Scorpion gear guide 2011
by Tom Jeffcoate 18 Nov 2011 09:08 GMT
18 November 2011
Scorpions at Notts County © David Eberlin
Now the main class events have been decided and the Silver Scorpion travellers series concluded, and with suppliers such as Pinnell & Bax, North Sails and Speed Sails launching some winter offers, it seems a good idea to have a look at what kit has been successful in the class this year.
Boats
Since 2006 the epoxy Scorpions, currently supplied by P&B, have taken every National title and this year was no different with the top 5 overall all having been made from the moulds. All were under 5 years old although this is perhaps little surprise as they have taken off in popularity in the last few years. The new boats are supplied ready to race and the championship winning boat (Sc2025) was only collected on the Thursday before the event and sailed for the first time in the practice race.
They are supplied with a range of options although all the latest boats feature one string raking systems. 2025 also had a twin self launching pole system more commonly seen on 505s and Flying 15s and this has been developed further by the latest boat on the water (#2026) with modified cleating points and purchase systems. The rest of the top 10 used a double ended pole system.
This doesn’t mean the epoxy hulls have had it all their own way. The wooden scorpions are notorious for performing well regardless of age, the 20 year old Bottyburp the Barbarian being a well known example of this. Wooden boats collected both the travellers series, won by Andy Mckee & Tarren Jones sailing their 15 year old boat #1951 “Sidewinder” and the inland title, won by Tom Gillard & Andy Thompson in #1976 “What’s up Doc?”.
Boats new and old from both Gosling Dinghy Craft and Paintcraft have both been seen at the front of the fleet at events throughout the season and are also regarded as being far prettier than their plastic counterparts. New boats from both these builders are now combining epoxy and wood techniques to improve on stiffness while maintaining the stunning looks.
Sails
The top 3 boats at the championships all used sails from a different sailmaker, namely Speed Sails, P&B and North Sails. Speed Sails were used by the overall winners and are also used by Andy & Tarren while P&B were also used by the boats in 4th and 5th overall at the champs and the inlands winners. Norths are a relative newcomer to the front end of the fleet although Pete Gray & Rich Pepperdine have had several open meeting wins recently using a set.
Rigs
The Selden Cumulus is currently the most popular mast section in the fleet and was used by the championship winners. Some of the heavier crews have been experimenting with the stiffer Alto section including Chris Turner & Mike Hannan who finished 4th. The other popular rig is the Super Spars M7+ which is similar to the Cumulus section.
Foils
The new epoxy boats are supplied with Milanes centreboards but the choice of foils is open and there are no restrictions on the rudder at all leading to a variety of shapes and makers throughout the fleet. The winning boat used a carbon Winder lifting rudder similar to their Fireball blade.
Crew
The fleet has a wide variety of ages, genders and weights and all have something to race for thanks to the wide range of prize categories on offer. The raking rig does a lot to equalise the performance between the different crew weights and teams ranging from 20 – 26 stone all up have won the champs in recent years.
This year however did suit some of the bigger / stronger crews with windy conditions most days. At 25 stone the winners were well suited to the breeze but with 2nd and 3rd being closer to the 22 stone mark the weight tolerance of the boats and the effects of the adjustable rig were very evident.
Find out more
More info about the different Scorpion options is available online at www.sailscorpion.co.uk and committee / supplier contact details are also online with everyone happy to offer advice. Alternatively come along to any event and see what’s going on for yourself.