straw poll, who would buy Alpha Omega if avail in the US, priced below an F16?

Yes
No

If I could get one of the two DVD's Darryl sent to work on my Asian machines with damned American software, I'd love to vote.

Re: DVD formats
#62982 - 12/09/05 11:05 AM
I've tried on both Dell & Toshiba laptops, a Sony dvd player and my PS2 and had no luck at all. There must be a specific codec used when recording the dvd. I need to know that codec so I can download and install it on my PC.

Yes, I would much rather buy a Production F14 than make a mishmash home F14!!

I got a "You didn't vote for anything" message when attempting to vote.

Now here's my situation: I want to sell everything I own, buy a nice cruising boat and go sail around the world....

If I were staying put I'd have already called Darryl and placed an order

See, this is how threads get off track.
Now I want to ask what kind of cruising boat and I want to ask WHY you want to sail around the world.

But I won't, because that has nothing to do with this thread.

Problem is I am CURIOUS.

Darryl’s DVD would not play on my TV DVD player but worked great on my Dell 470 Workstation.
Very impressive little boat. What is most appealing about the Alpha Omega F14 is the way the boat appears to be effortless to handle. This boat seems to work with the skipper instead of against him. The workmanship appears to be first class, very nice rig. The hull(s) look a bit boxy, but their efficiency cannot be denied.
Thanks for the DVD Darryl…it is greatly appreciated. Good luck on making this hot little boat a commercial success.

Regards,
Bob

AO is a one joker boat and easy to deal with in the car park and on the beach. THat is the deal over an F16 and if the price is less also it is a given that the man who likes to rely on himself will want to go there.
Bob, I think, has it right in his assessment of the DVD with hull shape being the only downer.
DVDs do work and don't work, we down here are in "Zone 4" if that means anything. The internet provides the codes for making DVD players "all zone" if you want to have a search.
Good luck and sail fast.
Lester

the intent was to gauge if there is enough serious interest to do something like import the Alpha Omega whole or in kit form (hulls, cross bars, rudders/assembly)...reference exhange rates, plus shipping. Then complete the boat with US purchased mast, boom, main sail, spinnaker package, rigging, trampoline, sheets, blocks, etc. Alternative would be to help Darryl find a company in the US to build it under license. My estimated total cost was more than a new F16. I was hoping the mass of sailors interested in the F14 would pool resources and work out a way to make this work.

Check out Vector Marine in FL for a US-based builder. They are building the Blade F16 here now...

Now you know why the F16 class is always putting alot of attention to creating local builders !

And why it was such a critical importance to have a local US builder.

Wouter

You know...when the question was first asked...I was thinking...well why not just spend a bit more and get a F-16 where you can go both solo or two up...but the more I watch Video...looking at how compact it is...what good performance is coming out of it...well lets just say every time I view the DVD I am a little more convinced that this would be a trick boat to own...yea every one wants to go sailing with you...until you actually want to go sailing...then they all have an excuse. It appears that you could take this little puppy out in some major wind without fear.

As much as the Hobie 14 design sucked, I have to say I had some of the most fun sailing that little boat…now to take the performance up an order of magnitude with the Alpha Omega…in the same size boat…that would be a very hard treat to pass up. Darryl, keep pushing for a builder.

We have been so conditioned to think bigger is better…but is it really? You know what they say…a boats frequency of use is inversely proportional to its size. In other words, the smaller it is the more it is used. Maybe we should be putting our energy into getting top performance out of the smallest possible package.

Darryl have you given any consideration to selling plans for a home built Alpha Omega…the hull design (at least from the video) looks like it would be very easy to build. Not a lot of compound curves.

Regards,
Seeker

I am not sure which version DVD you have of the Alpha sailing, I have added video over time to the original as more has become available and in the current version there is a 5 to 7 minute chapter at the end with two Alpha F14's sailing together in about 18 to 20 knots of wind showing some extremely fast driving reaches. On that day there were 4 different sailers on the cats in the different shots (one flew in from Denmark to stay with us over Christmas purposely to sail the Alpha, as well as get away from the snow in Europe), the lightest one sailing weighed 73kgs and the heaviest was 107 Kgs, the Alpha didn't seem to notice any difference between any of their weights. We are racing two F14’s against each other at the same club here with one of the guys at 105kgs and the other at 80kgs and over this season so far their finish results have been evenly split.
Your right with the frequency of use, when you want to go sailing you just go, no waiting for a crew, no problem towing it, you just hook it to the car and often forget that you have it in tow due to it's lightness and ease of towing (and I don’t really notice any difference in fuel consumption either and that’s often at 100 km/hr behind a RAV 4 on a 500 Km round trip), and when you rig it and derig it, it isn't the "work" that a larger cat is, I never thought that I would say this about any boat but, it is actually a pleasure packing it up at the end of the day.
Although it may not be completely apparent from the photos and video, the hulls are not compatible to convert to timber, the radii of the curves just can't be duplicated in ply (mores the pity) but we have no problem supplying hulls only to some one building their own F14 based on our hulls, after all the most critical part of the performance is firstly in the hull form.
(By the way, the "straw poll" doesn't seem to work, it only shows that "you didn't vote for anything" otherwise I would have obiously voted in the affirmative!!!)

Hi Darryl

I must have the earlier version of the video as there is not any footage where two A&O's sailing together. But I love what is on the video you sent me...

Could you post some still pictures that show the hulls in more detail? I would love to see what the lines drawing looks like but totally understand if you don't want to post that...LOL

Sending out those DVD is marketing genius. It will do more to promote your boat dollar for dollar than anything you could have done. It is a shame that some boats never reach their potential popularity because the designers thinks a great design is enough, they ignore marketing. You are off to a great start! Don’t let up. The boat speaks for itself on film…it seems to float on air instead of on the water. The video is addictive, the more you watch it the more you are drawn in.

Regards,
Bob

VectorWorks builds 3 boats, the Blade, G-Cat F16 and A Class. My understanding condideration was given to building the 14. Best we can do is find another US company to build it.

I have to agree, catching up/keeping up with a larger boats is fun in my old 15', closer to 14' waterline, up to 10 knots it's a lot of fun. I too am impressed by Darryl's Video going faster in higher winds and rougher waters.
My original question remains, is there enough interest in the US to try to have it manufactored here?

Having seen the AO F14 in the flesh, both under construction and on the water sailing against the 16s and 18s, I can confirm that it is an impressive little machine. If not for personal business commitments, Darryl would have received an order from me by now.

Why don't you blokes in the US, who recognise the many attributes of the AO, get together and organise a container load (say 4 or 6 boats) to be shipped over. I am sure that prospective builders will sit up and take notice once you start winning races on line honours and yardstick against the big guys. I believe all the AO needs is this initial foothold in the US for it to take-off, subject to the presence of a local builder and the appropriate marketing.


Phil

PS I have no business connection with Darryl or his company.

do you guys have any pics of this boat online? I am curious

There are some photos here.
http://www.formula14.yachting.org.au/news.asp

i sail at the same club as these little boats they are very well finished and are extreamly fast against all other boats we have f18s nacra 5.8 A cat hobie20 in its division and these boats race and win on corrected time reguarly somtimes are first over the line you guys in the US need to order and race you wont be dispointed ps i have no conection with the factory either cheers danny