I am concidering buying a very nice condition early 1990's old style tornado. I am wondering what is involved in upgrading it to the current sport rig. Can the original AL mast support the second trap? What about suppoting a spin? Will a modern square top main fit the old masts, or has the mast changed?
Thanks in advance.

I don't know about all that is involved in the conversion but I do know the old aluminium masts can support two traps with no problems. Done it many times.

Who buildt the boat, and how hard/what level are you going to race it?

Upgrading to the sport rig is as easy as rigging the spi and the new jib (+ square top main of course).

The alu mast was used with the new rig for four years before the carbon mast passed the ballot. With care, it can take the loads. There are different stiffnesses on the different extrusions, depending on make and vintage.
Mainsails made for the alu mast will fit, the mast has not changed on that aspect. If you are going to race competitively, you might want a mainsail cut to fit your masts stiffness and crew weight.



For more details, have a look at Mike Dobbs excellent galleries: http://www.pbase.com/d30/root&page=2

To go more into details, you will need at least two new autoratchets for the spi+blocks, new jib sheeting and selftacker, bowsprit+snuffer and the sails. Add a lot of blocks, some cleats and cordage and you should have the ingredients. How you should rig it depends on your personal taste and how much you want to put into it. Macca posted some excellent shots of how he rigged his Taipan 5.7, I would have looked hard at what he did on the "Super Taipan".

Also, consider joining the TornadoCat list on: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TornadoCat/


I dont know the difference in speed between the alu mast and the "new" carbon mast, would be fun to know..

Thanks for the info.
The mast is a 1990 Reg White prebent mast.
I am just looking to race it locally.
cheers

It's extremely important to know who built the boat. If it's a Marstrom the upgrade path is clear (See Rolf's post). It will not be inexpensive (but worth it)

If it's a Reg boat... I would talk with the Aussie's and the Brits' how the boats are handeling the loads a few years out. They were never quite as stiff as the Marstroms and the spinaker only exacerbates this issue.

I don't know of any T's in North America that have been updated that are not Marstrom boats. (translation the Tornado circuit has all Marstrom boats)

The carbon mast is not cheap but it's bullet proof. It's also very stiff and so you burn up blocks (and crew) quickly closing the leach up wind. On the otherhand... if you dump the main with spin up... you won't loose the rig.
Teams are now working the mainsheet down wind because the mast is so good.

Mark

The boat is a 1997 Wood/Carbon Composite Tornado Built from the original Houlton International Tornado class plans using West System Epoxy with the following modifications:
Bridle wire attachment changed to bulkhead for added strength.Enlarged tramp lacing eyes.Interior layup was changed from Glass to Carbon Fiber.Decks changed from Plywood/Glass to Balsa Core carbon/Kevlar composite to increase stiffness.
The boat will not be class legal and therefore holds little value and is being sold for a song. I thought it might nice to pick it up real cheep and put on a second trap and chute (either from a T or any other used chute). Could be real nice for local lake sailing?

Ah, in that case, go for it, but be prepared for some potential repair work after a while. The spi puts "new and better" loads on the structure <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />
I dont know the Reg White masts, but I would have rigged it for double trapezes..

If you have strong winds on your local lake, a Tornado is a really good ride. If you have predominant weak winds, I would have looked for something less wide.

If you get it for a song, it should be worthwhile to do the conversion. You can find some good deals on used equipment from the pros. You can also sail it in handicap regattas, so you can learn to handle a Tornado really well. It is not the easiest boat to get going, especially to windward..


PS: The big T is really a nice ride!

Hi, I have a 1991 Reg White and have rigged the double trapeze with no problems, so that shouldn't be an issue. I haven't done the conversion for spi, so I can't help you there. After owning the boat for a while, I think I've decided that for casual local lake sailing, it's not worth the extra cost, and especially the extra rigging time/hassle. I can attest to the fact that the boat is a huge amount of fun w/out the spi. I doubt you'll be disappointed either way.
My 2 cents.
Al

Where in S.Ontario are you sailing? I'll be visiting Ottawa and doing some sailing on the river starting Monday 7/3.

Mike
Tornado USA 807 "Full Tilt"

Hi, I converted a 20 years old Panthercraft T to the new rig. Selftacking jib, topsqare main, spi and snuffer system.
Pictures
before ,
the work ,

and after


It was a little bit more work than I accepted...But the result was really fine.

Don't hesitate to do it !

Sanyi

Ooh! Man this is the absolute bomb baby. Are you gettin this Eric L. ! I jacked up my P-craft on saw horses the other day for its resurgence into the mainstream and was wondering where to start this is truly inspirational . Well done. Extra serving of chicken Paprikash for you. This boat in its before status was in incredible shape . This must be one of the last P-crafts. <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />question:My beam bolts were reversed is that the way yours came and what material are those beam straps made of.I have two sizes of aluminium I was to try and one in stainless about the gauge you have there on your forebeam picture. thanks bob....

Doing bad things to an old Reg White



Most of the Tornadoes in Oz are converted 1980s era Reg White, Lance Handley or Booth Ts. Couple of Marstoms but not many.

The old 80s boats are not competitive with a newer Marstrom, but give the older Marstroms a good run. Structurly they are holding up fine, however many are beefing up their boats with Marstrom beams for a little more stiffness.

My old T pictured above was a 1997 Reg White with Marstrom / Fredrickson big beams, Marstrom mast, rudders, foils.

Woodie

I have a soft spot for wood boats. I owned a Cunningham B class Quest years ago and it had wood topsides and decks on glass keelsons. Great boat.

Those wheels are interesting.

mmmm..... Very nice.

My first cat was a Dolphin. Like an old A Class but 2 foot shorter, wider, more sail area and lighter. Not as quick as the A but was cosidered a good training class for them replacing the Quickcat.

1st boat was grey, sporting kittyhawk style sharks mouth on the bows, followed by gills, fin and the boats name in large yellow letters..... 'THE PREDATOR'

Second boat had varnished decks with the hulls painted in dark green mica..... We threw in heaps of pearl and it came of the gun black to the eye. Once wet and the sun bounced of it, all the different colour pearls came out. Boat was called Sir Psycho and the paint job / graphics were a work of art.

For you Berny....

Quest B on the left

Na, I think that might be a QB2. Mine was a 'B' class cat, ie., 20ftx10ft with 30ft mast and if I remember correctly, 300squ ft of sail built by Lindsay Cunningham. The Tornado is/was? a 'B' class cat. Thanx for the pics though.
The old Fireballs are still racing and had a good turnout at their Nats on Brisbane water this year, (Gosford SC).

QB2..... 20 foot long, just over 8' wide.

Here's a pic