Whilst you are arguing about waterline length, check these guys out. 5.8m Transat.

[capnsensible]

Awesome! Home built plywood yachts. One retired, but other five have completed first leg. Second leg starts 1000 tomorrow. Had a brief chat with a couple of them this morning and wished them luck.

Home

 

[dunedin]

I suspect a second hand Mini, of which there are now hundreds in France, would be cheaper and sail better, but Mr McIntyre seems to want to create another stream of eccentricity

 

[flaming]

I can't imagine who looked at a mini and said "no, for crossing Oceans, that is at least 70cm too long!"

I do however applaud the attempt to be 1 design and cheaper than a mini.

 

[Sailfree]

Awesome! Home built plywood yachts. One retired, but other five have completed first leg. Second leg starts 1000 tomorrow. Had a brief chat with a couple of them this morning and wished them luck.

Home

Looks interesting. Can be trailered so is keel a lifting keel?

 

[ridgy]

I can't imagine who looked at a mini and said "no, for crossing Oceans, that is at least 70cm too long!"

I do however applaud the attempt to be 1 design and cheaper than a mini.

It's that length so that it can fit in to a 20' shipping container and be shipped back from the end of these races more cheaply than would otherwise be the case.
Similarly the keel can be removed and the mast split in to two.

It could have been cheap but Don being Don has added a mountain of rules putting the cost up tremendously.
30k minimum for a small slow boat and a year of your life to make it? Resale value? What are you doing with it the rest of the time?

If you wanted to race across an ocean single handed I think you could buy a Sigma 33 and do an Ostar for similar or less money and effort than this thing and have a useful/sellable boat at the end of it.

Anyway if anyone fancies a go themselves:
ClassGlobe 5.80 - Fyne Boat Kits

 

[capnsensible]

It's that length so that it can fit in to a 20' shipping container and be shipped back from the end of these races more cheaply than would otherwise be the case.
Similarly the keel can be removed and the mast split in to two.

It could have been cheap but Don being Don has added a mountain of rules putting the cost up tremendously.
30k minimum for a small slow boat and a year of your life to make it? Resale value? What are you doing with it the rest of the time?

If you wanted to race across an ocean single handed I think you could buy a Sigma 33 and do an Ostar for similar or less money and effort than this thing and have a useful/sellable boat at the end of it.

Anyway if anyone fancies a go themselves:
ClassGlobe 5.80 - Fyne Boat Kits

I know someone selling a sigma 33. ???

 

[capnsensible]

 

[capnsensible]

 

[Laminar Flow]

I'm surprised it even floats (from what I've learned on this forum):

Moderate beam to length ratio,

no scow bow or at the very least: a reverse wave piercing type,

semi-skegged rudder and just one of them at that (have they no shame?),

a carbon free rig,

chances of it planing in full load (1600 kg) even with the gennaker ??? ... well, let's not go there,

closed transom, WTF, right?

thank God it has a chine at least, well two of them, just to be sure.

 

[dgadee]

Where do you get the keel and associated parts from? All that seems to be being sold is the hull plywood cut to shape.

 

[ridgy]

Where do you get the keel and associated parts from? All that seems to be being sold is the hull plywood cut to shape.

You make it yourself dear boy, the plans have all the instructions for the thickness of plate steel to buy, what shape to cut it to, and the type of weld it needs. Then it tells you how to make a plug for the lead bulb etc.
Alternatively if feeling flush then direct your local fabrication shop to do so.

As Don likes to explain, it's a boat for all budgets. The more skint you are the more you do yourself. Can't afford the pre-cut kit? No worries just buy sheets of plywood, transfer the offsets from the plans, and have at it with a jig saw.

The only bits you can actually buy are the rudder brackets and chain plates. And the rig of course but even then you can buy one complete or get a blank extrusion and a bag of bits then drill and rivet your life away.

 

[dgadee]

You make it yourself dear boy, the plans have all the instructions for the thickness of plate steel to buy, what shape to cut it to, and the type of weld it needs. Then it tells you how to make a plug for the lead bulb etc.
Alternatively if feeling flush then direct your local fabrication shop to do so.

As Don likes to explain, it's a boat for all budgets. The more skint you are the more you do yourself. Can't afford the pre-cut kit? No worries just buy sheets of plywood, transfer the offsets from the plans, and have at it with a jig saw.

The only bits you can actually buy are the rudder brackets and chain plates. And the rig of course but even then you can buy one complete or get a blank extrusion and a bag of bits then drill and rivet your life away.

That keel design is a bit too rough and ready for my refined aerofoil taste I think.

 

[capnsensible]

Nipped down this morning to watch them go, start having been moved forward to ten today. However, for publicity reasons that's been delayed until 1300.

How do I know? Well our next door but one boat neighbour was invited to have a chat with a couple of them this morning....over a full English in a marina side restaurant. ?

 

[capnsensible]

 

[capnsensible]

Waiting at the start line. They are swimming.

 

[capnsensible]

Finally started at 1400. Got quite a good send off. Immediately dropped Ito two groups, two boats heading west of Fuertaventura, the other three to the east.

I would have definitely gone west.

 

[capnsensible]

On the subject of slow, they aren't making much progress. Looking at passage weather, that will change. But not for a few days...