Not everything coming down the grapevine is true but ....

I can confirm thought that the black beams on the Dutch twin (Same orange coloured hulls) are black anodised alu.




Me neither, but for same owners, having such beams is just a statement that needs to be made.

Hi guys.

That Blade is actually at my club in Singapore (Changi Sailing Club) where we have a fleet of 20 Taipans and now hopefully a few Blades joining in too.

It has wood/epoxy hulls, Goodall wingmast rig. The main beams are carbon with kevlar inserts under the mast and no dolphin striker. The rear beam is 50/50 carbon/glass. The beams are carbon as these are cheaper than importing aluminium beams from AHPC for the Taipans.

The boat is being put together by Pro-sail Asia in Malaysia, the local Taipan agent as the costs of importing boats from Aus has gone through the roof due to a 30% change in the exchange rate!

I haven't seen the boat in action against the Taipans yet but it looks superb in the flesh.

Blobby wrote:


I find that incredible! There is reputedly a world shortage of carbon cloth that is now pushing up the cost of carbon parts and yet it is cheaper than imported aluminium beams?

On grounds of cost, if that is the reason in this case, I can understand using these beams over ali. But are there any performance advantages? I can't see what they'd be. In addition, surely using a 'different' technology to the 'norm' must increase the complications? What about beam attachment points, mast support, track attachment, trampoline mounting, through-beam fittings, etc. ?

What at first appeared to be a particularly nice looking Blade turns out to be pretty radical and not a little complex

Phill,

Can you repost those other photos of Agent Orange please? Thanks

My post got lost :

"I have relatives sho live in HK and importing anything into SE asia is a nightmare and expensive; it way well be tthat local carbon is cheaper than import Alu;

My next boat is going to be 99% carbon and the price change I've been quoted so far is only +150GBP if the boat is built out of the next batch - boat build is dependant on sail of the Inter 17 !

and your next boat will be...??

John,
Would you like the same photos posted or different ones.

Regards,
Phill

Scooby Simon has been guarding that secret very closely, but he has been dropping clues here and there...

He likes carbon

He lives in the UK

He like high performance

He knows John Pierce

He sails single handed

I'm going to guess:

He's having Stealth Marine design/build a carbon A-cat like boat with spinnaker.

John,
Here they are plus a couple of the others that I have.

No Dolphin Striker

Holding Post

Thanks very much for doing that Phill, BUT (wouldn't you know it) I particularly wanted the detail comparison shot of the mainsail heads

Sorry to be a pain.....

John,
No problem here it is.

There's one already - based on Stealth f18HT hulls, mast and sail smaller than HT but bigger than F16, F16 kite. Quick boat for a heavyweight...

Now, if you can find someone to buy the 17 I'll be able to get things moving and then let you all know what it's going to be. I don't have the budget to start the Design/development/build of "The Beast" without the sale of the 17

What a shocking revelation
For years Simon has been posting on the f16 forum and being one of KW's biggest supporters.
He gave the impression that he was trying to sell his I-17 in order to buy an f16.
But it turns out he is going to have a one-off, none-Class legal, carbon 18 footer built.
How ironic


Are there any other "pretenders" to the f16 class here?
Is any other regular poster pushing a non-f16 design here?

Hi Sam et al,

Actually Scooby Simon has never--in his public or personal communications with me over several months--said he was pursuing anything but a superfast 18 foot singlehander.

His current and future boats are "F16-like," and I have certainly enjoyed his input on this forum. (He's also got a nice car forum going in the UK too.)

There are several non-F16 sailors who regular this forum, as you know. Another example is brobru. This forum welcomes lurkers, posers, wish-they-had-a-boat-ers, pretenders, and other interested sailors and wannabe-sailors as long as they contribute in a productive way to the growth and milieu of cat sailing. I'm sure there's a lot I can learn from these folks even if the F16 class is not the right one for them.

I get calls and emails from people interested in the F16 class. Although sometimes it seems the F16 is being "pushed," most of the time it is just enthusiasm on the part of F16 sailors for the favorable attributes of the boats. (Our class is too small as yet for that to be a "selling point," as it might be for the Laser class, eg). In reality, I've steered some inquirers to other classes if their sailing needs really didn't match what the F16s had to offer. I've seen lots of people struggling on the beach with the wrong type of boat. So one of the purposes of this forum is to try to match interested sailors with the right boat/class for their interests/needs/skills.

Just trying to add a little perspective.

Fair winds,

You mean someone here jumped to a conclusion that was false?

Hmmm. Interesting.

Just out of curiousity, here's what the Taipan F16 looks like in Asia. It follows along the lines of Agent Orange sharing beams, trampoline etc...rudders are Taipan 4.9 and is a fully F16 optimsed rig. Both cats are at Changi Sailing Club in Singapore.

What is wrong with being constructive on a forum where some people like my input and value it. I am out to make friends with likeable catamaran sailors, not upset people.

I have never been a "Supporter" of Wouter, I just don't believe in having a go at people for no reason, I object you your tone.



Erm, no; I have told people that an F16 was a possible next boat; I never said "I am going to buy a F16", or "it is a strong possibility I will buy an F16". IIRC, I said the possibles were

1, F16
2, A class
3, M18
4, Inter 17R
5, Something else



Why is it ironic ? So it matters to you that I have decided to get something built that will fit what I want to do. And it will be class legal, it will measure as a catamaran and so will be able to race under the measurement rule we use in the UK for catamarans, and yes, for now it will be a one-off.



You ?



How am I pushing a non F16 design?; am I asking everyone to sell their F16's and join me ?

No.



Once the 17 is sold and the boat is in final design/decision and build I will start a thread in the general area to discuss it.