We arrived at the YC late friday afternoon and started assembling the 3 boats. Immediately, I was impressed with the pre-work that had been done at the factory and by Robbie. The tramps were installed as well as the cleats and many of the control lines. Having said that, one should still allow a full day for boat assembly. Robbie did a great job helping everyone and was very patient.
We spent most of the day Saturday assembling the boats and finally got on the water in the late afternoon. Most of that time was spent getting familiar with the boats. Robbie did some filming that we viewed and discussed that evening at the YC. This was extremely helpful.
Sunday, we had some on shore instruction while waiting for wind. Around noon, we finally got on the water. Andre and I sailed 2 up, Evan Miller was one up on his dad's boat, Chris Amadore was one up on the Blade (with new Goodall Sails) and Taylor Reece was 2 up on the F18. (Taylor is a regular coaching client). We sailed around for a while getting instruction from Robbie and then had 3 short races.
The boat sails much like an F18 except that it is more responsive and more sensitive to weight placement. Right out of the box, I felt that I was competitive with the F18. We had some issues raising and dowsing the chute, but that was probably attributable to my inexperienced crew and her technique. I hope to resolve these issues this weekend in Pensacola. In general, the boat is fantastic and a dream to sail. Robbie's coaching was excellent for all of our levels of experience.
The Viper sails much like an F18, only more responsive and more sensitive to weight positioning. Most of the systems work well and are easy to use. I love the light weight (265 lbs.) and ease of moving it around. The mast is light and very easy to raise and lower. I love the boards and the pull up system. The rudder lock down system will take some getting use to. I think it would be an issue launching in surf. Just like any boat, there are some personal prefernce items that I will change. I prefer an adjustable tiller and a yoke style connection, which I have already changed. I will also be changing the line in the main blocks as I feel that it is too fat and has too much friction in the blocks. 8mm Robline or Salsa would be better choices. With that exception, the other lines are of excellent quality and are properly matched for the various applications. I wish the outhaul adjustment were on the bottom of the boom versus the top - I found it hard to adjust. My boat took on water in 3 of the 4 compartments, so I will need to find and fix the leaks. I don't think anyone else had water issues. Also, I would like to devise a system (like the Infusion) that releases the rotator for downwind and then returns it to the exact upwind setting as before. I also want to add a positive rotation system that holds the mast in rotation for light or choppy conditions.
Overall, I could not be more pleased with the boat. I feel like a kid on Christmas. I can't wait for the weekend!