Super Taipan to Europe??

We are seriously thinking about sending the Super Taipan to Europe to do the Texel race, what other events would be good to do around the same time?

Also we are considering selling the weapon after texel, any takers??

Getting an F18 eh.... <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Got one coming but that not the reason we are thinking of selling. Its a hassle to send it back to AUS and I reckon the boat will have more use in europe than we have had time for in Aust. Could count on two hands the time we have sailed it...

Mid June - Texel
Early July - ECPR

I am sure there are others too !

Not sure if/when the RIOW will take place.

Wait till about end of Jan and the full Dutch race calender will be available in PDF.

For an indication look at last years program at :

http://www.brandingsport.nl/NFB_wedstrijdkalender_2006v4.xls


Good choices are :

Texel Dutch open (week of bouy racing before round Texel itself)
NFB Kustzeilevenement
HvH Scheveningen (distance race with lots of M20's)

I can also warmly recommend :

NFB Westlandcup in weekend 29/30 july

Wouter

Macca,

Yachts & Yachting's multihull expert Jeremy Evans should be able to tell you what will be going on in Great Britain (www.yachtsandyachting.com).

What are your conclusions of the performance of the Super Taipan compared to other boats?

We have a Taipan 5.7 slightly modified with self-tacking jib and snuffer. Jimi and I are very happy with it. There is no racing class for it here in Norway, though, hence we are discussing improvements. How much faster is taller carbon mast/bigger sail and the increased width? Which of the changes from the original 5.7 do you consider made the most difference?

You once on this forum mentioned new rudders for the Super Taipan. Do they really make a big difference and which profile are they?

Personally, I consider the Taipan 5.7 one of the prettiest cats ever designed. And the 40 kg (lbs 85 !) extra weight of the F18 seems very unattractive - rather an anchronism. I am sorry that the Taipan 5.7 class was not developed and the production discontiued.

CST composites present the Super Taipan as a class. Have you been considering forming a Super Taipan class? Should be an excellent alternative to M20. Are Taipan hulls available?

Stein

The super Taipan is markedly quicker than the Tornado in conditions up to 15kts then the gap closes and at about 22ks its pretty much he same.

Most sailing is done id the 15kt and less range so as a race boat its a bit of a weapon.

The carbon mast is good from the weight point of view but its the same dimensions as the std alloy mast. The rest of the sail planis not far from std apart from the kite which has a longer luff by about 3 feet. The increae in width has been the greatest gain. The boat is so much quicker upwind once you have the hull flying. It also allows the hulls which are canted outwards to be level with the water whilst flying a hull.

The boat is totally quiet which is pretty spooky and it has so much less drag compared to the T particularly downwind. The kite sheet loads are always lighter than the T.

A Super Taipan class would be cool, but the market is just not here is OZ, but I reckon there will be a mad Euro who will ge some great use from the boat.

The Super Taipan has regular Taipan 5.7 hulls. Our 5.7 is rather quiet when we manage to sail it right. Do you think that the Super Taipan has lower drag/noise than a regular Taipan 5.7?

Or is it the rudders that make a difference? (I really would like you to comment on my previous question about the rudders).

Stein

The rudders (M20) are a good addition to the boat, they were very expensive and required some mods to get them to stay down properly but once we sorted that they are great. The steering is more positive and has a nicer feel. I doubt very much that it makes the boat faster but I am a fussy bastard so it keeps me happy <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

We have put a price on the boat if anyone is keen 11,500 Euro landed in Europe.

Macca,

Now is the time to show some pictures of this great boat for all of us to admire,
and to remind the "mad Euros" to start saving and not spend all their money on pointless X-mas gifts.
Some pictures of the S-T were posted last year, but we are always hungry for pictures of great boats.

I interpret your reply to indicate that the Taipan 5.7 hulls are responsible for "much less drag compared to the T particularly downwind". And that the M20 rudders improved steering a lot.

I wish you Good luck at Texel!

Stein

I think most of the pics I have are already on this site, but here are a few ones that are newish..

from a marathon race in Newcastle Aust.

We were pulling the rig down when the next boat crossed the line... it was an F18 <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

from a skiff and cat regatta on Sydney Harbour. These pics wer taken in the most wind we had for two days.....

Another pic from the windless regatta....

different angle

one more

my favourite pic of the boat

That's the most beautiful cat in the world. No doubt.

Macca,

Does the Super Taipan have the same mast profile as the Taipan or the Capricorn?

Stein

The mast profile is the same as the 5.7 taipan (which is also the same as the Capricorn)

The mast was made as a test to see if the 5.7 Taipan would be better with a Carbon rig, problem was that the mast was stiffer than the alloy one and this made the normal 5.7 harder to depower, but being stiffer it was perfect for the Super Taipan <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Macca,

Now that you know the characteristics of the mast, should it not be quite simple for CST to make a new mast with the correct stiffness (and bend characteristics) for a Taipan 5.7?

Stein

Scott Anderson who makes the Fiberfoam A Class masts built this mast.

I am owning one of the few F18s which were derived from the Taipan 5.7. Although I reduced the weight as much as possible (I am not participating in F18 regattas), I am obviously not able to reach the approx. 140kg the original boat had. Therefore, I am always curious how a standard 5.7 might perform, not to mention the Super Taipan.
You might add me to your list of prospects.

Regarding regattas: You might consider Fehmarn Rund (around the island Fehmarn / Baltic Sea) which was this year in August - the date for 2007 is not fixed yet. An alternative is Travemünder Woche (close to Lübeck / Baltic Sea) which is in July, but I am not sure if there is a open catamarans class.

Do you mean that a carbon Taipan 5.7/Super Taipan mast may be purchased from Fiberform, Austria?
CST presents the Super Taipan on their website.

Stein

The Super Taipan is not a class as advertised on the CST website..... It is a one off special...... A bastardised 5.7 (Very well done too). Futhermore I believe the only CST stuff on the boat are the tiller extension / cross bar, boom and spinnaker pole.

I have skippered this boat and it is [email]F@#kin[/email] quick and very smooth. True Tornado beater

Not an off the shelf item, but I believe Scottie can make one up if you like

I know what I want for christmas dad...

May I ask who or what CST is?

Highly relevant question:
"CST Composites design and manufacture a full range of filament wound carbon fiber tubing."

Check out:
http://www.cstcomposites.com/Super%20Taipan.htm

Stein

It seems that Scott Anderson/Fiberfoam did not make the Super Taipan mast. But they make a carbon mast profile which is very close to the Taipan 5.7/Capricorn mast (160*74 mm, up to 10 m length).

Did CST make your mast, Macca?

Stein

Hmmm, it sounds like you are thinking seriously on doing an upgrade Stein? Going Tornado hunting? <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

I dont remember, but when Macca widened his 5.7, was a longer mast put on the boat?

When one starts upgrading, it is tempting to go all the way. A carbon mast seems tempting, but the aluminium mast on the Taipan 5.7 is already very good (= Capricorn mast).
My recollection is that Macca's Super Taipan has added 1 m to the mast length (ca 10.5 m) and ca 0.5 m to the platform width.
Going for the complete Tornado-killer setup means mast, new sails, new beams, and new trampoline, and is too expensive for our happy amateur sailing budget.

And to be boringly realistic: The Taipan 5.7 is alrady a very fast boat, and for us there is much more to be gained from practising sailing it than rebuilding it.

Stein

Isn't that they way it usually is.. <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />
But seriously, if you are mostly underpowered when sailing, upgrading the mast might be fun.
Now when Geir Magnus is in Trondhjem most of the year, an F-16 might be a better investment for you (shameless plug)

I see you have started recruiting people to the "dark side" already before finishing your own F16, Rolf... Leave my dad alone, he is going Tornado-huntin' with me!! Period! <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

You and your father are already on the dark path of catamaran sailing so there is no redemption for you. But perhaps you are saying that there is an even darker path to follow? <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />


You know where to find both Frode, me and the Tornado <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Macca will be back from Thailand soon and can answer himself, however I can tell you CST DID NOT make that mast, and I don't believe they are tooled up to make any wing masts. The produce round carbon tube used in spinnaker poles, booms, tiller extensions and Skiff masts.

Once again Macca can confirm but I believe this mast was a one off special built by Scotty for Greg Goodall to see how the 5.7 would perform with one. The mast is the same profile as a 5.7 and Capricorn but longer. Macca bought the platform, foils and carbon mast only off AHPC and then got Redhead Sails to make the sails and tramp, whilst CST provided spinnaker pole, boom tiller extension, tiller cross bar. M20 rudders were purchased, boatrite did some custom stainless work and alloy beams were purchased by ????

Rolf,
When we bought the Taipan 5.7, we had a hard time deciding between the 4.9 (which turns into a F16) or the 5.7. We are very happy with the characteristics of the 5.7.
You are of course right that with JIMI studying in Trondheim, less sailing will be done with my preferred sailing partner, and that may churn up dreams of a boat that may be sailed single-handedly. Namely a F16.

With the 5.7, being underpowered is not a problem, after all the boat was designed for crews >150 kg, and we are 145. So I think a 1 m taller mast requires widening the platform.
Stein

Thank you for info!
It all goes to show what a pity the Taipan 5.7 was not developed as a class. With 140 kg weight all up with aluminium beams and mast (no carbon anywhere), this is a superior alternative to the 190 kg F20 class. It shows that weight limits of 180 kg for the F18 and 190 kg for the F20 classes are unnecessary anachronisms in our time (due to dominant companies Hobie and Nacra are building heavy boats).

Maybe a new F20 class with min weight 140 kg, max mast height 9.5 m, max width 2.60 m would be an excellent alternative for heavier sailors? And actually a good alternative to the 180 kg F18.

Stein

Ok, I am still in Thailand... big party after we won the Kings Cup regatta <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

The mast on the Super Taipan is the same section as the 5.7 and Capricorn, it is the same length as the 5.7.

The mast was amde by Applied composites in Melbourne. It is pretty light but not as light as my Marstrom Tornado Mast.

I don't think the boat needs a taller mast, but If I made another one (will do if Super Taipan sells) I would make the hulls 20ft long and platform 10ft wide. Masr would be about 1m longer. would try to get weight down to 105kgs.

And I'd sign up to buy one....

That will be a tall order Andrew, Marstrom tried 108 kg and now the M20's are 120 kg.

Making a 20 foot and 10 foot wide boat weighting less then 120 kg and have it stand up to the full rigours of sailingis a pretty hard thing to do.

Would love to see you succeed however.

Wouter

Staight from the horses mouth..... I stand corrected.

Corgats on the Kings Cup

Steve,

Your suffering from the foot in mouth disease again....

Ha...Ha....

Had to get that one in.

Hey Marcus

You going to do bad things with the temporary toy <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif" alt="" />

Better beef up those trap wires mate...... Macca has them set up for lightweights <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

I broke his CST tiller extension on my first outing on it.

Talking about the temporary toy.

What kind of boat was Macca sailing at the kings cup ?

Wouter

Congratulations! F18 or Tornado?

Thanks for info on origin of your mast!
I have e-mailed Scott Anderson, and he offers a carbon Taipan 5.7/Capricorn mast (up to 10 m) at a reasonable price (haven't checked shipping rates yet...).

Would you prefer the Taipan-profile mast to a Marstrom Tornado-profile mast?

Macca, With your experience with the Super Taipan, what do you think of my proposal for a new light-weight "F20"-class?

Stein

Stein,

allow 2foot wings on each side, and I am in.

A well made (ie stiff enough) wing mast like a capricorn is better then the T section.

As for adding wings, I think that with a low drag hull you wouldn't need the wings and in fact they would only add to the complexity and increase drag.

Kings Cup boat was a lot slower than any of my normal boats. But when you get paid to sail you dont get so much choice. The boat was a DK46, we sail one in Australia often so it was pretty easy to get on and make it go. Very close competition from 2 TP52's and Neil Prydes Modified farr 52.

Steve,

We ran the same kind of trap wires on the T before we sold it.......then again there has been plenty of shark sighting lately in Adelaide.....hmmm.

Tiller extension feels a bit heavy.....now I know why <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />.

Macca,

So, - are you taking the Super Taipan to Europe for the Texel this year?

Stein