The viper is a very fun little boat with a easy setup, carbon right and spinnaker with a retrieval line. On paper it really is the ideal boat for us. I say on paper because I’ve sailed them twice, once on LIS with medium breeze and once in Marblehead in reasonably light breeze. They are very fast fun boats. My biggest concern is the amount of hiking required. They are very light on the ballast with only 275lbs in the keel, and that’s only four and a half feet down. That means even in a Marblehead breeze it’s a lot of hiking. I’m not 100% against hiking, it’s just that trapping would be a lot easier, and I’d also like to be able to sail this boat alone. I don’t think it’s realistic to sail a viper alone, and I also think it’s a bit too athletic for my 62 y/o father and myself to sail. Continue reading ‘Viper 640′