After finishing the A Class Worlds an evaluation of the LR2 was made by builder, John Lindahl; builder/sailor, Ian Lindahl; designer, Richard Roake; sail maker/sailor Randy Smyth; and sailor, Fred Smith. Input was also received from several others and the conclusions are noted here.
For a brand new boat (both design and build) there was a general feeling of success. The boat itself performed very well, for as little time as the sailors had to learn it and tune. Roakes hull shape put some lift in the bow and got the weather hull out of the water very quickly. Everyone commented about the fact that this design does not want to pitchpole. There is plenty of volume forward. One nice attribute of the design is the boats ability to go into “point mode” and maintain speed. The best VMG downwind seemed to be achieved by heading down rather than doing the “wild thing”. The unique bows did not dive and trip, like a lot of people thought they would. Instead they stabilized the platform and at times there was a feeling of too much bow. This was felt in the accelerations coming out of a wave or when a gust hit you. The hull shape above the waterline reduced air drag, so you didn’t feel the bows getting pushed around in the wind. Boards and rudders were excellent with extremely good getaway from the starting line and a no drag feel when underway. It was possible to easily pull them up, even when “loaded” on an upwind beat.
When the building project began there were two overriding parameters: integrity and weight. The platform had to be strong and light. Hull panel stiffness was achieved by using a much thicker core than anyone else (9mm). The thick core was shaped by strip-planking the foam core inside CNC cut female frames. The core was then carefully laminated with carbon and epoxy inside and out. Beam junctions were glued and carbon wrapped for an exceptional joint. The first three LR2’s built are all under class minimum weight, with the third boat being 15 pounds under). Minimal fairing and attention to resin use kept the hull weight very low, as well as there only being 63 sq.ft. of surface area on a hull. The platform was stiff, strong and surprisingly light, with the added bonus that the boats finished out looking good.
All agreed that time on the boat is all that’s needed to put this boat up at the front of the fleet. All also agreed that the rig tune (mast-sail combination) was the area that needed the most attention. This of course goes back to time on the boat. There was also a feeling that the platform could take on more power.
This exercise was intended to get some new ideas in design and building technique introduced to the A Class community. We feel successful in doing that and will continue custom work on the boat. Complete boats are available as well as kits for those interested in doing their own. Board and rudder speed kits are available as well. R & D will continue with Richard Roake in the New Zealand design studio and Lindahl Composite Design here in Michigan.
A website is in the works but for now information is available from:
John Lindahl LINDAHL COMPOSITE DESIGN 6002 Cedar St. Fennville, MI 49408 269.650.5900 jlindahl_lcd@yahoo.com
