small club racing yacht

Birdseye

Birdseye

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I enjoy my racing on the current boat but it needs 4 crew and is expensive to keep up to scratch. Plus we are much less interested in cruising than used to be the case. So I find myself wondering whether there is a boat which I could single hand in club races ( PY not life or death racing) or crew with two. Racing is winter as well as summer and is only cancelled in winds over 30kn so it must be seaworthy and reefable etc. Maybe 28 to 30 ft loa.

I am thinking of self tacking jib with an assymetric on a prong and all ropes led back to the cockpit. But I guess the key issue is getting a boat that isnt too flighty to allow you to leave the helm, maybe on a pilot, whilst you trim the sails.

Is there such a thing? Is it even feasible?
 
Its an interesting idea and keep us updated.

I have one season of racing under my belt so a total newbie but I am surprised by the lack of opportunity / handicapping etc for the idea of short handed racing. My boat is myself and 4 crew fully crewed.

Having thought about it it seems to me that it will be difficult to compete in round the cans style racing with fully crewed boats both due to difficulty and the lack of crew weight on the rail.

A jpk 1010 won the fastnet overall double handed in 2013 i think.

How about a sunfast 3200??

Whats the budget??
 
There is also a guy called Andrew Evans who has written a lot on the subject. I bought his book "single-handed sailing" for my kindle. (i think the text is free on some websites). He advocates just racing single handed in normal races, not worry too much about winning! He has lots of techniques for single handing.
 
roblpm said:
He advocates just racing single handed in normal races, not worry too much about winning!
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Sure! :D:D;)

Budget isnt really an issue short of going out and having one built. But I would prefer a second hand boat that I can buy some fancy sails and equipment for. Maybe modify to make suitable. One concern is lightness - I sail the Bristol channel and I'm getting on a bit so I really dont want something too light and flighty so I'm thinking of an older race boat maybe from the quarter ton era rather than a J. It is club P{Y / NHC type racing rather than Solent hot shot.
 
I think there plenty of options providing you don't expect to beat crewed boats when the breeze is up.

I wouldn't recommend most later quarter tonners as the crew weight was usually designed in as part of the boat's righting moment.

The older ones are not so bad in this respect and actually the Ecume de Mer is very tough, as is the Robber 3E (if you can find one). A-sails are only any good on boats which were designed for one and can sail the angles with enough speed to keep up with conventional kites sailing straight to the mark. I tried a season with the retrofitted a-sail which came with our boat, and by the end of the season I had bought a sym kite out of pure frustration.
 
To race well singlehanded or shorthanded I would avoid to light a displacement as they will sail more like a dinghy. That my be fine if you want to work hard and concentrate continually.

Headsail winching could be hard work, so consider a ¾ rig. I race my Fulmar singlehanded and recently turned 60, so this will probably be the largest size you could do effectively. It is a beautifully balanced boat and I can leave the helm and rarely use the auto pilot - even tacking. I did fit Lewmar 43ST's on the cockpit coamings as the winches were too far away from the helm on the end of the coachroof and the handles fouled the sprayhood. I have set the spinnaker singlehanded in light airs, so that is even possible, but you need to be very organised when dropping it.

If you moved smaller then you could consider a masthead rig. For the 28-30ft size consider Trapper 28, Scampi, First 30, Laser 28 and Nicholson 30 or other old IOR designs as most will give a more comfortable ride. The main consideration would be to make sure all running rigging is led aft to the cockpit.

Suggesting what you could consider is difficult when you have not given any idea as to all your uses and budget.

PS Just thought of Hunter Impala and Achilles 28 as other possible yachts to consider.
 
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birdseye said:
Sure! :D:D;)

Budget isnt really an issue short of going out and having one built. But I would prefer a second hand boat that I can buy some fancy sails and equipment for. Maybe modify to make suitable. One concern is lightness - I sail the Bristol channel and I'm getting on a bit so I really dont want something too light and flighty so I'm thinking of an older race boat maybe from the quarter ton era rather than a J. It is club P{Y / NHC type racing rather than Solent hot shot.
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Ah. Just saw you said Bristol Channel. My suggestion was mis-placed.
 
For me the boat which fits your requirements would be an Artekno H 323 (Big H boat)as reviewed in the July edition of Yachting Monthly.
With her small fore triangle and self tacking head sail she is very easily handled single handed. A 42% ballast ratio coupled with her 2.56m beam
she is not as reliant on a large crew sitting on the weather rail in order to keep her upright.I often race mine single or double handed.
The only problem is that there are few in the Uk.One was recently bought in Sweden and trailed back to Belfast behind a 4 by4 on a purpose built trailer.
 

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I think that narrow is the answer if you want to race short-handed in a mixed fleet and have any chance. Other obvious options are based on IOR typeforms and so assume 4-6 big folk sitting on the wide bit:

Aphrodite 101? Is that the right name - vey skinny little boats.
Go slow? Folkboat or Contessa 26?
 
I have to suggest the Beneteau Spirit 300, My Uncle has one and it is a fantastic little boat and he has won a good few club races with it mostly short handed (2 or 3) I have always been a bit snobbish about benes until I stepped on this one. We race it short handed (me My uncle and auntie) all the time it surfs very nicely and the spinnaker is a nice size and the cut of the one he has is very stable so it gives plenty of leeway for gybes etc and the hull was based on the Figaro hull. we are looking into doing some of the ISORA races in it next year double handed.
 
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