Looks to me as though the concept is as dead as the proverbial Do Do bird.

Hi Berny

I keep checking here to see if theres any action, I don't think its because people outside aren't interested, theres just not drawing people in.

If there were a homebuild option along the lines of the F16 (Blade) or something like that, I'm sure people would sit up and pay attention.

Just my thoughts.

Regards

Berny
Don't pronounce it DOA yet...The concept is fine...it seems the cost to length ratio keeps it stalled.

Regards, Bob

Hey Guys,

DOA!! Not yet. I agree that the price is an issue, but there is also ZERO exposure. I was at the Spring Fever Regatta last week and the concept of the F14 was not even mentioned. That was because there were no F14s at the race.

The F16 and the Mystere 4.3 are awesome boats, but at ~230lbs they are heavy and not as easy to right if you sail alone must of the time.

It would be really nice to have an F14 (with a kite) platform at about 75kg (the weight of an A-cat) that you could race/sail single handed and when your wife, kid, or cute neighbor wants to sail to the nearest island, you can take them without worrying that the platform is going to suffer.

Anyway, that’s my dream.

Cheers, Waldo

Geez Waldo, that is exactly what the Alpha Omega F14 is, an all up sailing weight of 75kg, spinnaker, all carbon construction, raced one up but due to its extremely strong construction can be, and is used "off the beach" regularly as a pleasure sailer. It also kicks butt around the racecourse, competing head to head with A class, F16's, F18's, 5.8 Nacras, etc. Berny’s 430 is also right up there, but where are the buyers?

The question IS can you get your boats to the US at a fair price. YES it is a fast boat (LOVED the video you sent), BUT can we afford it.

Doug

I don’t know just what people consider “a fair price” to be Doug. When we offer a cat onto the market that has an equitable performance to all the other larger cats mentioned above, and is unquestionably enormously rewarding and thrilling to sail, is controllable throughout the full range of sailing conditions, and is built from materials that give it a very long competitive life, even when abused as a knock about, off the beach fun sailer and it can also be moved around the beach easily solo by the lightest of sailers. All this for a price that is just above our building cost but still way lower in price than any of the larger cats that it compares to in performance, just what is a “fair price”?
When I look at the current prices for any production 14’ cat and compare their price and performance to ours, there is no comparison. For two to four thousand dollars (Aust’) less you get a cat that at best, is no better than 15 to 25 minutes in a hundred behind the F14 around any race course and has a life expectancy less than half of the Alpha’s. It’s a bit like saying, “I want a top of the range Mercedes with ALL the extras, BUT it has to be at the price of a little Hyundai Excel”. Ain’t no free lunches in this life Doug!

So what is the current price of your boat to the US? I agree it us a VERY nice boat. Just looking at a lot of options for new boat in 2008. Blade is one of them. Yes I know that depends on exchange rate. But at least a ballpark figure.

Doug

i think a while ago Darryl said $17000.00 aus $14000.00 US plus freight. with out the mast it would be easy to freight in a container.He has the current boats for sale so why not buy one of those already race proven and tuned.

found this on other forum ALL carbon fibre hulls, mast, beams, boom, spinnaker pole, tiller extension, etc, etc, F14 catamarans all up sailing weight 75kgs, standard with spinnaker, available now.
Race results show that these are the highest performing 14' cats in the world today, not by any "minor" amount, but so far out in front that you need "binoculars" to even see them ahead from on board any other 14' cat (and most 16' cats as well).
Better than 93% of the performance of an F18 at a considerable lesser price. Built to last and be fully competitive for many, many years.
Full price ready to sail/race ex workshop (minus only trailer)
$17,000.00
Or buy a set of hulls and /or other components separately and build up your own F14!
Phone Darryl on 08 8326 0877 for any further information or just to talk.

As a whole, boat manufactures might do well to establish list prices on the internet. You can put in a disclaimer about this price is of MM/DD/YYYY and is subject to change because of material price and other cost increases, but at least the buying public would have an idea if a given boat was in the ball park of their budget. Many outboard power boats do this…you can pick the model you want, the equipment you want, and price it out yourself. With instant access to your web site, you can update the price any time there is a change.

By not publishing prices a lot of energy on both sides of the equation is wasted... As a manufacture you don't want to spend your valuable time talking to people who are not even close to being in a position to afford your product...as a buyer one does not want to run a gauntlet to get a price on a product they think they may be interested in.

Regards,
Bob

If you are serious....

http://www.catsailor.net/cgi-bin/ubb/Forum13/HTML/000337.html

It's dead!

My moulds will be going to the tip soon.

Bern

"It's dead!

My moulds will be going to the tip soon."

I have to ask...what is a "tip"?

Regards,
Bob

Hi Bern
Do you have any pictures of the molds?...maybe an album with documenting the construction of the plug and female mold?

Did you ever price out shipping costs to the US?

Maybe there would be more interest if particulars were known...It is hard for someone to get a real feel for what you are offering when all there is to go by is a handful of still photos of the completed boat...sailing mainly in light conditions. Not to say you have to go out and do a full blown video like A&O but the more information the better.

Regards,
Bob

Bob, 'the tip' is the rubbish dump. They are taking up space in my garden/yard/driveway/shed and I'm sick of looking at them. If nobody is interested in F14 or my 430 then I may as well dump the moulds on the scrap heap.

I had all that info available, all the specs, I did news letters on construction and trials, published race results, had articles printed in Aus Sailing magazine, had my own web page, yada yada yada. The boat has been on the water since 1999!
I've even offered the use of the moulds for here FREE! No body took me up on the offer.

If I had one person, just one, really interested in knowing more about the boat [there is one another boat being built as I speak], more than just a casual passing interest, I'd be enthused, but after SEVEN YEARS of racing and seldom being beat by any other 14, and that's without the kite, I'd be buoyed but realistically I've run out of time. I'm 66yrs old and it's time to other things.

If any of you blokes are interested enough to get a group together and freight the moulds to the US, you can have them for the freight costs.
I seriously doubt anyone has the time, the money or the permission to do diddly about it.

Na, sadly, she's as dead as the DO Do.

Berny

If I remember rightly Berny, the offer was for the use of the molds, only if a professional fibreglasser that you were satisfied with was used. Otherwise I would have been only too happy to have borrowed the moulds. Regards Nick

Why didn't you just ask?

Hi Berny, There are a few reasons but the main ones being: That you had said what you wanted a glasser to your satisfaction, which wasn't unreasonable in my opinion but out of my price range given my second reason.
The logistics of getting the moulds over to WA and of course cost of doing so...especially if they got damaged. Finally, I'd be building a catamaran that wouldn't exactly be welcomed into the local catamaran fleet, which are Windrushes...especially if it was likely to whip their butts. Thanks for replying though, Nick

That's fair.

Too bad though <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />