Monthly Archive for April, 2008

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Vanguard Vector

Published on April 22, 2008 in Previously Owned, Sailboats and Vector. 3 Comments

One of the boats we used to own was a Vanguard Vector. It’s definately not a sportboat. It’s a skiff. Nikki and I had a blast on this boat, but it was very wet and a lot of work. It’s a dual trapeze boat designed to be between a 29er and 49er with the ideal crew weight around 300lbs. The boat was rigged very well (simply), but it did have one huge design flaw in my mind.

The huge design flaw was that it would tip over at the dock WITHOUT any sails up. I know it’s because it’s a rounded narrow hull and a tall rig. As soon as the rig would lean over the water over the boat went. In less than 5 seconds unattended the boat would be on it’s side. Continue reading ‘Vanguard Vector’

Viper 640 test sail

Published on April 21, 2008 in Sailboats, Test Sails and Viper 640. 0 Comments

This was originally posted on my personal blog on September 9th, 2007. I’ve put it up here with today’s date since it would mess up the archive here to backdate it. Enjoy!

We’re working on selling our Viper 830. We want to get into something a bit smaller to facilitate rigging and sailing with less people. The 830 requires at least 3 people to rig and or sail and a truck to move due to it’s 2,200lb weight. The Viper 640 is one of the top options for something in the 20′ range as a replacement (the Melges 20, Laser SB3, and Open 5.70 are the other options). I got a chance to go up to Marblehead on Saturday and race 3 fall series races with a few of the boats. It’s a very relaxed series in the fall with only a few boats going out (but 20+ Sonars due to their upcoming worlds) but it was still a blast. I had contacted Justin Scott, the class president and asked when he could get me out on the boat. Saturday worked and we had a great time. 3 races, we got a 1st (we think the finish was +- 2′ between us and second!), a wire to wire first, and a wire to wire second. It was a great time, and they are fantastic little boats. It was interesting to see how much work hiking is again (you actively hike upwind, even in the ~12knots true we had). Continue reading ‘Viper 640 test sail’

RS K6

Published on April 20, 2008 in RS K6 and Sailboats. 0 Comments

The RS K6 is another option that was brought to my attention by the guys down at American Yacht Club in Rye NY. They were looking for a new small ~20′ sportboat for one design racing at the club. They didn’t care what anyone else had because they would be purchasing enough for an instant fleet anyway. I had gotten in touch with Jim and he invited me down for the test sail when they had a few RSs there but before they had decided it was the boat for them. Justin Scott also brought his Viper down so it was my first opportunity to see that boat as well. Continue reading ‘RS K6′

Laser SB3

Published on April 19, 2008 in Laser SB3 and Sailboats. 0 Comments

Another option for us is the Laser SB3. This boat has been a huge success over in the UK, and Vanguard was finally bought out by the UK laser people, so we’re now getting them in the US this year. I’ve seen 2 parked behind Vanguard already last fall and I’ve seen one out doing some test sailing in Newport. I’ve been in contact with their salesperson and I’m eagerly awaiting a May test sail.

The boat is pretty interesting. It’s a big heavier than the other options and has a huge kite to make up for it. There are strict no hiking rules which sound promising for sailing it with 2 or even 1 for fun. The biggest issue we have is the ~$40k pricetag. It’s a nice boat, but it’s old technology (no carbon, old construction, etc). Continue reading ‘Laser SB3′

SB3s at Vanguard.

Published on April 18, 2008 in Laser SB3 and Sailboats. 0 Comments

I originally posted this back in August 2007 on my personal blog. But it really belongs here, but I’ll put it’s date as when I’m copying it since this site started in April 2008….

It was in sailing world in the spring. And as a subscriber to UK’s Yachting World I’ve read all about them at Cowes week. I’ve gone as far as to fill in my US address into the UK VW Touareg site in order to get a DVD on them (it worked!)… Well they are finally in the states. Yarrow and I were trying to get out on the water to go I-14 sailing on Saturday but needed a universal. West was sold out so up to Vanguard we went. I’d heard on Sailing Anarchy that there were SB3s “here” but no one could confirm that… So I asked in the shop and after a bit of pressing, yes they were here, 2 brand new SB3 (on UK non US street legal trailers even)! I asked about getting a ride and couldn’t get a confirmed date. Just that they would be down at sail Newport for a Thursday night to show off. I’ll be trying to get a ride on one ASAP. I also asked about boat shows and it seems Vanguard wants them to be the hit of the show at Annapolis, but I wonder why it can’t be the hit of both boat shows… Or at least be here for serious inquiries to get a test sail…

Continue reading ‘SB3s at Vanguard.’

Shaw 650

Published on April 17, 2008 in Sailboats and Shaw 6.50. 2 Comments

The shaw is another interesting boat. Alex Wadson imported Maniac for last season at JYC for Tuesday night racing. The boat is insanely fast downwind. It was racing in the class with us and it’s only 21′ long. They’d be a bit slow upwind, but once the kites went up they’d SCREAM downwind. Close to skiff speeds. They’d pass almost the entire fleet downwind which was interesting to see (painful when you’re on another boat).

Unfortunately I don’t think it’s for us. It’s a bit too powered up upwind. It’s got a keel that’s lighter than the vipers with more sail area. The guys on the boat all seamed to be working very hard upwind and it also looked to be a very wet ride. Certainly something fun to go sail on, and I’d be glad to go anytime Alex needs crew, I just don’t think it’s the right boat for us considering I want to be able to sail alone for fun on the weekends.

Continue reading ‘Shaw 650′

Open 5.70

Published on April 16, 2008 in Open 5.70 and Sailboats. 1 Comment

The open 5.70 is one of our considerations. Being honest, it’s probably at the top of our list right now. It’s one of the least expensive options. It’s also available now. It’s a baby 60′ design that looks to be easily sailed by 2 people. It’s very wide giving the crew weight great leverage and it also has a very deep keel for a boat this size (20′ boat with a 5’9″ draft). I really like the simplicity of the design and it’s setup to be easily rigged and launched alone. The whole boat weighs in at 992lbs. With it’s trailer it would be easily towed by our smallest car which is nice.

The issues I see with it are that I wonder how well it will sail 2up in 15~18 here in Newport. Also it’s jib is roller furling, but not self taking. How hard would that make single handing the boat? The spinnaker also has no retrieval line, so I’m wondering how hard it would be to fly alone. The brochures tell you it’s easily hoisted and doused by one crew, but they’re assuming there is a skipper… I’m really curious to see how the boat tracks dead down unattended for a quick solo hoist/drop.

Continue reading ‘Open 5.70′

Caribiana Skiff

Published on April 15, 2008 in Caribiana Skiff and Motorboats. 0 Comments

A Motor boat? What gives? Yes, it’s a motorboat, deal with it. We also fish and lobster as well as enjoy the occasional cruise around the harbor or anywhere else. We’re looking for a nice small powerboat. We want something that can be powered by around 50hp and won’t kill us on fuel costs. We’d also like to be able to tow it with a normal car (<2,000lbs total, ideally closer to the 1k mark). Continue reading ‘Caribiana Skiff’