Howdy all. The A-Class is actually a pretty reasonable boat for a big guy to sail. In e-mailing the sail makers, I have been told that the top 10 for the last Worlds ranged between 155 and 185 lbs, and that I could be competitive at 210. I have been getting in to the A-Class scene on a budget and have made myself a boat that has good buoyancy. That is one of the stipulations that the fast guys say that big guys should look for. I have had the Marstom boat suggested as an appropriate choice for my weight, so it would be a great choice for any big guy trying to get into the class and the A-Class website has some used ones listed for sale right now. THe Marstrom boat is the Gucci of sailboat construction too, is made out of the best materiels and is likely to never become soft like a glass boat.

In this class, you can have the mast and the sail tailored for your weight as well. I purchased my mast from Ben Hall at a discount, and before I really knew what to look for in a mast, and it is a little bendy for me in the fore/aft plane being suited for a 180 lb guy in my estimation. I am actually considering taking all the clear coating and intruding hardware off it and adding a couple of layers of Uni to the outside to stiffen it up so the sail does not flatten as soon as I sheet in. Once I get my rig stiff enough to keep sail shape as the wind pipes up, then I will be able to go give these guys with the big bucks a real good run, especially in big wind. I was out in 5 to 10 knots and could consistantly finish ahead of 2 Tornados with old style rigs (not Marstoms). And that was with a too soft mast with a sail made for a little guy!

You can get a mast made by Ben Hall that will be just the right stiffness for you, and a deeper cut mainsail, and have all the power you want for a boat that is 165 lbs and 7 ft 6.5 inches wide. When you buy a boat from a major manufacturer like a Hobie, or a Performance Catamaran boat, you often have to sail with their sail design which cannot be modified for the weight charachteristics that would allow you to go faster. The Taipan 4.9 in the f16 guise would be a pretty good choice for you to singlehand as well, as long as you can get the appropriate mast stiffness for your weight. You can get the sails anywhere you want with that boat so they can be tailored to the fullness you will need. To be honest, I am considering trying to get my weight down to 190 for the next season to give me a better chance of finishing well, and I have a new fuller sail already. Lighter weight does make a difference so I will do what I can, but that does not mean that these boats are not competitive at a higher weight. I may wind up being too light for my mast if I get too light, or the 2 layers of additional uni make the mast too stiff. What other class lets you tailor your hardware like that? Are you kind of adventuresome? Take a risk and build a boat hull design that you have been wondering why nobody has used. I can build a set of hulls for around $1,500 in materiels after my mold is done! What a great class for a tinkerer who likes to sail too! 5 gals of epoxy, 6 sheets of 1/4 inch foam, 200 yards of 4 oz uni carbon, a suitable mold, and 4 months of winter is all I need! If you think the 4 months of winter is too much, it would probably take about 2 weeks of time to actually build, but I have to play hockey, downhill and cross country ski, spend hours on my bike trainer, and swim 3 times a week too. Those spare 20 lbs are tough to get off!