I have completed the first sea trials of my new mast sails and rig...you don't want to know about my boat if you already own one...
After reading this, you will always question why your boat is the way it is....
You don't want to know about my sailboat if:
You enjoy running around changing lines and adjusting
sails all the time. My boat is self-tacking. Just spin the
wheel and you tacked. Don't touch the lines, there are no
jib sheets, no travelers. It is just one self tacking forward sail.
You own a boat that would sink if hulled in too many places. My boat can't be sunk since it is an
epoxy sandwich with balsa
wood and PVC foam
core between. Overall it is lighter then
water. From now on you will refer to your own boat as a sinker.
You enjoy the zip and zing of traveler cars going up the
mast and playing pickup the ball bearings when the cars break. With no sail behind the mast there is no track, no cars, and nothing to jamb when you need to pull the sail down in a hurry. How boring.
You enjoy the
wind through your hair as you reef the sail each time there is a squall. On my boat you just pull the spilling line and barely have a chance to get wet.
Your best friend works at the sail loft and you enjoy regular visits to
repair your sails. Without the high
maintenance associated with broken battens ripped batten pockets you won't get to see your friend so much.
You enjoy the rock and roll of the sea. My boat's 40 foot beam provides a level ride like a super yacht. With less rock and roll you won't be able to show your friends your bruises to prove you went sailing.
You enjoy the
game, when will my mast fall down?
Rigging on my boat is almost entirely redundant. I used high-tech
Dyneema lines and almost zero use of metal
parts.
You like staying close to shore. The huge range of my boat would tempt you to go on long trips. The Atlantic will seem like a small pond and a 700 nautical mile leg an all too quick sail.
You enjoy old technology and like to ignore science and
research. You are not interested in
wind tunnel testing that has demonstrated how
Bermuda rigs are not efficient and that the optimum place to put a mast is in the back of the boat.
You like looking up at your mast that isn't tapered and has a large amount of weight aloft and think to yourself...yeah but it looks substantial. On my boat the mast tapers to the top cutting down on weight and increasing seaworthiness.
You like having a metal mast and enjoy looking for those hairline cracks indicating you have stress cracking. My mast is good old
wood. Well kind of. It is a very flexible wood composite made up of planks glued up with
epoxy, wrapped in
fiberglass, and then epoxy painted. It can bend and absorb high wind gusts just like a tree without failure.
Now, if on the other hand:
You want a boat with the lastest and greatest technology blended into an efficient safe rig, consider
buying mine. Now that I have essentially proven that the wind tunnel testing was correct, I am ready to take on a new
project.
In brief you are getting a:
West System epoxy composite boat designed by Jay Kantola and built in
California by professional boat
builder. It took 8 years to build, over $1mm, and was launched in 2000. 65 feet long by 40 feet wide. 3 cabins (2 king and 1 double), plus 2
single bunks and crew quarters in ama. Common area also converts to another double bunk.
New for 2010
All new mast,
rigging, and sails
New
paint from top to bottom inside and out.
New
oven, new cabinets, new
depth sounder.
It even has a new piano.
Price $440,000 USD.
I apologize if it takes a while to get back to you. I'm headed out sailing my new rig to Brunei and
Palau.
If you want to go for a sail, I will be doing weekly trips between
Palau and Yap. These are two incredible
diving places and both offer unique cultural
South Pacific adventures.
Philip Maise
Again I'm headed off to Brunei and Palau and don't check this e-mail frequently.
To read more about theory and research into aft-mast mounted boats and their efficiency check out this thread. However, again if you own a boat with a center mast with split rig, you might get more disillusioned about your own boat.
I have posted more results of my sea trials there as well as more pictures.
Aftmast rigs??? - Boat Design Forums