Open 5.70 test sail!

We finally got out on an Open 5.70 today. Brendan met us down at Sail Newport at 11:30 in the morning. We had the boat rigged and floating by 12:45 with a health dose of “what’s this do” along with “where’s this go?” and general BSing/introductions (we actually know Brendan from racing etchells agaisnt each other ~10 years ago now). Honestly it’s VERY EASY to rig these things, even clueless, but with 4 people and only one with a clue of what was what, we had it all together and splashed in 1:15 which is very reasonable IMHO. It’s easy to see if you knew what you were doing and not BSing, it’s a half hours job. We also hand pushed it to the lift to see how easy that is and how light the boat is. Everything worked very well. We hoist launched it with the keel puller in place.

By then the wind had filled in nicely to about 10~12 with puffs a bit higher. Dad and I sailed 2 up out of Newport, up to rose then popped the kite (we won’t mention it was sideways…… oh wait, then yeah, how ’bout someone labels the corners for these things? Or at least make them not all black?). We ripped down past house on the rock and the fort gybing twice (and easily hitting 12max in a puff) to see both Pumas on their way in. We dropped the kite and heading up wind in front of them (it was the 2 of them, and us in the open, no one else was out). Well we thought the boat was quick, but we couldn’t hold Kenny and the boys off…. They blazed by at about 10~12 BOATSPEED! We sailed up to Rose again, popped the kite again and ripped into the harbor to end our sail.

My thoughts on the open:

• *super easy to rig/launch
• *very stiff. Both in construction, and walking around beam to beam (@ “225lbs”) with the keep up.
• *it’s shorter IRL than it looks in pictures
• *it steers incredibly quickly (like a skiff for me, like nothing my Dad had driven)
• *it’s pretty quick upwind, but doesn’t point very high (keep it low and rolling)
• *you don’t need to hike to go sailing, it does help, but it’s not crucial (like it is in a viper)
• *hiking is very comfortable
• *the mainsheet and traveler setup is very awkward, sure we’ll adjust, but it’s very unusual if you haven’t sailed a cat before
• *the boat is very easy to tack or gybe with nothing in the cockpit in your way
• *the kite is rediculously simple to hoist, 1 line for the pole and tackline, the other for the halyward, but you don’t even have to pull the kite out of the bag, just pull the strings (but the kite stays put upwind)
• *you do reach around a bit, but it’s quite fast downwind
• *2 up was very easy for us, I’m sure I could single hand it
• *it’s built very well (this boat is the original 5.70 imported ~3 years ago)

it’s a great boat. I think it’s about perfect for us. It certainly is at this price point. The Melges or SB3 might be faster boats, but they’ll be harder to do anything single handed. They’re also ~$40k so they’re in a different league. The open has done a lot of things right. It’s not perfect (is any boat?) but for what we’re looking for, I’m thinking it’s the best compromise. Especially considering there is already one here in Newport, and 0 SB3 and 0 Vipers. Of the issues we have, at least half are the sort you either fix yourself, or possibly adjust to. And nothing major at all.

It’s a great boat, and honestly more people need to get out and sail them and see them to get interest up. Maybe the $40k options are a tad faster around a course, but who cares, the $10k+ difference buys a lot of beer, and we love the KISS approach seen here. I wish we had more time to sail it today (I have a 9 week old at home ) but I have a feeling we’ll have plenty of time this summer.

What didn’t I like?

• *the keel setup isn’t ideal. You drop it somehow it goes through the hull? Needs some sort of top and side bracing so once it’s down, it’s a bit more solid in it’s box (it makes “noises” as it moves ever so slightly while sailing).
• *the mainsheet is a bit difficult. Yes, I understand that it’s directly taken from a cat, but that doesn’t make it easy on a monohull. Yes we might get used to it, but why should we have to? ~$100 in hardware would make it much easier for new people to hop in the boat and sail it w/o any weird moments. I’d like to see the sheet coming from the boom and a normal traveler on the floor.
• *the rudders really should kick up or be easier to remove. As they are now they’re just long enough that you can’t leave them down unless the parking lot you’re in is perfectly level (it’s not at Sail Newport). I understand they took these right off the cat, but why don’t they kick up? Cat rudders certainly do. Also, a cassette style like a 29er has would be brilliantly simple (and their rudder is aluminum). It’s just a PITA to have to install rudders in the water, and if you can’t drive around with them on the boat, that’s the only option.
• *The main won’t fit below… My Dad pointed out an inspection port in the transom would be perfect…
• *the mast jack should be adjustable under load, this would make rigging/derigging SO easy.

Thanks to Brendan for letting us use the boat. We had a blast.

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