Well, the budget did not extend to the A Class or Viper I wanted,however this time next week I should have a Taipan 4.9 sitting in my back yard...... And I will be putting a kite on it down the track. It has been a long 3 years of being boatless. My one piece of advice for all is 'only sell a boat to upgrade'


See you on the water

AMEN BROTHER! Sold the T. Looks like a launch this year of the strip plank wooden wonders. Years running by like water!

I think the T4.9 is a great uni boat. As long as the nut on the tiller is up to the task you should be right in the thick of things.

Rolf: My hat is off to you! I would never have finished such a project. Any new pictures?

fantastic news Stephen!

Welcome to the class (assuming you'll sail occasionally/often as an F16?)

Me too.

After finally selling my Nacra F18, I took delivery of my 4.9 Taipan last Friday and had my first sail on Saturday. Sensational - as close to an A Class as you can get.

It has an unused first-generation spinnaker kit, which I will upgrade to current systems and do some uni-F16 stuff down the track - probably next season.

If finances permitted, it would be A-Class all the way. Before the Nacra, I had 3 Boyer A's (III, V and IV) but the Taipan 4.9 is more in line with my current levels of fatness, ageness, fitness and poorness.

The Nacra was just a BIG mistake - agricultural and HEAVY. Why F18s need to be 180kg when the tough-as Taipan 5.7 was only 135kg is beyond me....

I am s-o-o-o tired of hearing about the A class. The spinnaker will soon make you forget all about them.

So welcome and don't forget to post about that first spin run!

Ah Hell! I'll just go ahead and say it. The F16 is the finest one man catamaran on the market today. Bar none.

Congrats Stephen.

Not the choice I suggested, hehe, but good enough anyways.

It was hard not joinging the A Class fleet, particularly with the quality and size of the fleet here in Melbourne, however I would not have been happy with anything short of a DNA and don't have the finances to update when needed.

The 4.9 fleet is quiet strong and will give me the ability to sail with the wife (later kids) when she wants. Cat rigged it will be as close to the A as I can get without getting an A. Also look forward to getting the kite an playing with the F16 class. Best of all worlds, I have 4 classes I can be a part of (4.9 cat/sloop and F16 cat/sloop)

As for the first kite run solo, Phil lent me his Blade for the Forster Wildcat Regatta a few years ago and I was hooked.

Phat Bouy, which club will you be racing out off. I am planning to base myself out of Altona, however spend equal time at Port Melbourne. Will also drop by some other clubs in the season such as McCrae and Mt Martha.

I'm based at McCrae, but I intend travelling to the headline events when and where they are on.

Your last post said it all re the Taipan - sailing with kids (mine are 10 and 12), 4 boats in one, as close to an A as you can get etc.

Not to mention, very competitive class, great members and a very well built boat.

Picked her up tonight and is now sitting in my back yard :-)

Pics?

Hey Karl, speaking of picts, I saw a nice video of you Uni trapping downwind, it's in the Charlotte Harbor video. Nicely done!

I'm still trying to decide if it's faster to do that or sit in and go lower on one hull.

How was your speed vs. other F16's and F18's when trapping downwind?

Congratulations Steve, Excellent choice.

I guess you'll need a new signature image now. "F16 Alive"

The problem with sitting in is yes you can go low but you're going slow. When a puff hits you don't have any righting moment to accelerate with it, instead you have to turn down really early.



Depends. Sometimes I was faster and lower. Sometimes I was same speed and same angle, sometimes higher. Most of the time I think it is beneficial to trap downwind when conducive to the conditions. In heavy air its a last resort for me. I can't handle the boat well enough, so any gains I make, I lose due to screwing up. For the most part gains are to be had trapping. You get your speed up, the apparent wind moves around, and you go low and fast.




Tim- a couple of things are going on in that video at 2:38. First you see the Lynch's come through and they are sitting way too far back, but have decent speed. The next shot is me coming through, and I'd bet I'm hot on his heels, so in roughly the same conditions. I'm going about the same angle, my weight is forward a bit and the boat is sitting flat, but I'm hauling the mail.

I wonder if that's the race I had to go back and hit the offset?

On a blade you need to be further back than that when on the wire solo! takes a lot of athleticism though.

his position fore and aft was noted . . . hmmm

to often I find I'm to far back

Congrats Stephen,

The Taipan is a good boat !

Wouter

I'm only referring to when flying the spin

Don't want to hijack the tread, some downwind pics in another one!