SailNet Community banner
  • SailNet is a forum community dedicated to Sailing enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about sailing, modifications, classifieds, troubleshooting, repairs, reviews, maintenance, and more!
Status
Not open for further replies.

Interesting Sailboats

3M views 7K replies 205 participants last post by  tdw 
#1 · (Edited)
Sirius 32, Sirius 35

THE OBJECT OF THIS THREAD:

Interesting sailboats in production and available on the new boat market (only boats with modern designs, meaning that the boats still in production but made with old designs are out). Recent designs out of production are also admissible.

Modern boat designs and modern one off, if interesting.

Classical boats and traditional boats.

Small cruisers (less than 35ft)

Seezunge 27ft: PG1-PT9

Hanse 325: PG19-PT185;

Presto 30 : 33-326; 33-327; 34-331; 34-333; 55-543; 55-544;

Tess Yachts: 37-366; 38-373;

Tess 28 Magnum: 37-369; 38-371;

Delphia 28: 38-373;

Vancouver 27/28 : 42-412; 72-717;

Cruisers between 35ft and 49ft


Catalina 355 : 31-306;

RM sailboats: PG5-PT41; 5-42

RM1050: PG5-PT46; 5-47; 5-48;

RM 1060: PG8-PT77; 8-78; 8-79; 8-80; 9-81; 30-295; 40-400; 79-786;

RM 1200: PG9-PT84; 9-85; 19-184; 20-191; 20-192; 41-404; 42-414; 42-418; 43-425; 43-426; 69-688;

RM 1350: PG9-PT82; 55-549; 95-943;

Morris Yachts: PG7-PT61

Bavaria 36: PG19-PT188; 19-190; 20-196;

Bavaria 40: PG10-PT95; 28-278; 29-281; 29-282; 29-283; 29-286; 32-316; 36-356; 51-502; 51-507; 52-518; 53-527; 53-532;

Bavaria 40s: 69-685; 78-775;

Bavaria 45: PG10-PT96; 19-190;

Rustler Yachts: PG11-PT104;

Jeanneau 409: PG11-PT103: 11-106; 30-298; 30-299; 36-356; 51-502; 51-504; 51-505; 51-509; 52-513; 52-514; 52-515; 52-516; 53-527; 54-532; 57-564; 57-570; 58-571; 58-580; 59-581; 59-583; 59-585; 62-614; 74-739; 91-906;

Jeanneau 439: 40-396; 40-397; 59-584; 59-585; 96-956;

Hanse Yachts: 16-154; 16-156; 16-158;

Hanse 400: 81-804;

Bluewater cruising yachts: 21-206

Beneteau Oceanis 37 : 31-306; 31-308; 31-309; 32-314; 55-541;

XC 38: 36-356; 96-954;

Diva 38: 39-386;

Diva 35: 40-391;

Dufour 405: 62-614;

Defline 43: 63-622

Walkabout 43: 93-923; 93-925; 93-927;

Small performance cruisers (less than 35ft)


Performance 32ft test: 29-87;

Sun Fast 3200: PG4-PT33; 4-34; 4-36; 30-293;

Elan 210: 70-691; 70-696; 78-779; 79-781;

Elan 310: PC7-PT64; 7-69; 8-71; 36-356; 41-408;

Quest 33: PG7-PT62

Olea 32: 25-243; 25-245;

First 27.7: 38-373; 38-380; 39-382;

First 30: 30-295; 39-356; 41-408; 55-545; 55-546;

Comet 26: 34-340; 35-345; 35-350; 36-353;

Pacer 30: 36-357;

Django 7.7: 40-399;

Vivace/Evosion 34: 45-442; 45-446; 45-445; 45-446; 45-447; 45-448; 45-449; 45-450; 46-458; 46-460;

Finn Flyer 34: 46-451; 46-453; 60-593;

Salona 34: 46-457;

Heol 7.4: 63-621; 63-622;

Azuree 33: 87-867; 91-902; 91-904;

JPK 10.10: 88-877 ; 88-880; 89-883;

Performance cruisers (between 35ft and 49ft)

Pogo 10.50: PG2-PT20; 3-27; 3-28; 3-30; 4-35; 5-50; 6-51; 6-52; 6-60; 11-101; 11-107; 11-110; 43-425; 44-440; 87-861; 87-867;

Pogo 12.50: PG13-PT125; 20-198; 20-199; 22-214; 27-264; 27-265; 27-269; 32-317; 32-319; 43-425; 43-426; 43-428; 44-432; 44-437; 44-439; 55-546; 55-547; 82-812; 84-831; 87-870;

Este 40: 89-890; 90-893; 90-899;

A35: PG5-PT42; 5-44; 66-660;

A40RC: 92-914;

Hammerhead 35: 64-645

Opium 39: PG5-PT42; 9-85; 9-89; 13-125; 22-220; 22-221; 43-426; 55-547; 86-857;

Aerodyne 35: PG7-PT62

Elan 350: PG7-PT64; 13-24; 13-126; 13-127; 13-128; 14-132; 18-178; 26-255; 36-356; 40-398; 41-405; 57-564; 59-589; 60-591; 72-711; 73-724; 74-738;

Elan 380: 23-223; 25-249; 26-256; 40-398; 59-589; 97-962;

Elan 410: 32-316; 79-784;

JPK 110: PG9-PT85; 10-91

Olea 44: PG10-PT100; 27-268;

Olea Yachts: 25-247;

Dufour 40e: Pg13-Pt125; 32-316; 55-547; 56-558; 56-559; 57-561; 57-562; 57-563; 59-586; 59-588,

Salona 37: 36-359; 41-406;

Salona 41: PG15-PT141; 15-145; 32-316; 36-356; 40-398; 54-538; 57-569; 78-778; 80-796; 80-798; 97-965;

Salona 42: PG15-PT145; 36-359; 40-398; 93-929; 94-932;

Cigale 16: PG15-PT148; 16-152; 17-161; 55-549; 63-625;

Cigale 14: PG17-PT163; 55-549;

Santa Cruz 43: PG17-PT169

Sydney Yachts: PG18-PT171; 18-175;

Sydney GTS 37: 43-423;

Sydney GTS 43: PG18-PT173;

Winner 12.20: PG20-193;

First 40: 31-304; 32-313; 32-316; 35-344; 36-354; 55-546; 55-547;

First 35: 36-356

Dehler 41: 30-296;

Dehler 44: 79-785;

Dehler 45: 36-356; 79-785;

Luffe 40.04: 30-300; 31-301; 31-303;

XP 38: 56-533; 56-544; 56-555; 67-622;

XP 44: 33-325;

Pacer 430: 36-357;

Pacer 376: 36-357; 66-652; 69-683;

Faurby 424: 36-360; 37-361; 37-363; 37-365;

Comfortina 39: 40-395;

J 133: 43-426; 63-620

J 111: 100-993;

Maxi 11: 99-982;

Arcona yachts: 46-456;

Arcona 410: 47-467; 47-468; 47-469; 48-471;

Arcona 430: 48-472;

Arcona 460: 50-495

Finngulf yachts: 46-456;

Varianta 44: 60-594; 60-595; 60-596; 60-597; 60-598; 64-639;

Imagine 53: 63-628;

Zou 40.2: 63-620

Ker 39: 68-676;

Finn-Flyer 42: 77-762;

Azuree 40: 85-842;

Loft 40: 85-848; 85-852;

Vivace 35: 90-895;

Sailing boats over 49ft

Zeydon 60 : PG 12-119;

JP 54: PG18-PT172;

Salona 60: 70-695;

Stadships: PG20-PT193; 20-195;

Pogo 50: 32-318; 32-319;

X-50: 54-537;

Murtic 52: 54-537;

Decksaloons and pilot house sailing boats

Sirius 32: PG1-PT1

Sirius 35: PG1-PT1; 1-10; 2-18; 50-491; 50-492; 60-559; 60-599;

Sirius 31: PG1-PT5; 2-17; 36-356;

Regina 35: 48-478;

Regina 40: PG11-PT104; 49-481; 49-483;

Southerly yachts: PG11-PT104;

Luffe 43DS: PG12-PT111; 12-115; 50-494;

Noordkaper 40: PG14-pt139;

Noordkaper yachts: PG16-PT155

Nordship 36: 30-297; 49-482;

Nordship 38: 49-482; 49-490;

Paulo's pilot house I: 38-376; 39-381; 39-383; 39-384;

Paulo's pilot house II: 69-682

Lyman & Morse 45: 38-379;

CR 38DS: 48-477; 48-478;

CR 40DS: 48-476; 48-478; 48-479; 50-494; 50-496; 50-497; 50-498;

Arcona 40DS: 50-494;

Racers

Figaro 2:pG4-PT36; 4-37; 5-42; 6-52; 6-53; 6-55; 6-56

VOR 70: PG16-PT160; 17-187

Farr 400: 67-661

Soto 40: 96-952;

Lifting keel/centerboarder

Southerly yachts: PG11-PT104;

Allures 45: PG10-PT93; 100-996;

Allures yachts: 25-248;

OVNI 425: 23-228;

OVNI 395 : 68-679; 69-690;

J 108: 67-661

Atlantic 43: 68-67

Boreal 44: 97-970; 98-974;

Multihulls till 34ft

Several Trimarans: 28-273;

Multihulls with 34ft and over

Dragonfly yachts: 26-257;

Dragonfly 35: 26-258; 27-261; 27-262;

Dragonfly 1200: 56-551;

Corsair 37: 28-276;

Farrier 39: 28-277;

Challenge 37: 28-278

Hammerhead 34: 29-385;

Hammerhead 54: 29-288; 30-292;

Trimax 10.80: 29-285;

Sig 45: 54-534; 54-539; 54-540;

Gunboat: 56-551

Fusion: 56-551;

Outremer: 56-551;

Tournier: 56-511;

Classical and Traditional boats

Jclass boats: 54-537;

Tofinou 12: 71-703;

Folck boat: 73-727;

Puffin Yachts: PG14-PT135; 14-138; 16-155;

Bestwind 50: PG12-PT116; 14-123;

Bestevaer 53: PG12-PT116;

Bestevaer yachts: PG16-PT155

Cape George 36: 41-410; 42-412;

Marieholm 33 : 42-412;

This list is not actualized. Please use the advanced search engine of the thread with the name of the model and builder. It works, most of the time.

(actualized till PG100) and it will be no more because that gives a lot of work (500 pages now).

Instead I am actualizing the titles and with the right title the thread search engine (not the one on the top of the page bit the one much below that says search thread) on its advanced option works quite well.

Hello,

Melrna posts on Miami Boat show and the comments of Smackdady about the interest of that thread lead me to think that perhaps I could share more information about sailboats I know and find interesting.

I am interested in boat design (interior and sailing performance) and I go each year at least to one of the main European Boat shows and that means basically Dusseldorf, Paris or Hamburg. On these shows you have the opportunity not only to visit the boats of the main and medium size builders but you have also the opportunity to visit the boats of small and sometime family shipyards.

Normally they build very good sailboats and sometimes they have been doing that for decades. The boats are hugely appreciated by their faithful customers but because they don't advertise their boats and there are very few on the used boat market, they pass unnoticed by the majority of the sail community.

The visit to these boats is a very rewarding experience because they are made with passion by true boat lovers and because when you talk to the guy that is on the boat, you are not talking with a dealer, that many times doesn't know much about boats, but with the builder, or the designer.

Even if you are not a buyer they will have real pleasure in talking with someone that really appreciates and understands their work. Those guys really believe in what they are doing and they do it the best way they can, no matter the cost. In a word, they are in love with what they are doing.
Of course, these boats have to be expensive.

This thread will be mainly about these boats, as a way of letting you know about these gems. Let's see if you are interested. I will not post much. If you want to know more you have just to participate and make questions.

The first one it will be the "Sirius". I have had the pleasure to visit several times their boats and to talk with the builders (father and son).

These boats have the best interiors you can find, or at least that I have seen. Not only the quality, but the design and ergonomy are fantastic. You really won't believe you are in a 32ft boat. Just incredible and amazing; Have a look at it:

Sirius-Werft Plön | Forecabin | 32 DS for 2 forecabin
Sirius-Werft Plön | Owner´s cabin | 32 DS 4-berth comfort owner´s cabin
Sirius-Werft Plön | Workshop | 32 DS for 2 workshop

Now that the son is in charge they have modernized the outside look of the new boats, they look fantastic not only inside but also outside. The boats sail well and they have clients as far as Japan.

Sirius-Werft Plön | Versions of decks house | You have the choice

Another interesting point is the way they develop new boats. They work with the clients to collect suggestions on the shape and design of the boats. A truly interesting affair, between passionate clients and passionate builders.

Sirius-Werft Plön | 35 DS | Philosophy

Take a good look at their interesting site and if you find the boat interesting, please let me know, I can add some information.

Sirius-Werft Plön | english | Welcome at website of Sirius-Werft Plön

Regards

Paulo
 
See less See more
#3,098 · (Edited)
Xp33



It seems that the new XP33 is not only beautiful but also fast:



They say about the boat:

All X-Yachts are superior "upwind" yachts, and the Xp 33 is expected to be a downwind flyer as well.
Xp 33 is designed for both IRC and ORC.


Yes, it is a relatively narrow boat as all XP but just look at this transom:



Yes, with the relatively low weight and this transom design I believe it will be a Flyer downwind and also an easy boat (when not pushed to the limit). Very nice indeed;)

.....
 
#3,099 · (Edited)
New boat: Iroise 46

This is a very interesting boat even if it looks just like another aluminum boat. It is made by one of the best French Aluminum shipyards and designed by Pierre Delion and Pierre Rolland. Rolland is well known for making racing and fast boats and this one, even if does not look like it, it is a fast long range cruiser. we could even call it a performance one even if its looks make that seems funny:D

It is not only fast as it has only 1.80m draft and it is a twin keel that can be beached on his legs. The secret of this fast all around long range cruiser boat?: It is a very well built boat with a modern hull and a agreeable and functional interior, a simple and very light one, but the secret is its overall very low weight. The boat weights only 9 900kg and that for a aluminum boat with 46ft is amazing. It has also a relatively high B/D for this type of boat (32%) and that and a 4.26m beam make it a powerful boat. Upwind it can carry 107 m2 of sail and downwind 198m2. That is enough to make this long range cruiser a fast sailboat.

Many times on the sailing program these boats promise a lot and don't deliver in what regards speed. Well, it seems that this is not the case with this one. The boat was tested by Voile and Voiliers and the performance is as good as they sugest:

With Main and Genoa:

12.0K wind at 35º trw - 7.5K.......13.8K wind at 80º Trw - 9.0k
13.5K wind at 90º trw - 9.2K.......9.0K wind at 90º Trw - 7.0K

with Main and asymmetric spy:

10.5K wind at 120º trw - 8.5K......12K wind at 160º Trw - 6.7K

I guess this boat on the trade winds with 18/20k will go effortlessly at two digit speeds and it will cross Oceans days ahead of the typical aluminum centerboarder. The boat could be nicer (even if I do not find it ugly ), but it is a hell of a boat;)

The price is an interesting one: about 330 000 full equipped with sails (including geenaker and assym. spy), generator, folding propeller and diesel heating (no tax included). A lot of boat for the money.

Look at how the boat glides without almost any wind:































 
#3,106 · (Edited by Moderator)
Re: New boat: Iroise 46

This is a very interesting boat even if it looks just like another aluminum boat. It is made by one of the best French Aluminum shipyards and designed by Pierre Delion and Pierre Rolland. Rolland is well known for making racing and fast boats and this one, even if does not look like it, it is a fast long range cruiser. we could even call it a performance one even if its looks make that seems funny:D

t is not only fast as it has only 1.80m draft and it is a twin keel that can be beached on his legs. The secret of this fast all around long range cruiser boat?: It is a very weIll built boat with a modern hull and a agreeable and functional interior, a simple and very light one, but the secret is its overall very low weight. The boat weights only 9 900kg and that for a aluminum boat with 46ft is amazing. It has also a relatively high B/D for this type of boat (32%) and that and a 4.26m beam make it a powerful boat. Upwind it can carry 107 m2 of sail and downwind 198m2. That is enough to make this long range cruiser a fast sailboat.

Many times on the sailing program these boats promise a lot and don't deliver in what regards speed. Well, it seems that this is not the case with this one. The boat was tested by Voile and Voiliers and the performance is as good as they sugest:

With Main and Genoa:

12.0K wind at 35º trw - 7.5K.......13.8K wind at 80º Trw - 9.0k
13.5K wind at 90º trw - 9.2K.......9.0K wind at 90º Trw - 7.0K

with Main and asymmetric spy:

10.5K wind at 120º trw - 8.5K......12K wind at 160º Trw - 6.7K

I guess this boat on the trade winds with 18/20k will go effortlessly at two digit speeds and it will cross Oceans days ahead of the typical aluminum centerboarder. The boat could be nicer (even if I do not find it ugly ), but it is a hell of a boat;)

The price is an interesting one: about 330 000 full equipped with sails (including geenaker and assym. spy), generator, folding propeller and diesel heating (no tax included). A lot of boat for the money.

Look at how the boat glides without almost any wind:
My wife and I are impressed with the amount of boat building in Northern France. Not only sailboats but all types of boats from motor cruisers to working dive and working port boats. There seems to be a healthy small industry in building small amounts of boats, semi custom and most in aluminum. I know we are proud to be having a boat built from that part of the world.

After looking at the video of the marina where the ARC is leaving from I can see that our next voyage in a year or so will have a lot of the newer style of European cruising boats out cruising. On our last trip ending in 2009 there were few in the S. Pacific. Lots of older style American designed boats but I'm thinking there will be far less of them as time goes on and these old boats become tired no matter how much love they are given. That brings up another point and that is for many years American and Canadians were by far most of the cruisers at least west of the Atlantic. Unless N. Americans get on board with new ideas in boat design there will be less sailing the oceans of the world.
Thanks again for all the great pictures and videos in this thread.

Cheers
 
#3,100 ·
Vendee Globe

Vincent Riou worked all nigh laminating with carbon to find out at day light that it would not going to stick:( He has abandoned the race and is sailing to Brazil.


Day 16 highlights - Sunday, November 25, 2012 por VendeeGlobeTV

On the head of the race things have not changed: Armel is leading and François was not able to close on him but is not losing miles either. The third, Jean-Pierre has lost some miles to the leader but he is more to the west and they have again a big tactical play ahead: Before getting strong winds again they have to pass a high pressure zone with weak wind.

Certainly one of them has the better position, Armel or Jean-Pierre? The conditions are different but I confess that I cannot say who will have the advantage: Jean-Pierre seems to have stronger wind, Armel a better angle. Anyway tomorrow it will be interesting to see who has gained on this little play.

François is just only a bit more to the west regarding Armel and the difference in what regards position advantage (or disadvantage) should not be as big as in what regards Jean-Pierre that is much more to the west of both.

Vendée Globe 2012-2013 - Tracking

Meanwhile the Polish Zbigniew Gutkowski that was racing in last position has also given up with unsolvable problems on the autopilot. Here is his presentation video:


Zbigniew Gutkowski's Portrait por VendeeGlobeTV
 
#3,101 ·
Iroise / Allures / Nordship

Paulo, thanks for posting details of the Iroise - something different - aesthetically that stern styling looks like it could be more refined. The Allures 45 seems to have a better internal layout & flow

Interesting the comments several days ago re Nordship 430 and Allures 45. I spent a bit of time on both at Southampton show (berthed close to each other) and a lot to like.

The Nordship could be an easy long term cruiser. It has a huge hull volume but deals with it better than a typical fat production boat. Quality overall looked good for the price with less of the "manufactured" interior feel that even HR now have. In places the timber finishing was clearly "handmade" - not perfection but honest woodworking which is ok with me !

My only reservation with the Nordship is the raised helm position in what is really an "aft-mid cockpit" - you're quite high up off the water and feels like you're standing on the cockpit rather than in it. Not sure how secure that would feel in waves / stronger winds ?

The Allures 45 is very sensible - esp with the port aft utility space / workshop on that particular yacht. There's a lot of saloon seating but very little leg space for more than 4 people (unless they're all short !). Great raised nav station set-up. Don't like the way the fake teak stick-on is taken from cockpit seat up the bulkhead and onto coachroof, but guess thats optional. The YM test did highlight the performance drag when boats like this are fully loaded with cruising gear !

Otherwise the deck / hull joint was quite neatly done although the fibreglass moulding, 8mm joint and aluminum deck were all 3 different shades of white; which is a detail that could be done better (the new 39.9 has the hull/deck joint at the gunnel which should be a neater look).
 
#3,104 · (Edited)
Vendee Globe

I want to talk about something that the VG organization did his best to put under the rug, an incident that costed several hours of penalties to several sailors and that they had tried to ignore.

The incident has to do with colregs and the sea safety. The boats on this race as in any other race have to follow colregs and one of them is the procedure on the traffic separation zones.

Recently in the Round Britain and Ireland record breaking attempt by Marc Guillemot on 'Safran', British authorities have called Marc to be present to court for a gross violation of the rules while crossing TSZ zones and, has on similar cases, a big fine is to be expected.

The case with the Vendee Globe incident happened here:



And it would have been nothing special if the organization had acknowledge it and attributed the penalties, the problem is that even if they knew very well that some boats had broken the rules they remained shut and very quiet. It was necessary Alex Thomson (a British sailor) to question them about that and even so they did not take measures but demanded Alex to fill a protest if he wanted and only then they acknowledge the situation and delivered penalties. Alex had to do the paper of bad guy when they should be the ones to have taken care of the situation.

Some interesting comments from another site:

There has been a lot of contention regarding Traffic Separation Scheme's (TSS) in offshore racing/record breaking recently. .. Now however, the penalties handed out to 7 skippers in the Vendee Globe 2 days ago by the race committee (and not by Alex Thomson, but more on that later..) has taken center stage....

Traffic Separation Schemes - 'TSS' are in place around busy commercial shipping areas to funnel commercial traffic (big ships) into specific lanes at key points, rather than allowing them to take their most economic route. Much like lanes on a road, they structure shippings routes, and are designed to limit the amount of times ships meet and converge, therefore reducing the amount of collisions. If you want to cross these lanes as a leisure craft, you can. To do this you must cross at 90 degrees, perpendicular to that of the ships, thereby crossing in the shortest distance. As soon as you enter the TSS, you must also go all the way across, no turning round halfway....

So what happened during the Vendee? And why the 7 penalties?

Very simply, 7 boats entered the TSS just off Finnisterre, and didn't follow correct procedure across it. Some for just a matter of minutes before realising and gybing away, Mike Golding and Jean Pierre Dick for example, were as others crossed completely, but not at 90 degrees.

I understand that the sailing instructions/rules of the race, for the Vendee Globe 2012/3 state that normal COLREG's, (collision regulations/rules of the road if you like) are to be adhered to if you want to cross a TSS. None of those 7 skippers did that, none sailed at 90 degrees and others turned around in it, therefore breaking not only the rules of the race, but technically the law as well. As you can imagine it's important for race organisers to follow the rules of the road and the law with their events....

So why all the controversy?

The feeling amongst some skippers was that those who stayed in the TSS longer, or crossed it completely, gained a tactical advantage by doing so, and therefore they asked the Race Committee to look into it. The Race Committee then asked them to protest the boats believed to have infringed. Sailing is the most prolific self policing sport I can think of, and protesting is the only, just, fair and correct way for potential infringements to be looked at in more detail, so fair enough, and protest them they did. Why should there be a rule if some people are just going to ignore it, and gain an advantage by doing so?...

Unfair penalty distribution:

The way the penalties were handed out was also unfair. The committee penalised boats that were in the TSS 'for up to 3 hours' with a 2 hour penalty, so at worse case, 66.6% of their offence. Whereas Brit Mike Golding was in the TSS for 10 minutes and got 30 minutes, 300%. And Frenchman Jean Pierre Dick entered for 150 meters before realising and gybing out and got 20 minutes?! The scaling seems unfair...

Penalty taken on your own terms:

You can also do the penalty at your own discretion, when you see fit, even if it does have to be completed by a certain longitude or latitude. Meaning those who were sharp witted and did their '2 hour' penalty whilst in the doldrums, when not moving for 2 hours anyway, could potentially have less of a 'real life penalty' to someone doing a 20 minute penalty whilst surfing along at 20 knots.This is a harder one to solve. Personally I think adding time at the end is fairer, and therefore better....

Other issues:

Another issue is that Alex Thomson, the skipper who raised the issue with the committee, asking them to look into whether some boats had crossed the TSS incorrectly, is now being heralded as the villain for his actions, especially in France. This is because the race committee asked him to protest the boats that he felt infringed, which he did. It's a self policing sport, and happens all the time, nothing wrong there. What it did though was put the onus on him and not the committee. I don't think this should have ever been the case, this was something they could have looked into and protested the boats for once it was brought to their attention themselves.

All this led to comments on the French version of the Vendee Globe website, many quite insulting (to put it politely) towards Alex, his team, and 'les glouches'. A real shame as he is having a fantastic race so far.

Some claim it is a difference in how the French and British view the rules on this. But 3 French, 1 Spanish, 1 Swiss, 1 Polish AND a Brit got penalties? And at least 1 French skipper, Jean Pierre Dick, claimed to know the rule and 'tried his best' to avoid it…


Vendee Globe penalties « Henry Bomby
 
#3,108 ·
Vision Boats: Barracuda

This one is for you W:).



I believe you know well this boat but most of us don't and is just an incredible boat. A 32ft trimaran made of wood. Yes that brown color is real wood and it is a resistant boat. He was been raced hardly on the last 7 years and is still in one piece:D.







Technical Specification
Length in total: 9,85 m.....Length overall centre hull: 9,2
Length folded: 11,50 m.....Beam max: 7,4m
Beam folded: 3,6 m.....Draft incl. centreboard: 2,0 m
Draft excl. centreboard: 0,45 m.....Max mast height over water level:15,50 m
Weight ready for sail: 1377 kg
Mainsail: 40 m².....Jib: 18 m².....Asymmetric Spinnaker: 85 m²
Design: Jan Skov Andersen

They say about the boat:

The trimaran "Barracuda" is a comfortable family boat as well as a fast sailing boat suitable for racing. The main hull is equipped with a pantry, WC, full standing headroom and 5 bunks. In the pontoons is space for 2 spare bunks and lots of storage.

With an easy to handle folding system the width of the trimaran can be reduced to 3.6 m, so it is possible to use an ordinary berth space in a marina. You can sail the boat directly on to many beaches, because of the kick-up centreboard and rudder. And not at least, because of the extra layer from Kevlar on the bottom of the main hull. You can carry "Barracuda" on a trailer to foreign destinations. Barracuda's weight is only 1.377 kg incl. everything from anchor to sail.

The trimaran "Barracuda" is built in Cedar strip method with west red cedar. Usually the wood gets sealed with fibreglass and afterwards painted. In opposite to this older method "Barracuda" is covered both inside and outside with transparent fibreglass. Barracuda requires maintanence like other fiberglass boats. This method is quite unusual for a boat in this size, but very effective. The construction of the trimaran is very strong and light. With this kind of finish you can admire the special beauty of the wood.

Visionboats - For sale new price 115.000€

"Yes, I sale the drawings for Barracuda. They will coat $2.500. It doesn't take longer to build a trimaran in Wood then the Farrier trimaran in fibreglass." - Kind regards, Jan

A Sleek-Looking Barracuda Trimaran from Denmark | Small Trimarans

The boat has a very good cruising interior if we consider the incredible sailing performance (sorry about the low quality of the photos, but I guess that I will open an exception for this one. It deserves it;):











 
#3,115 · (Edited)
Re: Vision Boats: Barracuda

This one is for you W:).

Hi! Now you really got me going! I´ve seen the old Barracuda, but actually not the new one! This is something that could actually fit my needs.

To me, both the old and the new Barracuda has a lot in common with the Seaon 96 that I owned. You can actually spot a yellow Seaon in one of the videos. It´s really difficult though to know much about the boat just by looking at the pictures, like interior volume, etc. Hopefully the new one isn´t to small for me inside!

Here are some observations based on my previuos experiences that might apply to these boats as well:
The concept of a light boat gives some great advantages (and some disadvantages!). Handling becomes much easier because you don´t have to carry a huge amount of sail area to attain high speeds. I´d say this boat (the new design Barracuda) will certainly be perfectly fine with an upwind sail area of just 70sqm. I would prefer a larger fore triangle to be able to carry a larger self tacking jib (maybe 25sqm instead of 18sqm as specified) and instead carry a smaller head sail (maybe 45sqm instead of 53 as specified). Self tackers are a godsend when cruising with the family! :D
My Seaon (around 1600kg) had an 18 sqm self tacking jib, which was a bit small for upwind sailing in light winds, and a 43sqm mainsail. Very easy to handle, but still overall a fast boat. Now, let´s look at the Dragonfly 32. It has overlapping jib (30sqm) and large mainsail (57 or 58sqm, which is a lot to handle!). Almost 90sqm upwind. But the DF 32 is a heavy boat with almost 3500kg, still quite fast though. You really need a winch for that mainsail! If I would buy a DF 32, I would still opt for a self tacker, even though it will be a bit slow in light winds.

One must also remember that a rotating wing sectioned mast (used on Seaon and Barracuda) allows you to use the full area of the mainsail plus adds 3-4 sqm to that. The DF 32 has a rotating round tube section mast that I think prevents you from making use of the foremost 20 cm or so close to the mast. (This is my understanding of this, please correct me if I´m wrong, I´m no engineer!). This means that a main sail area of 53 sqm as specified for the new Barracuda is a lot!:eek:

Because of the light build of the Seaon, the feeling I got was never very convincing. I was affraid that things would crack (which they did!), and the interior was not cosy at all! It felt like sitting in a thin shell (which was pretty much what it was!) while inside. Now, the Dragonfly... that´s another story!:p Feels like driving an Audi RS6!:rolleyes:

It would be nice to see the new Barracuda, and I really hope they will build it and that the finish and build quality is sufficient for me. I would really appreciate a ligher boat than the Dragonfly. Hopefully it won´t end up the same way as a lot of other nice boat designs that never leave the drawing table... I know he has been trying to sell the old boat for a while, but it seems difficult to close a deal. Probably won´t be any new boat before the old one is sold, so maybe I´ll go for the Dragonfly anyway ;)

Edit: I also wanted to share with you something quoted from a test sail of the old Barracuda, from the danish boat magazine "Bådmagasinet":

"The initial acceleration was ok, but it got wilder and wilder. 14-16 knots and we hadn´t even fully trimmed the sails. (...) I steered almost completely downwind while we hoisted the gennaker on the bow pole. The speed is under 10 knots. The gennaker catches some wind and speed increases to 11 knots. "You can steer closer to the wind" shouts Jan (Skov Andersen), and I slowly luff while Christian sheets in the large sail. In the beginning, nothing happens, but suddenly we take off and the boat swishes through the water in a completely wild acceleration. So wild that I bear away again, and the speed drops. "What´s the matter, man? Can´t you sail properly?! Luff again!", says Jan. And the speed miracle appears again, as soon as I steer a bit closer to the wind. "Luff more!", they shout. And when I do, something happens that makes the joy of sailing overcome my fear. We are sailing with water spraying around the lee hull, making 20, 22 and finally 25 knots. The steering is very precise, and I really must say I´m in total control of the boat. But in the same moment I notice that the main hull, which I´m on, flies around 1 metre over the water surface. This is completely amazing."

This is multihull sailing!

Cheers!

Mr W
 
#3,109 ·
Vendee Globe

Well the strategic play is on and it will be like that for at least more a day or two.

I had said I did not know who was right, Armel more to the East or Jean-Pierre more to West. Well, it seems it was Armel that won a lot of miles to Jean-Pierre but François, slightly West was the big winner. He won 20Nm to the leader (Armel). It is now at only at 34Nm...but has been at only 25.5K and is losing again:D

The weather pattern is complicated for all and Jean-Pierre, now at 159Nm is going even more to the West (big gamble) while Alex is closing on him (only 6Nm away) sailing much more to the East.

Interesting stuff and a nice way to learn ocean navigation, I mean rooting.

Vendée Globe 2012-2013 - Tracking


Day 17 highlights - Monday, November 26, 2012 por VendeeGlobeTV
 
#3,110 ·
Archambault in trouble?

I heard some rumors about Archambault yachts to be in trouble. I even heard the word bankruptcy. Can someone confirm?

They have taken their A27 out of the European boat contest (the boat has been nominated) allegedly because they had not the means to deliver the boat on the local for testing.

That would be really sad news. I love Archambault sailing boats:(
 
#3,112 · (Edited)
Vendee Globe- Very interesting

.
Really amazing what is going one:

Vendée Globe 2012-2013 - Tracking

Play with the cursor on the red line on the bottom and on the top left click on weather and play with the cursor. Very difficult tactic decisions for everybody, very difficult weather pattern with a big high pressure center just ahead.

On the organization they give a big loss of miles to François. He would have been overtaken by Alex that would be now second but I start to believe that Jean-Pierre knew what he was doing when he sailed to West and now François has done the same. François have certainly big balls to have done that. He was just at 35Nm from Armel (1st) and if he followed him he would be out of this battle with the same 35Kn disadvantage. He don't want that. He wants the lead and he wants it now:D.

The organization says that he have lost 140Nm and is now at 175Nm from Armel but I don't buy it. I guess that there are a good chance for Armel to get stuck first in weak winds and then in contrary winds while him and Jean-Pierre will have good winds while turning around that high.

Great stuff guys, don't miss this strategic battle.;)

Breaking News

Alex Thomson (Hugo Boss) torpedoes into second place at the 1500 GMT ranking today. Although he feels it will be short lived, "up to 2nd place on the rankings! Will be short lived when Macif and Virbac get the new wind first but happy anyway!"

Fleet News:

The jackal, Armel Le Cléac'h (Banque Populaire) is watching the fleet in his rear view mirror as he accelerates away from them. T...

Today, on the daily web tv show Vendée Globe LIVE hosted at the race headquarters at Montparnasse Station, Paris, France he said, "you cannot be sure of anything. I'm looking at the others. My northern strategy is clear. We'll see how it goes in a few days. I'll keep on with this plan. I'm passionate about these strategic moments. We are entering an important moment of the race. It's very interesting to see how everyone is doing. At the beginning of the VG, it was more a speed race, now it's becoming strategic."

So the three dimensional chess game that Mike Golding loves is now on. Jean-Pierre Dick (Virbac Paprec 3) despite losing ground is hoping that he has made the right call. "For the moment it's ok. There is not too much wind. I like my position, I'll deal with it. But I'm waiting for the wind. I try to remain rational. Sometimes you have to gamble. The strategy I have taken since the Brazilian coast seemed interesting. For the moment it is not very efficient but I thing it'll go well in the coming days," he said during the web tv show Vendée Globe LIVE.

Stamm is talking about to go up to the top of his mast...again. Jesus what is wrong with this guy:D

Bernard Stamm (Cheminées Poujoulat) is stamping his feet. The inevitably of finishing his onboard husbandry due to damage to his genoa earlier in the race will eventually have to be faced but he is not willing to sacrifice boat speed at this critical time. .. I don't know when I'll be climbing the mast again.

..
 
#3,113 ·
The boats to the west have an advantage for the next 24 to 30 hours . In that time frame they will have to east as the high is moving east pretty fast after the next 20 hours or so. There is a squash zone now forming to the west of the high with very tight isobars and 30 to 35 knots of wind. Those to the west now will have to ride the squash zone south easterly. If they can not catch the squash they will be in light winds and the boats to the east caught in the high will be in the right place in 24 hours to catch the compression zone.

I have a hard time trying to figure out where these boats will be in 24 hours as they go too fast for this cruising mind. As a cruiser I like to play the edges of a compression zone. I think these guys are hell bent on getting right in the middle of this one and running down wind like a bat out of hell.
 
#3,114 ·
The boats to the west have an advantage for the next 24 to 30 hours . In that time frame they will have to east as the high is moving east pretty fast after the next 20 hours or so. There is a squash zone now forming to the west of the high with very tight isobars and 30 to 35 knots of wind. Those to the west now will have to ride the squash zone south easterly. If they can not catch the squash they will be in light winds and the boats to the east caught in the high will be in the right place in 24 hours to catch the compression zone.

I have a hard time trying to figure out where these boats will be in 24 hours as they go too fast for this cruising mind. As a cruiser I like to play the edges of a compression zone. I think these guys are hell bent on getting right in the middle of this one and running down wind like a bat out of hell.
eh! eh! not only you. Welcome to the game. Yes it is funny and educational to try to understand what these guys are doing specially when they do different things:D and try to understand what is the better bet.

All those guys that are running on the front pack are masters on the art of rooting, so come in guys, join the party and give your opinion about their options. Yours is as good as mine, maybe better;)
 
#3,118 · (Edited)
Re: Sun Fast 3600

...
Main 36,0 sqm
Jib (106 %) 33,0 kvm
..

Main sail a bit smallish...? :confused:

//Mr W
Is not really a jib but a 106% genoa. I guess the reason most modern sailboats have the type of balance between main and genoa (that favors a big main and a smaller jib) has much to do with the need to clear the saloon space. Even the ones that have the mast on the cabin need a compression post. Maybe also to ORC handicap that values small front sails and big mains.

If you look at an open60



you will see that the mast is on the middle of the boat and that if we consider a small genoa the areas of the main and Genoa will not be very different.

Do you have noticed that on the Sunfast 3600 the mast in the middle of the saloon? Not so much in the middle of the boat regarding an Open 60 but probably more than the average of most performance cruisers. Maybe is that different distribution that makes for a main not much bigger than a 106% genoa.

Regards

Paulo
 
#3,117 · (Edited)
Jeanneau SunFast 3600

It looks just great and the numbers are what I have hoped for. The only thing left is to see what kind of interior it will have. This boat is going to be be a cracker:D







The interior and the galley seems small and a bit odd. Why two seats, one on the chart table and other on the galley? Is that a chart table or the refrigerator is there also? The arrangement of the stove and the sink seems impractical. The sail locker is a great idea and the two cabins will be Ok if the boat has a decent storage space on the cockpit, otherwise It will end up to have only an utilizable cabin and that is just not enough for a family to cruise, even in a spartan way.

...
 
#3,119 ·
Arc

Great confusion on the ARC. The racing fleet division departed at the right time (two days ago) but the departure for the cruising division was postponed (25/30K wind) and they had been given two days for choosing their departure time. It seems that all chose the last day (and they got 25/30K anyway):D.

World Cruising Club - Fleet Viewer

It seems that almost all had departed even if I can "see" some that stayed in port. Contrary to last year I cannot find any movie from the departure. I guess that the incertitude drove the media away:rolleyes:.

27th Atlantic Rally for Cruisers - Cruising Boats Start - Yachts and Yachting Online

a movie about the reason why they chose to stay in port:

 
#3,120 ·
The interior and the galley seems small and a bit odd. Why two seats, one on the chart table and other on the galley? Is that a chart table or the refrigerator is there also? The arrangement of the stove and the sink seems impractical. The sail locker is a great idea and the two cabins will be Ok if the boat has a decent storage space on the cockpit, otherwise It will end up to have only an utilizable cabin and that is just not enough for a family to cruise, even in a spartan way.
Agreed. What a dissappointment. It is just a bigger 3200! I guess Jeanneau do this line for a very precise niche of racers, just to have the brand out there hopefully in some podiums.
 
#3,121 ·
Sunfast 3600

That interior is screaming for a small central removable central navigation place (on the top of the main table) and that would permit a big galley on the two sides of the boat, without any seat. that would make the main table smaller but who cares, it will be more than enough for two and most of the time people eats outside and that table is not a good one anyway, with a mast on the middle. A good galley, or at least an acceptable one is indispensable in any cruising boat.



I guess you and me are not the only ones pissed with that. Maybe they will, on account of sailors pressure, end up making two versions: a pure race version with a skeleton interior and one with a better interior for cruiser racers.

Regards

Paulo
 
#3,123 ·
Vendee Globe

More and more interesting:D. Now three more boats are joining the leader pack land all following the west option: Jean, Mike and Dominique.

The lateral distance between Armel and Jean-Pierre (the one more to the West) is almost 500Nm:eek:

Stamm comes charging on a middle position and the organization give him the 2th place. It is possible that he is taking the best option. They continue to say that François is at 250Nm from the leader and Jean-Pierre at more than 300Nm but fact is that Armel is making 11K (and will lose speed) while Jeam-Pierre is doing 15K and will not lose speed but it is possible that he even increases it.

A difference of 4K over 24 hours will give 96NM. When Jean-Pierre started to go West he was at only 50Nm from Armel. It would be needed two days and a half with this difference of speed for Jean-Pierre to recover the distance over Armel...but the difference of speed can be a lot different and if Armel starts to makes only 6 or 7K (that I think it is quite possible) the time needed it will be reduced to half and that is a bit more than a day so...big game at play:D

Vendée Globe 2012-2013 - Tracking


Day 18 highlights - Tuesday, November 27, 2012 por VendeeGlobeTV
 
#3,124 ·
Armel maybe in the right spot along with the second place boat. Even though he is in only 10 kts of wind from the ENE for the next 12 hours and Virbac Paprec the boat most west and in 5th place has 15kts for the next 12 hours. Virbac must east right now and get on the east side of 20 degrees long or else he will loose any chance of picking up the 30 kts in 24 hours. There is a chance that all top 5 boats will come close together again as they surf down the narrow shut of 30 kts winds in squash zone.
 
#3,125 · (Edited)
New boat: Malango 888

The Malango 888 is , like the Iroise 46, a Pierre Roland design. I liked the previous boat and I love this one even more. If I was on the market for a 30ft, this would be the one. Ok, the interior is a bit crude, but how cool it is a dingy garage on a 30ft boat? On a 40ft boat carrying a dinghy is a drag, on a 30ft boat is just dangerous, I mean if you put it forward it will occupy so much space that with bad weather and the boat heeled it will be dangerous to goo forward. That means that the dingy would have to be on the water, pulled behind the boat....with a lot of drag and loss of speed. Not on this one;)

Talking about speed this is a light (2 800kg) and fast boat with a ballasted swing keel (Pogo type) with a big draft when down (2.30 -1.0m) with a 30% B/D and a beamy boat (3.45m) with all the beam brought back.

Being light the boat has a relatively small area upwind (56m2 - 25/36) but can carry a huge asymmetric spinnaker downwind (75m2). The boat has a small saildrive with 14cv.

The boat was tested recentely by voile and Voilers. They had fun with the boat and it seems that they forget to measure the speed. Only two were taken:

Main sail and Geenaker: 6K wind at 110ºTRW - 5K speed

Main sail and Asymmetric speed: 15k wind at 140ºTRW - 9K

9k with 15K wind on a 30ft it is very good as it is very good 5K speed with 6k wind. I like this boat;)

The boat costs without VAT 72 900 euros.





























 
#3,126 ·
Vendee Globe

Excellent "post" on Sail world:

In the Vendee Globe, with 760 miles to go until the boats arrive at the first mark Gough Island, which they must leave to starboard, everything is still to play for in this nail biting strategic climax to the gateway of the southern ocean. If the fleet compresses it means the drag race through the mountainous swells of the icy south seas and leaves the race wide open.

1992 Vendée Globe winner and French sailing legend Alan Gautier, explained the position on the web TV show, Vendée Globe LIVE He said, 'the skippers have been thinking hard for three days now, looking for the right strategy. Jean-Pierre Dick (Virbac Paprec 3) and the 'West Group' (François Gabart (Macif) and Jean Le Cam (SynerCiel) are doing all right, maybe better than Armel Le Cléac'h (Banque Populaire) in the end, but it's easy to say that now. When they actually made their choices, things weren't that obvious.'

Gaultier continued to say that it's hard for skippers when there is no wind, not only because they are not moving, but also because they know their opponents are probably getting different conditions and maybe doing better than they are, so psychologically, it's difficult.

He added 'the next few days will be very exciting for the sailing enthusiasts who follow the Vendée Globe, because there's a big group that will enter the South together.'

The skippers are now committed to their definitive strategy and the first five are all possible winners. It is now a matter of luck and speed as who will gain and lose around the edges of the high pressure the anticyclone of St Helena casting her windless nets in the South Atlantic.

If the Jean-Pierre Dick (Virbac Paprec 3) and the 'West Group' (François Gabart (Macif) and Jean Le Cam (SynerCiel) are fast over next couple days, and the hole of the high does not extend east then they might edge by in front and make their escape below it. The models are showing the advantage with them and they could make a rapid advance below into the favourable winds, before the High can suck them into its windless car park. If they are successful they will compress the fleet, and make gains towards the ice gate.

The situation for Armel Le Cléac'h (Banque Populaire) depends on how much boat speed he can make in the circling lighter winds 10-12kt winds. If he can sail a shorter course he may be able to bypass the high but the risk is that he could end up with less advantageous wind direction and handcuffed by a high pressure.

Alex Thomson (Hugo Boss) is nervous that he will lose the 200 mile advantage that he has in the bank over Jean Le Cam (SynerCiel). Today on the web TV show Vendée Globe LIVE he said, 'it's pretty nerve wracking really for all of us. We are just waiting for the wind. Armel and I need this ridge to move out of the way and we can't really do anything until the ridge has gone.

And those west guys it does look like the wind is filling in for them now. I have been go through the options of what I could do. Four days ago I was 80 miles behind Virbac, and I could be 80 miles behind Virbac now, where Synerciel is, and so my thinking is, that I am still 200 miles better off than Jean is right now, as long as I still have something in the bank at the end of this; I guess I'll be happy, but it certainly isn't going to be 200 miles.'

The skippers receive the same weather files every 12 hours which show them the conditions they potentially could encounter. On Vendée Globe LIVE the web TV show broadcast every day from the race headquarters at Gare Montparnasse in Paris, Mike Golding (Gamesa) explained where the weather models often don't reflect the more localised conditions, 'now it's quite reasonable and we are starting to see the reality that the model is predicting. Where the models fall down is when you get into a very unstable area of light winds where there are light shifty bits, the model can't show you that and it can only show you an average, and consequently, you come into an area, and you have a wind with a 180 degrees difference.' Therefore, we can deduce that what is forecast and what occurs cannot predicted and so we too like the skippers must wait and see how the next few days play out.

The compression of the fleet is likely and Mike Golding (Gamesa) is confident that there are gains to be made which will see the top eight all enter the southern ocean together. The stage has been set and patience is the only option as the conclusion unravels over the next few days. It is a poker game where the player's conviction ranges from resolute to exhausted. Only the arrival of the rankings every four hours can offer an answer. In a war of nerves, knowing how to negotiate the best course through light winds is paramount.


Sail-World.com : Vendee Globe - Tension rises as the clock ticks on

Great stuff. I am not as confident as Alan Gautier that Armel has done the bad choice, well, he knows a lot more than me but the Chacal (Armel) is a tough costumer and it all depends on the speed he can manage on the lighter winds. If he can maintain 10/11K I guess he will not lose over the guys on the west at least if he can go out of the high in a day and a half.

Vendée Globe 2012-2013 - Tracking
 
#3,127 ·
World Voyage Planner

Jimmy Cornell's New Book Is Out. I have to get one for Christmas;)

As far as I know, most yacht delivery skippers use his books to plan and organise their next delivery trip. He now has a new book out.

Jimmy Cornell, sailing guru for generations of cruising sailors, founder of the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers and author of upwards of 14 books on sailing already, just keeps writing. His reputation for accuracy, as well as the appropriateness of the books that he writes makes each one walk off the shelves. His latest is the World Voyage Planner.

The main aim of World Voyage Planner is to help sailors plan a voyage from anywhere in the world to anywhere in the world, with suggestions of alternative routes to certain destinations, recommended times and favourable seasons, tropical storm areas and critical months, suggested detours to attractive places, and strategically located ports of call to be used in an emergency.

World Voyage Planner fills a glaring absence among nautical books by being the only book to be written specifically on the subject of offshore voyage planning. It is thus a valuable and indispensable companion to Jimmy Cornell's other books as it enables the reader to plan, undertake and accomplish a voyage from the earliest stage of conception to its successful completion.

His books now cover the entire spectrum of offshore voyaging with World Cruising Routes outlining over one thousand routes between specific destinations from start to landfall, World Cruising Destinations, giving detailed information on 184 maritime nations and Cornell's Ocean Atlas presenting a comprehensive picture of weather conditions in every ocean of the world.

Every voyage is illustrated by pilot charts showing the weather conditions for the recommended months, such as average direction and strength of winds and currents. These up-to-date charts are based on observations made by meteorological satellites in the last twenty years and present an accurate picture of the current weather conditions in any of the world's oceans.

A description of the various alternatives for the continuation of the voyage concludes each section. In recent years cruising yachts have reached some of the most remote parts of the world from Greenland to the Amazon, and even such challenging destinations as Antarctica and the Northwest Passage are no longer the preserve of tough explorers.

While the main focus of this book is voyages along the most popular cruising routes, there are also suggested voyages to less frequented destinations, from Spitsbergen and Alaska to Southern Chile and Antarctica, but also on some of the navigable rivers and inland waterways of Europe, North America and West Africa.


Yacht Delivery News: Jimmy Cornell's New Book Is Out
 
#3,128 · (Edited)
Well it is looking like Virbac Paprec and the other western boats really have made South Easting in time. There is going to be a lot of boats in a tight group soon all running in 30 knots of wind. The way they have been running into things in this race,(bouys, fishing boats) I hope they do not run into each other. 96 hours out is where things will get really difficult as the boats are going to have to go deep into the 50 lats to keep the wind. There will be plenty of ice and fog plus a lot of tired sailors. With the race so close between so many boats some sailors will take the chance and go deep.
 
#3,138 ·
Vendee Globe



They have pulled the ice gate further North because growlers are more North that what was thought possible.

The race is just incredible with Jean-Pierre charging at 20K speed and saying:
"It's a bit like a velvet carpet, it surfs! We don't have a beautiful weather out here; it is the premise of the Deep South! I'm getting into my world!

A world on the fast lane:D

Francois is doing 18k and I believe that him and Jean-Pierre will make the next 24 hours at record speed. Meanwile Armel that is still given as the First (with almost 120nm over Jean-Pierre) is making 12K that I believe that very soon it will be 14 or 15K.

I believe that difference over Jean-Pierre is a false one and that there are a good chance for Jean-Pierre and François to become 1st and 2th but it is going to be very close and Armel can even maintain the lead by the slightest of margins but I know one thing: The ride will be a lot softer for Armel and his boat and that also counts.

Armel has not the nick name of Chacal:D for nothing. In the end even if he loses some small distance it will be very well played by Armel that will come out with a less stressed boat and more french that the guys that are sailing doing over 20k on 30k winds:D

There is a long way ahead and strength and freshness is needed for a long race and for the final sprint.

Vendée Globe 2012-2013 - Tracking


Day 19 highlights - Wednesday, November 28, 2012 por VendeeGlobeTV


Day 20 highlights - Thursday, November 29, 2012 por VendeeGlobeTV
 
#3,129 · (Edited)
New boat: Hunter 40

I have been accused of not posting about American boats. That is not true and I have posted about all new American boats that I find interesting but that is true that I refrain myself to post about American boats that I don't like even if I do that regarding European boats, if they are from big mass production builders.

Well that distinction makes no sense so let's have a post about the new Hunter 40.

The first photos of the boat had surprised me. The boat looked modern and nice:





I got interested and I thought: Finally they got one of the main NAs to design their boats:).

They say about it:

Whether you are a day sailor or serious cruiser, the new Hunter 40 isdesigned to please. Her superior sailing characteristics are honed from her 65 predecessors to emerge from our design center.

Built in the United States, she is crafted by people who understand and respect the sea. We chose to launch the new H40 on our fortieth anniversary with the desire to create a sailing vessel that exceeded the expectations of the past forty years.

Come experience the new H40 with her dual helm control, fold-down transom, chined hull and dual heads. Our hand-crafted interiors are made to fit each boat, not the other way around. The result is an interior fit and finish that is as functional as it is beautiful.


Hum, that is odd they don't say who is the designer and they talk about a "design center"???

Well the boat has a chined hull, that should be a modern hull???, and then I saw this:



This looks like the shape of a 10 or 15 year's old cruiser!!! That is really odd… and I start to look for hull designs and 3D renderings…and I found none!!!???? Very odd, that would be unthinkable in an European brand. I am confused:confused:.

The American Sailors are not interested in the hull, keel and rudder design of the boat that they are going to buy? Then I started to look for the name of the boat designer and again…nothing!!!??? I thought that was not possible, the name of the designer gives an assurance of quality, everybody wants to know who designs his boat?!!

Well maybe not, at least not in America, not for Hunter, they have not the name anywhere so I guess it is designed in house by their " design center"!!!???

That is unheard except for some small brads where the owner is the designer and build to very small market niches. In what regards big brands and main market, they all have in house architects but they do not design the boats they make the interface between what the brand wants and the best world Architectural Naval offices that actually design the boats.They also help in the building, adjusting small details and modifying small things.

Well, the "in house Hunter design center" is not what I would have called as a major name in boat design:rolleyes:.

After looking a lot I could find out some pictures that show actually something about the hull design, besides the global shape of the boat:





That chine is really odd, a very hard one that will not allow the boat to sail well except with very little heel, otherwise creating a lot of drag. That kind of chine, I mean a very marked one (even if not so extreme) will give a lot of hull stability and prevents heeling but will not be appropriated to a boat that has the max beam forward. That demands a large beam and all the beam brought back, like on the Benetau 41, a boat with 4.20m of beam:



But even so we can see that the Chine transition is a much softer one allowing the boat to have a maximized hull form at angles of heel till 17º or so and after that allowing the boat to sail close upwind at greater angles without generating a lot of drag:







The last picture is from a Jeanneau 409 a boat that has not the beam so brought back as the Benetau Oceanis 41, a hull that in its overall shape is more similar (even if more modern) than the one from the Hunter 40, also with a chine but with a even more soft transition than on the Oceanis and that is natural because having the Jeanneau less beam and max beam more forward it will sail upwind with more heel.

So a good question is what is the Hunter 40 beam? On the main site they have 12'2'' or 4.01m?????:rolleyes: and on the PDF they have 13'2'' that is equivalent to 4.01m. Here on a more detailed file (that has also beam at waterline they give again 12'2'' and again 4.01m!!!!. I guess that it is really 12'2'' (the boat don't seem to have much beam) and in that case it should be 3.71m. That makes that hull transom design and the hard chine even more odd since this boat will heel even more than the jeanneau 409 ( Beam 3.99m) going close upwind.

Marlow-Hunter vs Marlow-Hunter 2013 vs 2013 Hunter 40 vs Hunter 40 Sailboats

Regarding ballast and ballast ratio/type of keel in what regards RM, I cannot say all because I could not find any picture or drawing of the boat with the keel in the fin configuration. We know that the draft is 2.03m and that the B/D is on the low side (27.5%). I hope that this boat has a modern keel with all the ballast on the bottom otherwise it would be really on the very low side.

The boat has not much beam neither a big B/D ratio (or a big draft) so this will make it not a powerful boat and not able to carry much sail. The weight is on the high side (8936Kg) and that makes it comparable with the more heavier European mass production boats, like the Bavaria 40 (8680kg) or the Hanse 415 (8900kg ). The sail area is surprisingly bigger 93.46 m2 (to 82m2 and 84.5m2) since both the Bavaria and the Hanse are more powerful boats, with more RM, this means that the Hunter is a more tender boat and a boat that would have to reef a lot sooner than any of the other boats.

If the boat looks well at ¾, on the side it looks a bit odd



And I don't understand the boom traveler not to be on the axis of the support structure. That will create an arm and will multiply the force that will be made on the structure and on that panel that I find really ugly:



View from the back, I find the design too heavy, with a too high transom to my taste:



Regarding the interior it has a very good galley and a nicely overall distributed interior, especially in what regards the two cabin version.



In what regards design, it seems that, contrary to any European brand, it is also made at home in their "design center" and it shows. The comparison with any European brands, that have their interiors designed by the best interior designers, is evident. For what I have saw on other Hunters this difference in the interior quality, as well as in general, is not one of material quality, that is similar to the one of the European boat builders, but one of design quality.





 
Status
Not open for further replies.
You have insufficient privileges to reply here.
Top