The deck was epoxied on a very strange craft today. While it measures to the latest Formula 14 rules I can find, it is different enough to ruffle some feathers. I hope.
Thus far, with everything loaded on the boat except the foils that are yet to be built and the paint, it weighs 98 pounds without sails. Probably will come in at about 115 when done. In a nutshell: mild surface piercing bows, planing aft five feet, Carbon A-frame supports a 12.2 square meter Windsurfing sail on a full carbon mast. Foot of mast articulates to leeward and forward to lift bows.
a very small bubble-inducing step 8 feet aft of the bow where the hull transferrs from piercing to planing. Canting hulls. Conventional boards, small chord, well aft. Rudders with a small (non hydrofoil) 'end plate' to maybe keep the bows from diving if the lifing sail is overcome. I'll sail it in the 14A configuration.
Dave Ellis
St. Petersburg, Florida

Would you mind if I come take a look at it this weekend? I'll be in your area anyhow.

Final weight came in at 115 pounds. Now it remains to get the rig to fit the hulls and foils. Looks like the boat will make its debut at the Florida Multihull Championship at Clearwater November 13,14. Not exactly a good way to go for a first sail if (when) there are problems. Dave Ellis

Hey Dave -

I am unhappily missing the Clearwater race - any chance you'll have some pictures to share? Sounds like you've done what everyone else was talking about - a light homebuild with an attitude!

I know a guy selling a NACRA 5M with trailer for ~$1500. I'd be a cheap way to get beams, mast, rudders, trailer, blocks, etc.
It has some spinnaker gear, too, but the spin is the older, fuller design.
He's near me, not far south of the bridge.

The craft has sailed twice. With the 12.2 windsurfing rig I was encouraged with planing in a little over 8 kts of wind. But the top of the carbon mast depowered quickly. Have to figure a way to put diamonds on a sleeved sail/mast. Tried a Hopie 14 mast/sail on the canting frame. Very slow. When I got home I found that the rudders were towed in about 15 degrees. No wonder it was slow. The 'hammerhead' foils in the bow are not needed and are being removed. My 190 pounds off the back of the boat is enough to keep bows up, especially with a canting rig. Have some monohull racing to do (dinghies, not lead mines) and will re-visit this on-going project in March.

Why not go with a stiffer mast? Sailboard rigs are meant to automatically de-power in a puff since they're working with lighter weights and less leverage. Perhaps you can sleeve the inside of the mast with something (foam?) to stiffen it up a bit.

To stiffen the all-carbon mast I have added epoxy to the top half of the extrusion. It is stiff enough to make it difficult to bend to match the sail. Foam from Fibreglass Coatings or other quality place would not have the effect of giving me a long-lasting permenant curve. I tried that some years ago on a Suicide mast to give it permenant bend. There is not really much volume inside the top half of a board's mast. So I've put diamonds on it. Cut out a little bit of sail at the mast. Yes, I was careful of 'point loading' at the diamond spreader mast end and at the wishbone terminus. I'll be putting significantly more strain on this mast than it was designed for.
This Formula 14 is an idea test-bed for me. Some things will work. Others will bomb. I don't mind re-trying what others say won't work 'cause so-and-so tried it and it was slow.'
I have taken a monohull from a Portsmouth of 92 to an honest 79 without increasing sail area. Just keep honing, tweaking, experimenting, testing. spending money.
Hey, keep the ideas coming. I am a writer. But I can plagiarize boat ideas!

Launched the F-14 hybrid this morning at Florida's Dunedin Causway at the IceBreaker regatta. The boat really tries to go fast. I have left it with some issues that makes this tough.
Canted hulls are not necessary. The canting 12.2 windsurfing rig/sail lifted the LEEWARD hull enough that there was no heeling of the hulls even at 17 - 20 kts of breeze on a close reach. There is no trapeze. I just sat to windward, aft. Sweet! But with the hulls canted, both the boards and rudders are angled. Broke both boards, and the rudders were cutting a three-inch groove through the water, causing a pretty, but slow, rooster tail. Just as I figured out to take off the tiller bar and use the windward rudder on each tack, letting the other rudder follow, the rig came crashing forward. More strain on the "shrouds" of the A-frame than I had calculated.
So from here we make more modifications.
The hulls are going to be made upright, not canted.
New rudders with sharper leading edges and upright, not canted.
I have to open up the hull and fashion wider daggerboard slots to allow a thicker board to be used. Wonder if I should cant them for lift, since I'm making them stronger. Or how about leaving the existing wells using a shorter, windsurfing-style blade and putting in new canting board wells. Hmmm.
Also, I'll allow the mast to swing forward more when it is canted all the way to the lee hull. Was upright this time. The surface-piercing bows did not dig, but neither did they lift for planing.
Oh, and there was too much hull-racking going on. A different,(gasp)heavier forward beam will be fitted.
I think the canting rig and piercing/planing cat project has promise. Probably the next test will be in April.