Well then, Phill, "nice Hat"

The results definitely show the effort was worth it.

Thanks Jay.

The actual build time serves to calculate the cost, but it is the passing of the years that remain in our memory.

This thread started in 2010, so it took you 6 years to build the "Mad Hatter".

It took me six years to build a boat of comparable dimensions and features with the aid of a shipyard and a professional.

You did great! Congratulations!

Luiz

Luiz,
Thanks. It was a long haul but I had some good friends help out, when needed, along the way. I enjoyed the work and the challenge. People who complain about the cost of boats like this would get a real wake up call if they tried to build one.

The Mad Hatter sailed in its first regatta last weekend. The 21st Lock Crowther Memorial Regatta hosted by Royal Motor Yacht Club Pittwater. As I only have the boat up to Cat 7 safety standard I could only sail the in shore courses scheduled for Saturday and Sunday. The Saturday wasn't only blowing dogs off chains, the chains also blew away,with winds gusting over 40 knots the racing was cancelled. The Sunday was a much better day for sailing and below is a report.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
We just finished the Lock Crowther Memorial Regatta. This is the way racing unfolded as seen by Mad Hatter, my recently launched F85SR.

Being a new boat, we had not raced seriously before and had no idea what was ahead. Personally I just wanted to have fun, and hoped someone would take a good pic of the boat over the weekend.

In a light breeze we started the first race in the pack with the fleet and soon pulled out a lead that made our jaws drop, working up the eastern shore. We had noticed some boats started tacking to the other side, and figured they were looking for a fresher wind line but they kept going. When we finally checked the map we found we had completely misjudged the position of the first mark. Post race analysis of the tracker showed that we had sail for 6 mins past our lay line. Once the light was turned on, we pulled the screecher up and kicked up our heels to get across from the eastern shore to the western shore where the mark was actually located. We still rounded third boat just behind Quickstep (a 40ft racing cat) and a Sprint 750 with Evil Gnome (F85) very close behind, also having overlayed the mark. As the breeze started to fill in a bit more we managed to pull away and kept building the lead as the race progressed. This is where the 'but' usually comes into the conversation 'but' not this time. We finished 6 mins 22 secs ahead of the second boat, Evil Gnome.

The second race was in a freshening breeze. We got boxed in at the start by some big boats, with both Quickstep and Evil Gnome getting off the line much better. By the time we got to Lion Island we had managed to reel Evil Gnome in, but not Quickstep.

Rounding the island we hoisted the masthead A0 and even though Quickstep had several hundred metres on us we pulled her in and flew past. Rounding the bottom mark well ahead, we started cranking everything on to work back towards Lion Island but the sound of carbon cracking alerted us to the fact the main sheet pressure had started crushing the boom. When we worked out what was happening, the boom was in a state that was still easy to repair in my workshop so we decided to just nurse it to the finish. Without the required main sheet tension, Quickstep started to pull some ground back on us and it looked like they were going to get us. As we rounded the point to go back into Pittwater, we could come off the breeze enough to get the screecher up and honking. We held Quickstep off to cross the line 43 secs ahead.

The sail maker, Rob Meizer, from Ullman Sails was good enough to sail with us to show what the boat should be able to do, and he steered and called the shots. At the end of the day he said- "don't change anything, this thing goes like it's on rails."

No doubt the boat will be much slower if I'm steering, but I now know what is possible.

Mad Hatter passes the first test.

Wow Phill, the event sounds like a blast - but the boat even more so!

Pics are fantastic - conditions look like a dream - and the sails look very very nice.


What is there to not like - except some cracked carbon?

Rolf,

The sails were designed and built by Rob Meizer of Ullman Sails and they are fantastic. The combination of Rob's sails and Ctech mast just works so well together.

I'm glad that i got the carbon mast from Ctech. I got them to put in Hi mod carbon to stiffen the mast through the minor axis.
This would have allowed a 3kg weight reduction however I choose to keep the weight and increase the safety factor.
Still the weight of the mast with 5 x 8mm halyards (including 2:1 for main, jib and screecher) and stays plus all fittings and clutches for the halyards, still weighs less than 65kg.

Hi Phill,

What kind of sailcloth is used for the main and the jib.

Arno

Arno,
The link below will take you to the cloth used.

Fibrepath Phantom

The building never stops.
I have been trying to find someone to make a pullpit to a specific design but the engineering places around here all seem swamped with work.
Finally I gave up chasing someone else to make it, borrowed a pipe bender and got to work myself.
I filled the stainless tube with sand, made plugs for each end of the tube and applied some heat while I made the bends.



Once everything was bent,the parts cut and notched to fit neatly, I did some tac welds and timber bracing to hold it just right.

I found a chap who makes alloy wheels to weld it up properly. Ultimately this pullpit will carry the mast when trailering.
Carrying the mast on the pullpit will reduce the time taken to get the boat off the trailer, I always raise my mast on the water.

The pullpit will also take the nav lights. They will be mounted on the side plates and the wires will run down inside the stainless rear tubes.
The rear tubes fit into sockets in the deck that drain into the anchor well.


Now I have to polish it all up and fit it to the boat.

Hi Phill. did you use the bender?? They look really good. Another "Looks good in the car park award", coming your way. The boat is getting a reputation both on and off the water.
Richard

Richard,
As you well know, not knowing how the boat would sail, I had to try to make it look good in the car park.
The pullpit would have looked better if I could have made it only 450mm high instead of 600mm.
Had my boat been under 8.5m I could have. It's just the way it is in the Safety regs.

Thanks for the lend of the bender but following some experiments I was concerned how your bender would react to the heat I had to apply to get a really even bend without any kinks.
When Mark offered to borrow a 5 ton hydraulic bender from his neighbor with all heavy metal dies I took him up on it.
Thanks for the lend I'll get yours back to you ASAP.

During the Lock Crowther Regatta we ran lines out to the floats just to catch the furled head sails when they were brought down. Hopefully this pullpit will catch them and I will be able to get rid of those extra lines.
BTW:- I was amazed at how much carrying a furled headsail hoisted affects boat speed.
On one leg we kept the screecher up after furling for a short time in case we needed it. When we brought it down you could feel the boat jump ahead.
That convinced me that you can't sail with them up and furled when racing . Just too much drag.

All good Phill, The bender can come back anytime ,No rush. I think there's a line between screeher up vs down depending on what lengths of legs you are doing. And what number of crew are with you. Something to practice with. Chat with you later. Richard

Sailed the Mad Hatter down to Pittwater to get measured to establish an OMR rating. It was the first trial for the pull pit. Here is a pic of it in action. Note how the screecher is neatly contained in the "U"with the furling lines contained and running under. As an added bonus it does not interfere with the jib. (I still have to fit the Nav Lights.)

Just a pic that I like.

Bump

Bump

Bump with a pic.

That one didn't take long, have you started another build?