Barracuda 45's

Dale

I met Brian, he passed to see me in Italy on the way to Greece
He now owns Lone Shark.
This is the second Barracuda he owns!!!!!!!!
 
Nice to see this thread still going strong like the Barracudas are. Ronhilda is still going strong, passed her insurance survey with ease this year and I had a great little jolly to the Folly earlier this month.

After a second metal hip insertion in me this time last year we made it to the Scillies this summer and whilst most know Barracudas are great for blasting over to France for a weekend this longer trip again proved they are good fast cruisers as well.

Lifting keel was a bonus on the flat firm sands of the Scilies and we were able to make long distance day sail legs coming back, Tresco - Dartmouth for a stop over then Dartmouth - Yarmouth both mostly in the sun with spinny up.

The postage stamp is Ronhilda romping along towards the Solent from Chi a couple of years ago and I have a great picture of us at over 10 knots off Cowes taken by Beken number 046321

Had an Xams Christmas present in that tests have shown my metal to metal hips are not grinding together like the NHS letter I got suggested ( not exactly good news when you get a letter saying the joints put inside you are now being recalled!!!) so have decided to continue to invest in Ronhilda and therefore further longer trips perhaps to Baltic, Biscay are now being contemplated again.

So 2011 will see repairs to the bathing platform, ram hydraulic seal replaced ( only second time in my 15 year ownership) and a couple of soft deck foam insertions.


Allways thought an updated modern material Barracuda would be an on the water winner but the production costs would need careful thought through by any builder. A design point I never understoond is why the keel box was angled but when fully down the keel is vertical. It just makes the all the weight of the keel palm force onto the front lower keel box when you start to lift. The lifting pressure at that moment has always been 1,500 psi whereas when the keel is further up in the box and following the angle of the box lifting pressure falls to less than 600psi.

Good sailing to all in 2011

Brian
 
If anyone is really bothered about the production moulds, a good person to ask would be Maurice Huffey, Blaxton Boats at Doncaster.

He has a habit of collecting old moulds ( and not doing much with them, but at least they're preserved I suppose ).

This isn't a hot tip, have no knowledge of him having the Barracuda, but would be the first place to ask.
 
hi

Hi

My grandfather(Bob Fisher) was heavily involved in the original design of barracuda for the TV program howards way. http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/hampshire/hi/people_and_places/history/newsid_8159000/8159018.stm

I am trying to track down the current owner of his boat as i wasnt born when the boat was around.

Now i am studying yacht design at uni i am very intested in the boat as it was way ahead of its time.

Any information or help would be very helpful

Chris Matthews
 
cmatthews4 said:
Hi

My grandfather(Bob Fisher) was heavily involved in the original design of barracuda for the TV program howards way. http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/hampshire/hi/people_and_places/history/newsid_8159000/8159018.stm

I am trying to track down the current owner of his boat as i wasnt born when the boat was around.

Now i am studying yacht design at uni i am very intested in the boat as it was way ahead of its time.

Any information or help would be very helpful

Chris Matthews
Click to expand...

I can't tell you where the Country Cottage is now but thanks for handing me a first class name drop. "I was talking to Bob Fisher's grandson on Friday and..." :)
 
cmatthews4 said:
Hi

My grandfather(Bob Fisher) was heavily involved in the original design of barracuda for the TV program howards way. http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/hampshire/hi/people_and_places/history/newsid_8159000/8159018.stm

I am trying to track down the current owner of his boat as i wasnt born when the boat was around.

Now i am studying yacht design at uni i am very intested in the boat as it was way ahead of its time.

Any information or help would be very helpful

Chris Matthews
Click to expand...
See this thread post 30 Barracudafox, old, http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthread.php?t=63067, not been around for sometime though.
 
cmatthews4 said:
Hi

My grandfather(Bob Fisher) was heavily involved in the original design of barracuda for the TV program howards way. http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/hampshire/hi/people_and_places/history/newsid_8159000/8159018.stm

I am trying to track down the current owner of his boat as i wasnt born when the boat was around.

Now i am studying yacht design at uni i am very intested in the boat as it was way ahead of its time.

Any information or help would be very helpful

Chris Matthews
Click to expand...

IIRC Barracuda of Tarrant was for sale last year. Brighton, I think

(Found a link)
http://www.networkyachtbrokers.co.uk/boats_archive/Sadler_Barracuda-06400.html
 
Firefly211 said:
There was a thread on here that suggested the moulds went to Tilbury as White Silk Yacht had some idea of rebuilding them, but from there the trail goes stone cold following them being impounded. Chances are they have been chopped up like those for the Spring 25.
Click to expand...

Last time I saw the MG Spring 25 moulds they were at southerly in Itchenor, probably about 5 years ago
 
wiggy said:
Last time I saw the MG Spring 25 moulds they were at southerly in Itchenor, probably about 5 years ago
Click to expand...

Northshore in it's previous ownership used to sweep up a lot of moulds/rights to many yachts - more than they used to market!! A fair number of MG's were built there in the 1990's. Surprised the Barracuda moulds were not collected at some point.
 
Last edited:
E39mad said:
Northshore in it's previous ownership used to sweep up a lot of moulds/rights to many yachts - more than they used to market!! A fair number of MG's were built there in the 1990's. Surprised the Barracuda moulds were not collected at some point.
Click to expand...

I emailed Northshore last year sometime to see if they had either the MG Spring moulds or the B45. The moulds for Spring had been chopped up and they did not have the B45 ones either.
 
Barracuda of Tarrant has been sold to a Brazilian . Spoke to the previous owner last week . Had a lot spent on the lifting keel and sails . Very quick in the right hands.;)
 
Since this thread has come alive again, I'd like to tell you the story of the occasion I was part of Bob Fisher's delivery crew aboard Barracuda of Tarrant with when she was still very new. We were on our way to the Scottish series from Hamble.

After a slow, but not uneventful, passage to Lands End, the wind began to build quickly from the South and, as night fell in the St Georges Channel, we were running before a Force 9 Gale with just a triple reefed main up (why a triple reefed main and not a well rolled genny is another and long story). As the night wore on we surfed down huge breaking rollers, successive helms vying for the highest speed. We were taking huge liberties as we deliberately steered across the waves to meet the steepest part just before it broke. Time and again we'd twitch the stern straight at the last minute. We hung on as she accelerated, riding her bow wave just before the mast and the breaking crost just forward of the transom, spray everywhere and the whole scene bright in the light of a full moon. But her broad transom and twin rudders made her unbelievably responsive; quick and steady on the helm. There was a big cheer when the needle passed 10 knots and another when it went past 15. My top speed was 17 but the other watch achieved 19.

It wasn't until several months later, when my story of the trip appeared in Yachting Monthly, that Bob leanred that, while he was below asleep, I had driven his beloved 'country cottage' into the back of a wave at 16 knots filling the cockpit and leaving her dead in teh water for several minutes while the cockpit draianed. When it was half empty she got back on the plane and the sound of water being sucked out of the drains was quite dramatic.

By dawn the wind had eased a bit and and we were broad reaching at an average of around 12 knots in bright sunshine over a wonderful green and white chequerboard sea. Around the latitude of Liverpool/Dublin, we cross tracks with a small coaster heading west at about 8 knots and rolling like a pig. We were going much faster and absolutely on the level. A bedraggled figure came out on to the bridge wing to wave at us and dispose of his breakfast.

Sadly the wind continued to drop and, despite our best efforts we tied up in Kip Marina just after closing time
 
jamesjermain said:
Since this thread has come alive again, I'd like to tell you the story of the occasion I was part of Bob Fisher's delivery crew aboard Barracuda of Tarrant with when she was still very new. We were on our way to the Scottish series from Hamble.

After a slow, but not uneventful, passage to Lands End, the wind began to build quickly from the South and, as night fell in the St Georges Channel, we were running before a Force 9 Gale with just a triple reefed main up (why a triple reefed main and not a well rolled genny is another and long story). As the night wore on we surfed down huge breaking rollers, successive helms vying for the highest speed. We were taking huge liberties as we deliberately steered across the waves to meet the steepest part just before it broke. Time and again we'd twitch the stern straight at the last minute. We hung on as she accelerated, riding her bow wave just before the mast and the breaking crost just forward of the transom, spray everywhere and the whole scene bright in the light of a full moon. But her broad transom and twin rudders made her unbelievably responsive; quick and steady on the helm. There was a big cheer when the needle passed 10 knots and another when it went past 15. My top speed was 17 but the other watch achieved 19.

It wasn't until several months later, when my story of the trip appeared in Yachting Monthly, that Bob leanred that, while he was below asleep, I had driven his beloved 'country cottage' into the back of a wave at 16 knots filling the cockpit and leaving her dead in teh water for several minutes while the cockpit draianed. When it was half empty she got back on the plane and the sound of water being sucked out of the drains was quite dramatic.

By dawn the wind had eased a bit and and we were broad reaching at an average of around 12 knots in bright sunshine over a wonderful green and white chequerboard sea. Around the latitude of Liverpool/Dublin, we cross tracks with a small coaster heading west at about 8 knots and rolling like a pig. We were going much faster and absolutely on the level. A bedraggled figure came out on to the bridge wing to wave at us and dispose of his breakfast.

Sadly the wind continued to drop and, despite our best efforts we tied up in Kip Marina just after closing time
Click to expand...

Great story.

I've often thought YM should re-run well written old stories.
 
I used to race against them in the late 80's early 90's in Beneteau's. They were not great on the wind but flew off it and rarely sailed to their rating no matter how good the crew/helm were.

There was one particular offshore race to France in a F45f5 when with the kite up the wind just kept building and building to over 30 knots true and gusting much more - we thought we were doing well when surfing down waves at a reported 18 knots max with 12 people on the transom when a Barracuda went past with it's kite up doing at least 4 knots more!! Awesome surfing off the wind!
 
Re: Barracuda 45 'White Spirit'

""I had a semi-serious look at her but she had a lot of problems."

Sorry to dig up this old topic but can you tell me more about "White Spirit serious problems at the time"
(Sorry for my bad English, I'm French and I am interested to Barracudas)
Thank you in advance for your answer
 
Re: Barracuda 45 'White Spirit'

Cantata said:
I had a semi-serious look at her but she had a lot of problems. Even so I was sorely tempted but the price was IMHO way too high.
She sold eventually to France, I believe.
Click to expand...

Hello, I am new to this site, I am interested to Barracudas, sorry to dig up this old topic but could you tell me what were the serious problems of White Spirit at the time?.
I am French and my English is very bad sorry.
 
Re: Barracuda 45 'White Spirit'

Was in Fleetwood yesterday and saw Sadler Barracuda 45 "Phantoms Wake" on the hard and up for sale.
http://www.yachtworld.com/boats/198...106541/Lancashire/United-Kingdom#.WWdHzPnyvIU
She looks the business and is a credit to her owner.Am a bit embarrassed to admit that Howard's Way was the reason I
got into sailing at the end of the eighties.I would love a ride on one of these boats especially past the Needles.
 
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