Look away now fans of traditional heavy boats…

I wonder how big the market is for it? Pretty sure, if I had that sort of money what is essentialy a toy, I would be talking to Spirit.
A spirit won’t sail like that. If you have the dosh, the people you need to be talking to are Quorning. They’ll do you a 40 footer, faster, for less money. Subjectively, it isn’t so ugly.
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Subjectively, it isn’t so ugly.
That depends on your point of view...

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I think I'd have the Spirit, too.
 
I do like it and I'd love to have a day or two sailing one, but I wouldn't want to be responsible for the ongoing maintenance of the foil systems. I can't help but think that such a highly stressed system with whatever hydraulics and moving parts are needed behind it would be a bit of a liability for relaxed cruising. I think if I was spending a million on a boat I'd want something a bit more simple and robust.
 
I do like it and I'd love to have a day or two sailing one, but I wouldn't want to be responsible for the ongoing maintenance of the foil systems. I can't help but think that such a highly stressed system with whatever hydraulics and moving parts are needed behind it would be a bit of a liability for relaxed cruising. I think if I was spending a million on a boat I'd want something a bit more simple and robust.
I'm reasonably sure that the foil system would be fairly simple, probably not hydraulic, probably block and tackle. You're just moving it in and out, but the load isn't in that direction.

The important bit to me is that the exit needs to be above the waterline to avoid getting any growth etc in the slot when the boat is at rest.
 
I'm reasonably sure that the foil system would be fairly simple, probably not hydraulic, probably block and tackle. You're just moving it in and out, but the load isn't in that direction.

The important bit to me is that the exit needs to be above the waterline to avoid getting any growth etc in the slot when the boat is at rest.
Hm block and tackle on a primary system on a £1million plus boat, let me think about that for a millisecond.
 
Why not? It's worked on IMOCAs for years. Just because the boat is expensive doesn't mean you should move away from tried and tested solutions.
Try telling that to someone that uses powered winches hydraulic and electric furling which is the norm on a million pound boat. You as someone that enjoys racing and extracting the last micro knot out of a boat can see it as nice but on a cruising boat of that price no one will be interested.
 
Try telling that to someone that uses powered winches hydraulic and electric furling which is the norm on a million pound boat. You as someone that enjoys racing and extracting the last micro knot out of a boat can see it as nice but on a cruising boat of that price no one will be interested.
It's a 38 foot boat. And it's not going to sell to someone who isn't interested in high performance sailing, that much is obvious!

No reason you couldn't use electric winches to then run the line to, but the in-out of the foils should be simple. Pull this line to extend, pull this line to retract.
 
A spirit won’t sail like that. If you have the dosh, the people you need to be talking to are Quorning. They’ll do you a 40 footer, faster, for less money. Subjectively, it isn’t so ugly.
View attachment 165603
I remember a rather boring motorsail trip cross Channel
Of 18 hours keeping up a speed of 5 knots.
Something like the above tri tied up after averaging 14 knots . It does make weekend foreign trips possible and probably quite exciting.
 
That depends on your point of view...

spirit-dh57-docked-420x210.jpg


I think I'd have the Spirit, too.
But the only people whose views matter are those with the ready cash and about to spend it on a new boat. Some like “modern retro” like Spirit, which is great as these are lovely boats, others consider them neither one thing or the other and prefer either a true old classic or a proper modern boat without the retro compromises.
Neither Spirit nor the scow featured in this post are likely to be aiming for mass market purchase.
 
But the only people whose views matter are those with the ready cash and about to spend it on a new boat. Some like “modern retro” like Spirit, which is great as these are lovely boats, others consider them neither one thing or the other and prefer either a true old classic or a proper modern boat without the retro compromises.
Neither Spirit nor the scow featured in this post are likely to be aiming for mass market purchase.
Very true but which would you like to look back at as you travel to the restaurant ashore for your dinner.
 
I remember a rather boring motorsail trip cross Channel
Of 18 hours keeping up a speed of 5 knots.
Something like the above tri tied up after averaging 14 knots . It does make weekend foreign trips possible and probably quite exciting.
The scow might come close to that too, in ideal conditions. I reckon the tri would still be first. We’ve done 4 hours to Cherbourg in one of our previous tris, we haven't been yet in the current boat.
 
Very true but which would you like to look back at as you travel to the restaurant ashore for your dinner.
I think the people buying the scow type boat might think that a very sedentary and boring way of thinking. They would be more interested in the thrill of the high speed sail - and perhaps have reached somewhere like Antarctica were not a restaurant for a 1,000 miles.
 
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