and the Laser II became common at Universities and then a popular boat for young couples etc..... They also upgraded some of the cheap fittings and it became a very solid, easily sailable and competitive boat.   The Zoom could never quite  match the Laser II.  In my opinion the biggest difference was the enthusiasm of one man, who set up the Laser II Class Association, one Jeremy Atkins, mentioned previously on this forum, who pretty much single handedly promoted the boat in UK. The  Laser II and the Zoom would have befitted from the type of support and marketing RS give to their boats these days.

-------------
Theres only one Spike Boland


Posted By: Chris415700
Date Posted: 18 Jun 16 at 5:11pm
Wasn't the Zoom a failed attempt by Fletcher (the speedboat builders) to break into the dinghy market? I seem to remember them being used with Firefly main sails at a windy BUSA team racing championship at Oxford in about 1984.


Posted By: iiiiticki
Date Posted: 19 Jun 16 at 7:15pm
About 10 years ago I bought a Zoom from Swarkestone SC for a fiver....  if I remember. It had no sails and a plywood centreboard. It was a well made hull from a good mold. The interesting. thing about it was that it had two mast positions enabling one or two sails to be used. The mast was a real telegraph pole of a thing deck stepped. A mate of mine had a go in it, capsized and broke the centreboard getting it up. See above comment! I made a new board, gave it a Lightning main and a Fireball jib and sold it.


Posted By: patj
Date Posted: 21 Jun 16 at 8:15am
We've got a Zoom (14ft) lurking in the garden and it's just the poor plywood daggerboard that needs replacing. Never actually sailed it yet - got given it by a stink boat sailor friend. So if two of us turn up at a cvrda event we could call it the Zoom Nationals :-)


Posted By: Fatsailor
Date Posted: 25 Jun 16 at 1:28am
Thanks too everybody who replied, I have sailed it twice now, on our duckpond , she's a heavy beast ,we have very fluky winds, takes a lot to get her moving so seems quite slow, rudder seemed a bit small so I made one the same shape/size as laser two which improved control a bit, just bought brand new Neil Pryde. sail ,very lucky there ,(still one or two !eft) which may help .will find out later today .Zoom nationals? Hmmmn. Not a bad idea .I know one was bought from Baldock. and went to Essex very recently but cannot contact vendor or purchaser.

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F.F.I


Posted By: Fatsailor
Date Posted: 25 Jun 16 at 1:30am
If you need dimensions let me know .happy to help

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F.F.I


Posted By: 2DEAL1
Date Posted: 08 Jul 16 at 10:26am
Hi everyone. I have a zoom sailing boat for sale.   I live in Hull.  I am new to this site. 

Kind regards 

dave 


Posted By: realnutter
Date Posted: 08 Jul 16 at 11:01am
Dave.. If you're on Facebook, join the group Dinghies and Dinghy bits for sale... you can advertise it free there....  Just follow the rules, and post pics and an asking price, or the evil mods will come down like a ton of bricks :-)


Posted By: 2DEAL1
Date Posted: 08 Jul 16 at 11:52am
Many thanks. I will look at doing it over the weekend. I have owned the boat for about 7/8 years however, I have only sailed it 5 times in all that time. I have bought just bought a Flying Fifteen and i can't justify having two, Well the wife went mad, ha ha LOL

Kind Regards 

Dave 


Posted By: 2DEAL1
Date Posted: 08 Jul 16 at 12:02pm
Does anyone know anything about these Boats?

I was told when i bought it they there were only 30 ever made and they are quite old. I was also told they were built in Italy.. 

Many thanks 

Dave 


Posted By: Medway Maniac
Date Posted: 10 Jul 16 at 6:40pm
Zooms have been sailed well, at least in the past:




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http://www.wilsoniansc.org.uk" rel="nofollow - Wilsonian SC
http://www.3000class.org.uk" rel="nofollow - 3000 Class


Posted By: Fatsailor
Date Posted: 10 Jul 16 at 10:48pm
That's just great! Where did you find it ? Thank you

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F.F.I


Posted By: Medway Maniac
Date Posted: 11 Jul 16 at 12:59am
It's on the front cover of a book available in the 90's.

Looking again, first thing I would do is tie that floating block centrally on the aft bridle. Lower sheet loads and higher pointing...

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http://www.wilsoniansc.org.uk" rel="nofollow - Wilsonian SC
http://www.3000class.org.uk" rel="nofollow - 3000 Class


Posted By: jaydub
Date Posted: 11 Jul 16 at 10:28am
Think that might be a picture of Jeremy Atkins, whose publishing company may well have been the publisher of the Rules Book.....

...then again I might be totally wrong. ;)  


Posted By: Fatsailor
Date Posted: 11 Jul 16 at 1:03pm
Certainly could with higher pointing, might help me to stay with supernovas and lasers.will try that as soon as I get the deck Stuck back to the hull, came slightly apart last week !
Thanks

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F.F.I


Posted By: iiiiticki
Date Posted: 12 Jul 16 at 6:15am
You can clearly see the forward mast position in this picture.


Posted By: Fatsailor
Date Posted: 12 Jul 16 at 11:32pm
Yes .I have tried it briefly,a bit slow without the jib,will try again with more breeze

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F.F.I


Posted By: 2DEAL1
Date Posted: 03 Aug 16 at 10:09pm
Item 

I have listed my Zoom on ebay for all to see: 272329876479


Posted By: iberico
Date Posted: 09 Sep 16 at 6:47pm
Hello,

I bought a beat up hull of a ZOOM 14 I'm patching and plugging  for about two weeks now.  I bought it with no spars, foils or sails. I want to make it fully functional by the next season and I wonder if you could help me with some dimensions of the mast/boom/rigging/foils and sails assuming you have the originals (or something that works for it). I try to make it as close to the original as possible.

If it's not too much trouble could you measure the mast and boom (length, how many parts is made of, diameter bottom and up and thickness of the aluminum), where the gooseneck and spreaders are located against the bottom of the mast, angle of  the spreaders, as well as the dagger word and rudder (some pictures would be great). I can't think of anything at this point, but I'm a complete noob so forgive me if I forgot something important out. 

Thanks a lot for your help (I apologise for my English, I'm not a native speaker.)
Kind regards,
Ion






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Posted By: Fatsailor
Date Posted: 12 Sep 16 at 12:20am
Hi iberico, I can fulfil all your requests and will do later this week.but to start, the mast is single piece, approximately 18 feet, NO spreaders shrouds and forestay have TEE fittings into slots in the mast,however if you can source a mast with a collar , then use whatever you like, there is no association, or class rules,if you let me have your email I can send pictures etc.there is a chap on eBay will sell you a brand new mainsail with battens for £100 , I bought one ,I will measure the jib and shrouds etc .the rudder is the same as the laser two. So probably is dagger board. In fact the boat is almost identical ,just a little bit longer and wider.
Check the hull/deck joint by the shroud fixings, mine became delaminated and shipped a lot of water , now cured with the aid of aluminium tube and epoxy
Good luck

-------------
F.F.I


Posted By: patj
Date Posted: 14 Sep 16 at 6:32am
Our Zoom mast is very straight with little taper. I've heard that an Enterprise mast would be a suitable replacement and it would certainly be OK for single handing the Zoom (mast in forward position) but I'd question whether it has the strength to take a trapeze for double handing (mast in rear position).


Posted By: iberico
Date Posted: 14 Sep 16 at 1:36pm
Originally posted by Fatsailor

Hi iberico, I can fulfil all your requests and will do later this week.but to start, the mast is single piece, approximately 18 feet, NO spreaders shrouds and forestay have TEE fittings into slots in the mast,however if you can source a mast with a collar , then use whatever you like, there is no association, or class rules,if you let me have your email I can send pictures etc.there is a chap on eBay will sell you a brand new mainsail with battens for £100 , I bought one ,I will measure the jib and shrouds etc .the rudder is the same as the laser two. So probably is dagger board. In fact the boat is almost identical ,just a little bit longer and wider.
Check the hull/deck joint by the shroud fixings, mine became delaminated and shipped a lot of water , now cured with the aid of aluminium tube and epoxy
Good luck

Thank you very much Fatsailor. I really appreciate your help. There's no rush. I'd rather get it right than fast so anytime you can it'll be perfect. I looked at the sail on eBay, seems pretty short at 5 meters/luff - I was under the impression that it had a very long mast from the picture posted on this topic - but seems a rather good deal at 100 quid. Mine has signs of separations but not wider than 1-2 inches. I decided to glue them with Poxipol - advertised as 'plastic welding' - I hope that works...
Thank you again for your help. 
Ion



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Posted By: iberico
Date Posted: 14 Sep 16 at 1:55pm
Originally posted by patj

Our Zoom mast is very straight with little taper. I've heard that an Enterprise mast would be a suitable replacement and it would certainly be OK for single handing the Zoom (mast in forward position) but I'd question whether it has the strength to take a trapeze for double handing (mast in rear position).

Hello Patj, thank you for the tip. I want to make the mast myself - just to make sure it'll not brake under too much tension - which means I 'll end up probably with a heavier than usual mast but one that can take a trapeze.  3mm thick tube with an insert of another 2mm tube at the foot of the mast up about 2 feet above the gooseneck.

I wonder if anyone uses a spinnaker on these dinghies... there's so little information available. It must be a really old design and make; it's incredible they survived to this day.
Ion



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Posted By: Saraband
Date Posted: 14 Sep 16 at 4:13pm
The book cover of the Zooms racing is possibly from the RYA team racing championships that were held at Queen Mary in, I think, 1980 or 1981. I was sailing for Wales and we turned up knowing the event was using 5 flights of identical brand new Zooms........the first time we saw one was on the way out to the start!

As already mentioned, there were a few quality issues and someone has already mentioned the weak plywood dagger boards. For this event, the bigger issue was the rudder blades, which kept fracturing at the bottom of the stock, partly because of the poor quality plywood and also because it was wrongly orientated, with the grain going up and down, rather than diagonal.

The bosun's solution was simple......he tidied up the broken blade, re-drilled a hole and sent us back out. By the end of the event most boats had little more than 15" deep rudder blades, but as the race officer said "they are all matched"!!!

It made little difference to the outcome of the racing.....the better sailors still won but I doubt anyone left QMSC desperate to buy a Zoom, or even see one again! Shame really as they were okay to sail, just needed better finishing.






Posted By: Fatsailor
Date Posted: 14 Sep 16 at 6:55pm
I have been told the zoom was made in seventies,trapeze???? Have seen o sign of one, I have a photo of a book cover, by Eric twiname, called the rules,it features two zooms with no sign of trapeze, cannot add pictures to this site

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F.F.I


Posted By: jaydub
Date Posted: 15 Sep 16 at 12:11am
The Zoom did have a trapeze and was aimed at the Laser II market.

For team racing the Zoom was sailed without spinnaker and trapeze.

If my memory serves me right, only Oxford Uni had them.


Posted By: iberico
Date Posted: 16 Sep 16 at 7:08pm
Well, I bought the main. Apparently they had also the jib up until April this year. No longer the case, however I spoke with someone at SailRite in the US and they are able to make sail kits in blue and white - apparently much more expensive than the 60 quid of the original from the guy I bought the sail. It's coming on nicely...dead beat after watching paint dry for two days (and chasing down bugs that love to sit on my fresh paint) They have also spinnaker sail kits available at SailRite. Does anyone know anything about the quality of the fabric they use?
Happy weekend everyone.
Ion



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Posted By: Fatsailor
Date Posted: 16 Sep 16 at 8:55pm
Well done, he can't have many left,
I may be selling my zoom!
Cannot get on with centre main,plus keep hitting head on boom,i'm no longer flexible or quick enough to miss it, that's probably also why I capsize easily,!
Going to try again tomorrow with no jib, and mast in forward position

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F.F.I


Posted By: Medway Maniac
Date Posted: 16 Sep 16 at 9:57pm
Originally posted by Fatsailor


Cannot get on with centre main,

Surely you can just unreeve the mainsheet from the block mid-way along the boom and swap over the blocks on the traveller and boom end, then you have transom sheeting?

If you're using just the mainsail you'll want to keep the traveller, otherwise if using the jib as well, tie the lower block centrally.


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http://www.wilsoniansc.org.uk" rel="nofollow - Wilsonian SC
http://www.3000class.org.uk" rel="nofollow - 3000 Class


Posted By: Fatsailor
Date Posted: 17 Sep 16 at 1:05am
Have sorted out a rough transom mainsheet , not much leverage with single pulleys, the traveller is a rope horse, well more like a lame donkey than a horse! Kept kneeling on the lower block, rather painful with dodgy knees!.
If I can get on with this I will sort out double pulley arrangement , and yes it does point better with traveller central.
Thanks for your interest

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F.F.I


Posted By: Fatsailor
Date Posted: 21 Sep 16 at 8:10pm
Iberico, my mast is 18 feet in length. Single piece. No taper oval section,
Measures 200 mm from one side of slot all the way around to other side of slot ,same at the top .
Alloy is approx 2 to 3 mm thick.
No spreaders .you could probably buy the right section from one of the mast makers,and you would need the foot. Unless you could make that!
Got too dark to measure slots for shrouds and forestay,
Need your email to send pics.
Boom is same thickness of ally, any boom will do that fits your sail,plus 6 inches to stretch via outhaul
Maybe easier /cheaper to source second hand depending on your location.
The LASER 2is almost an identical boat and has a mast height of 5metres
Regards

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F.F.I


Posted By: iberico
Date Posted: 22 Sep 16 at 1:38pm
Thank you very much Fatsailor. Here is my email: griffein [at] yahoo.com.  One of your posts made me thinking. I'm not young anymore either so I think it would be a good idea to rise the gooseneck a bit, make it easier to tack/gybe, hence a custom mast would be a better option. Maybe you can post a picture of the rudder and daggerboard if you can. Have no idea how they look and I don't want to buy an used laser 2 one. DIY at this point for me, as I am over budget already.
Thanks again for your help.


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Posted By: Capitan Giugiu
Date Posted: 31 Oct 16 at 8:01pm
< ="text/"> p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Times} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Times; min-height: 18.0px}

Hi everybody . Here's the real story of the ZOOM. 


This dinghy was designed in 1978 in Viareggio/ Italy by two young sailors, Giuliano Tofani and Lapo Ancillotti. (Giuliano is  me) ... we was only18 years old and with  only a CLASSICAL high school background, ( old greek, old latin…)

in short, armed only with passion and desire we have begun to build, ZOOM,  and in meantime also learning everything you need to build light and strong GRP boats , helped by a 70 year old engineer who built GRP industrial products,  as bodies for trains, aircraft parts, etc, all stuff it had to be light and stiff.


all in the backyard, my mother and the neighbors complaining of fiberglass stench and because of the noise, we were building the prototypes at night, during the day we went to school ..


final result was a dinghy of just 60 kg when similar boats was around 80 kg, 

and the the very flat hull made ZOOM a very fast hull. 


so in my opinion the result was not so bad ....


to meet the Italian market the equipment was economic, stright mast etc, but the centerboard  was built in any case with a 30-layers plywood, oriented at 45 ° and NOT broke for when you jump on after capsize !!!


After pioneering the first year, and after improving many details, for the following 4 years we built this boat, opening a real shipyard, named MULTIDEA.  with about 400 exemplares in italy.


then unfortunately, it was 1982, the windsurfing arrived on the market, and  the Italians were not real stable sailor at those time, not  enthusiasts like you English,  so all the dinghy market died except for the Olympic classes and the Laser.


we stopped building ZOOM and using the past experience we  began building racing boats of 10-15 meters, (IOR) in Kewlar, than carbon and epoxy, and growing more and more, we have become  a real shipyard with 15 workers, large shed, secretaries and many phones that ring at all time…. In 1995 after having launched a 105 ft sailing boat ( !!) I decided that my personal passion was sailing and not build sailing boats, then we sold the shipyard. (Which now is always in good healt and it's called VISMARA YACHTS in Viareggio Italy)


How Zoom  arrives in UK: Fletcher in 1980 bought two boats and we give  permission to build them under licence and royalty. 


We come in UK, in Bedford, with two boats on the truck pulled out of the car an old OPEL caravan,  sleeping with sleeping bag into a tent, no money in the pokets.


after a test in the water at the local yacht club, on a very narrow river in a very windy day, in a very freezing day,  all remain enthusiastic of the ZOOM performances. 


The deal was done, we spend a bit of days to explain how to make boats and we went back to Italy. 


We'll never see a penny of royalty ... 

this does not do much honor to you UK, but patience, was so long ago! let's be friends anyway. 

But for this reason I have no idea how many Zoom was build in UK.


then from Fletcher, the molds pass to Anglo Marine and we lost all ZOOM traces in UK. 

the only thing I am sure, reading yours comment in this blog , it is sure the centerboard built in UK was a vey cheap playwood…


more about techicals: 


 the first 20 Zoom was single sail, after we added the jib

we in Italy was selling Zoom with trapeze and spinnaker, very nice. as optional


the last 10-15 ZOOM build in italy, was experimental again, with more sophisticated GPR, unidirectionals fibers  had a shorter boom and the Mainsail with the first Top batten complete from the mast to the leech, so the sail was more modern and the mast was tapered.


Bruce Farr disegned a sailing plan for us like a 18 feet, total sq mt sails: 60 sqmt,,,,  a very disaster,  after she capsized twice stern to bow we ralised that somting wrong happened:  we met Bruce very late at night in a pub after a regatta,  after a lot of beers…  not the right way to design anything.  experience closed.


to be honest I don’t own any Zoom at this moment, my dream is to buld a ZOOM in carbon fiber/epoxy, 40kg.  and sail again it, The problem I have lost the moulds…


 so, after this long story, I want to  thank you very very very  much to this forum to make me relive those glory days !!!


in case  you need more info , you can contact me giulianotofani@gmail.com


Giuliano



Posted By: Fatsailor
Date Posted: 31 Oct 16 at 11:06pm
Thank you ,really good to find out the history .I hope you fulfil you're ambition

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F.F.I


Posted By: iberico
Date Posted: 12 Nov 16 at 9:26pm
Hello Fatsailor,

I've seen several posts about a Zoom 14 lately, with two mains and a jib... Have you decided to sell after all? I'd buy you the sails, mast and boom and standing and running rigging for 120 quid... if your willing to ship them (shipping is on me).

Thanx.




Posted By: Fatsailor
Date Posted: 14 Nov 16 at 12:15am
Yes that is mine for sale would rather sell everything together,shipping to where exactly?

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F.F.I


Posted By: Fatsailor
Date Posted: 14 Nov 16 at 12:15am
Send me your email,ill send photos

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F.F.I


Posted By: iberico
Date Posted: 16 Nov 16 at 12:22pm
Hello Fatsailor,

I've seen the pictures you've posted. I've checked and shipping to my place would cost an arm and a leg (and a trip to Cuba). Good luck with the sale. 



Posted By: Kein
Date Posted: 23 Dec 16 at 11:36am
Originally posted by Fatsailor

Thanks too everybody who replied, I have sailed it twice now, on our duckpond , she's a heavy beast ,we have very fluky winds, takes a lot to get her moving so seems quite slow, rudder seemed a bit small so I made one the same shape/size as laser two which improved control a bit, just bought brand new Neil Pryde. sail ,very lucky there ,(still one or two !eft) which may help .will find out later today .Zoom nationals? Hmmmn. Not a bad idea .I know one was bought from Baldock. and went to Essex very recently but cannot contact vendor or purchaser.

I am the purchaser of this boat, it was an impulse buy.  I spent many a summer evening as a teen sailing a dinghy on Eagle Pond in Snaresbrook, London.  Although I have spent over 20 years living near Tollesbury in Essex, I have not sailed since.

I am now a teacher at a special needs school and we took some boys sailing at a place close to Lakeside at Thurrock.  When I was on the water it just brought back the memories of Eagle Pond  and the realisation of the wasted time living where I do and never taking advantage of it.

I went home that evening and bought the zoom. The deciding factor being the connection to Fletcher, as I have owned a Fletcher sports boat.  Interestingly, the seller also used his boat at Rutland water.


Posted By: iberico
Date Posted: 23 Dec 16 at 1:37pm
Looks in pretty good shape with matching sails. I missed the jib on ebay unfortunately. Have lots of fun with her.


Posted By: Kein
Date Posted: 23 Dec 16 at 1:47pm
Thanks,

The sails are brand new, as was the rudder and dagger board, and they came with the boat. The boat is in remarkably good condition, but I feel very inexperienced in the blustery creeks of Tollesbury and am considering putting her on Ardleigh reservoir.
We used it with both sails the first time, but to simplify matters we have moved the mast forward and used the main sail the only other couple of times we managed to match the tides with the weather.

Fortunately it also has a set of older sails for me to practice with!


Posted By: Medway Maniac
Date Posted: 23 Dec 16 at 9:38pm
You'll find you have more headroom if you use a clew tie-down, i.e. a line tying the clew of the mainsail hard down onto the boom.  The mainsail needs to go right up to the top, too Wink

-------------
http://www.wilsoniansc.org.uk" rel="nofollow - Wilsonian SC
http://www.3000class.org.uk" rel="nofollow - 3000 Class


Posted By: Neptune
Date Posted: 24 Dec 16 at 11:49am
If you are in Tollesbury, don't forget Blackwater Sailing club in Heybridge once its a little warmer.

-------------
Musto Skiff and Solo sailor


Posted By: Fatsailor
Date Posted: 24 Dec 16 at 3:10pm
Does look in good nick,I agree about tying clew down,I have used a slider in the boom track,and shackled clew to that with the slider attached to outhaul.Be wary of excessive heel, it slows you down quite a lot,and the tipping point to swimming is NOT easily recognised, when you use the jib it is enough on its own to put you over!. Although I do sail solo.
Good luck


Posted By: iberico
Date Posted: 28 May 17 at 11:45am
Hello,

Do you remember where is the serial tag mounted on the ZooM? I can't manage to find it.
Thank you. 

Originally posted by Capitan Giugiu

< ="text/"> p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Times} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Times; min-height: 18.0px}

Hi everybody . Here's the real story of the ZOOM. 


This dinghy was designed in 1978 in Viareggio/ Italy by two young sailors, Giuliano Tofani and Lapo Ancillotti. (Giuliano is  me) ... we was only18 years old and with  only a CLASSICAL high school background, ( old greek, old latin…)

in short, armed only with passion and desire we have begun to build, ZOOM,  and in meantime also learning everything you need to build light and strong GRP boats , helped by a 70 year old engineer who built GRP industrial products,  as bodies for trains, aircraft parts, etc, all stuff it had to be light and stiff.


all in the backyard, my mother and the neighbors complaining of fiberglass stench and because of the noise, we were building the prototypes at night, during the day we went to school ..


final result was a dinghy of just 60 kg when similar boats was around 80 kg, 

and the the very flat hull made ZOOM a very fast hull. 


so in my opinion the result was not so bad ....


to meet the Italian market the equipment was economic, stright mast etc, but the centerboard  was built in any case with a 30-layers plywood, oriented at 45 ° and NOT broke for when you jump on after capsize !!!


After pioneering the first year, and after improving many details, for the following 4 years we built this boat, opening a real shipyard, named MULTIDEA.  with about 400 exemplares in italy.


then unfortunately, it was 1982, the windsurfing arrived on the market, and  the Italians were not real stable sailor at those time, not  enthusiasts like you English,  so all the dinghy market died except for the Olympic classes and the Laser.


we stopped building ZOOM and using the past experience we  began building racing boats of 10-15 meters, (IOR) in Kewlar, than carbon and epoxy, and growing more and more, we have become  a real shipyard with 15 workers, large shed, secretaries and many phones that ring at all time…. In 1995 after having launched a 105 ft sailing boat ( !!) I decided that my personal passion was sailing and not build sailing boats, then we sold the shipyard. (Which now is always in good healt and it's called VISMARA YACHTS in Viareggio Italy)


How Zoom  arrives in UK: Fletcher in 1980 bought two boats and we give  permission to build them under licence and royalty. 


We come in UK, in Bedford, with two boats on the truck pulled out of the car an old OPEL caravan,  sleeping with sleeping bag into a tent, no money in the pokets.


after a test in the water at the local yacht club, on a very narrow river in a very windy day, in a very freezing day,  all remain enthusiastic of the ZOOM performances. 


The deal was done, we spend a bit of days to explain how to make boats and we went back to Italy. 


We'll never see a penny of royalty ... 

this does not do much honor to you UK, but patience, was so long ago! let's be friends anyway. 

But for this reason I have no idea how many Zoom was build in UK.


then from Fletcher, the molds pass to Anglo Marine and we lost all ZOOM traces in UK. 

the only thing I am sure, reading yours comment in this blog , it is sure the centerboard built in UK was a vey cheap playwood…


more about techicals: 


 the first 20 Zoom was single sail, after we added the jib

we in Italy was selling Zoom with trapeze and spinnaker, very nice. as optional


the last 10-15 ZOOM build in italy, was experimental again, with more sophisticated GPR, unidirectionals fibers  had a shorter boom and the Mainsail with the first Top batten complete from the mast to the leech, so the sail was more modern and the mast was tapered.


Bruce Farr disegned a sailing plan for us like a 18 feet, total sq mt sails: 60 sqmt,,,,  a very disaster,  after she capsized twice stern to bow we ralised that somting wrong happened:  we met Bruce very late at night in a pub after a regatta,  after a lot of beers…  not the right way to design anything.  experience closed.


to be honest I don’t own any Zoom at this moment, my dream is to buld a ZOOM in carbon fiber/epoxy, 40kg.  and sail again it, The problem I have lost the moulds…


 so, after this long story, I want to  thank you very very very  much to this forum to make me relive those glory days !!!


in case  you need more info , you can contact me giulianotofani@gmail.com


Giuliano



Posted By: Kein
Date Posted: 02 May 19 at 7:58pm
My Zoom is up for sale.  It can be viewed at Alton Water, Suffolk. It is as shown in the photos above.

The sails are brand new, as was the rudder and dagger board, and they came with the boat. The boat is in remarkably good condition, it also has a set of older sails.

Please contact me through this post, email kvjames@btinternet.com or Tel:  01621 869636, if interested



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