Having owned an H-17 since 1989 and having enjoyed immensely the whole singlehanded experience,( slave to nobody, one with the boat etc.) especially in 15-25 when this boat comes alive, I still have always wanted a singlehander with a chute. I have been salivating over the Inter17R since it's inception and thought I was ready to buy and now the FX1 and the Taipan 4.9 have got me totally rethinking. I know this issue has been hashed and rehashed on this forum many times. When reading a review of the Taipan 4.9 by Jim Boyer in Australian Sailing Magazine he states that the boat will "plane in windy conditions, with winds of 15-20 will "lift in the water" Have others found this to be true and on what point of reaching(I assume) and with what sails up. Are either the FX1 or the Inter17R capable of this. Sounds like the 4.9 makes for a good uni rig also but can it be sailed easily with spinnaker singlehanded. Best scenario is for me to try all three but none in this area that I'm aware of. I will be on the MS coast(Bay St Louis) Nov 15-22 and am willing to travel 200miles either way to just to catch a glimpse of any of these boats. Drooling in the Midwest!!

call kirk newkirk of key sailing in pensacola beach....it is about a 2 hr drive..he might beable to help ya out...

If you make it to Calif. for any reason I'd be happy to let you try the T4.9 w/spin (F16). I also considered the Fx-1 and I17R. Both look good also; never got to sail either but I'm sure they're great boats. The Taipan won me over for having comparable performance but a more proven design in a lighter (by 75-100lbs?) and less expensive package.

Try all boats !

And if you want to give the Taipan a try than you have a few options :


-1- Michael Coffman, Jennifer Lindsay or Chuck Harden ; Tampa area Florida (Rick is probably to far south)

-2- Bill Moran. Ohio area

-3- Chip Zenke and his local club of 4 Taipan sailors near I believe Oak Hill, VA Quite near to Annapolis.

-4- Eric Poulsen, Southern California. (Mark Thalla has a Stealth F16 here as well and the second Taipan is coming in)

-5- Maybe Kirt Simmons in Arkansas.


All of these are willing to give a newbie a testride. Is anyone of these near enough for you ? If so then I have some contact info so you can reach them

Wouter

Have you checked out the US Taipan Catamaran Sailing Association USTCSA website? We have a list of many of the Taipan 4.9 / F16HP sailors in the US. There is a Taipan 4.9 owner near Little Rock, Arkansas that is not list but may be close enought to where you live. I can contact him to see if he would be available and willing to show you the boat and maybe let you take it for a test drive.

As far as contacting Kirk Newkirk, he use to be a dealer for the Taipan 4.9 but I believe he no longer sells them or at least that is what he told me.

Two considerations when selecting a boat are the wind conditions you normally sail in and your weight. I weigh 145 lbs and can sail my Taipan uni rigged with spinnaker comfortably up to maybe 12 mph. Over that and it becomes an accident waiting to happen. I can sail the Taipan with spinnaker with crew maybe up to 20 mph. This past weekend at the Taipan 4.9 Nationals I sailed without spinnaker in winds that were gusting over 25 mph with a combined weight of around 265 lbs (we were the lightest crew sailing). The winners of the event were around 315 lbs. I don't know what the ideal weights are for the other boats you are considering, but you should consider these before making a selection.

Send me a private message if you would like more information on the Taipan 4.9

Jennifer Lindsay
Taipan 4.9/F16HP #262

Sorry to butt in here but I had a few problems finding the listing myself. SO I'll just post the link.

http://www.ustaipan.org/membership_list.htm

In total there are som 20 Taipans with 19 spis in the USA; halve of these are found in this listing.

Kirt Simmons is not listed and I just remembered that he lives in "Jess Morgan" Arkansas.

With respect to the confusion ; The Texel rating committee has just measured all the setups that are of interest.

She has found the following specs (alfabetical order):


For reference Texel rating :
Hobie = 117 no spi: 113 with spi
F18 / Tiger = 106 no spi: 102 with spi
A-cat = 100
Tornado = 99 no spi ; 94 with spi



-1- Inter 17 R (The US version of the Inter 17 which apparent has reached the shore of Europe now)

Ready to sail weight (with carbon mast but excl. spi gear) = 151 kg = 333 lbs (the old I-17 = 155 kg = 342 lbs)

Mainsail area incl one side of mast = 16.44 sq. mtr. with 8,53 mtr luff length = 176,73 sq. ft by 27.97 ft = 177 by 28

Jib kit = 3,44 sq. mtr. by 5.02 mtr projected luff length = 36.98 sq.ft. by 16,46 ft = 37 by 16,5

Spinnaker size = 17 or 17.5 sq. mtr.

Rating singlehanded Texel (no jib) = 107 no spi and 103 with spi
Rating doublehanded Texel (with jib) = 108 no spi and 104 with spi


-2- Hobie FX-one (there is only one version)

Ready to sail weight (with alum. mast but excl. spi gear) = 147 kg = 325 lbs

Mainsail area incl one side of mast = 14.91 sq. mtr. with 8,03 mtr luff length = 160,28 sq. ft by 26.33 ft = 160 by 26.3

Jib kit = 3,99 sq. mtr. by 5.64 mtr projected luff length = 42.89 sq.ft. by 18,49 ft = 43 by 18,5 (Hobie have been boosting their jib setup)

Spinnaker size = 17 or 17.5 sq. mtr.

Rating singlehanded Texel (no jib) = 111 no spi and 107 with spi
Rating doublehanded Texel (with jib) = 110 no spi and 106 with spi


-3- Taipan 4.9 with spi or (Taipan) F16

Ready to sail weight (with alum. mast but excl. spi gear) = 102 kg = 225 lbs
F16 : = 107 inclu spi gear which is about 5 kg so the weight without spi gear is 102 kg's too.

Taipan :Mainsail area incl one side of mast = 14.58 sq. mtr. with 8,02 mtr luff length = 156,73 sq. ft by 26.30 ft = 157 by 26.3
F16 : F16's may reposition a little jib area into the main; their mains are typically 14.85 by 8 = 160 sq.ft by 26,2 ft.

Taipan : Jib = 4,17 sq. mtr. by 4.72 mtr projected luff length = 44.83 sq.ft. by 15,44 ft = 45 by 15,5
F16 : smaller jib sail as the extra area in the main must be taken out of the jib = typically 3.65 by 5 = 39 sq. ft. by 16.4 ft.

Spinnaker size = 17.5 sq. mtr.

Taipan rating singlehanded Texel (no jib) = 106 no spi and 102 with spi
F16 rating singlehanded Texel (no jib) = 105 no spi and 101 with spi

Taipan Rating doublehanded Texel (with jib) = 107 no spi and 103 with spi
F16 Rating doublehanded Texel (with jib) = 106 no spi and 102 with spi

The F16 version can be order with AHPC just like the One-design Taipan 4.9 with spi.


I hope this summary helps in getting the spec of the boats right. All measurements preformed by Texel measurers who are also recognized by the ISAF as official measurers. There is no cheating here. They do try of course.

Personally I found this info to be more dependable than the various brochures and sales persons.

I hope you have fair weather during your test rides !

Wouter

Thanks for all the great info. Driving to the coast so could conceivably come back through Arkansas depending on what area the Taipan is located. Am a pretty experienced sailor, lot's of time on the water so any specifics on a boats behavior on different points of sail would be appreciated. I am a novice with a spinnaker but I sense once I experience it I won't want to go back.