ZaneO Posted January 7, 2008 Report Share Posted January 7, 2008 Hiya, I'm a real noob, thinking seriously about getting into cat sailing (as a hobby - not racing). Anyway, I've taken a bunch of advice, and figure I will look out for a second hand Windrush 14. Surely there are a handful of things that I should be looking at / asking when looking to buy a Windrush 14. I have had wee hunt around, and haven't bee able to find a similar post. I think it would be really useful to have a list of questions that I newbie like me should be asking (or things to look at) when looking to buy a windrush 14. I will use these questions myself one day soon I hope... I will edit this post with suggested questions, so as to create a concise list. Add your best questions... Questions to ask when buying your cat... - How old is it - How old are the sails - Does it come with a rolly-up thing for the sail/s - What are the hulls made of (foam, wood etc) [This message has been edited by ZaneO (edited 07 January 2008).] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TornadoSport260 Posted January 7, 2008 Report Share Posted January 7, 2008 Zaneo, Your in the right place for Windrush advice and in safe hands. First thing you need to decide is price tag... For $1500 you'll get a light weight non bulkhead with bulkheads or a bulkhead boat that needs some work... If your lucky it will have mylar sails, most likely in the last half of its life... For $2500-3000 you'll pick up a bulkhead boat with a good set of sails and it will be competitive. For $5000-7000 you'll pick up a foam sandwich boat with a good set of sails and it will be competitive and much newer than a bulkhead boat. So once you have price tag out of the way move onto the hulls. The minimum weight is 77.5kgs for the platform (no rigging). The hulls are up to mark III. - Mark I (Pre 1984/5)- Glass reinforced polyester (GRP or more commonly known as fiberglass) with no bulkheads, the ream beam traveller track will angle forward. Mark I boats are generally heavy as there was no controller factory weight at that time, thought there were some light ones... - Mark II (1984/5 - 1993ish)- GRP with bulkheads where built to the minimum weight and are MUCH stiffer than Mark I boats due to the bulkheads. Things to check are that the marine ply with which the bulkheads were built from is in good nick or has been replaced and the bulkheads rebuilt. These hulls are competitive. - Mark III (1993/4 - current) - Foam sandwich GRP, built to the minimum weight and are vacuum bagged so they are the optimum resin to glass ratio etc etc. Extremely stiff (stiff = fast) and will last longer than a straight GRP boat. Ok so now hulls are out of the road, rudders... 2 types here, - Wooden Disk type blades (extremely shallow draft)and are useless for racing. - Deep rudders - fiberglass and are the racing blades, within these there are 2 types, the most common is fairly rectangular, the other with was built within the last 10 years has a slightly convex trailing edge they are basically only found on foam sandwich boats (no real speed difference between the types, just make sure u get deep rudders...) Ok Sails. 3 types here: - Cruising Dacrons - multicoloured and useless for competitive racing. - Racing Dacron - generally all white, must have been measured in the early 90's to be eligible to race at a nationals and a smaller/slower than a mylar main. - Mylar - This is the fastest set of sails for a windrush, they are factory standard and all one design (made by Hill Sails in WA). They start their numbers from 6100 (mid 90's built) and the lastest sail I know of is 6328 (under 1/2yr old). So basically to be competitive at a nationals u need a GRP bulkhead Mark II with Mylar sails from around 6250 on wards with deep blades. Those are the three main points as I see it. There are a few boats available for sail go to http://windrushnsw.tripod.com and ring Warren Pfeffer (NSW President) he knows of some boats for sail. One for $1500 mark I with bulkheads and a mylar (main only), another for $2700 mark II with reglassed bulkheads and mylars, another for $4500 foam sandwich with mylars and another for $6000 foam sandwich with mylars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xmatelot Posted January 7, 2008 Report Share Posted January 7, 2008 Hi ZaneO, I see you are in the land of "The LONG WHITE CLOUD" Only TWO things you need to Know, IS IT COMPLETE?????? HOW MUCH?????? pete PS. You should see it on the water,sailing. pete [This message has been edited by xmatelot (edited 07 January 2008).] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZaneO Posted January 7, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 7, 2008 Thanks for that comprehensive reply Tornado... A few things to note; 1 - I had figured on paying about $2,000 for my whole set up (incl. trailor), so I guess I'm at the lower end of the budget. 2 - I'm in New Zealand, so I'm restricted to buying in the North Island of NZ. 3 - What are bulk heads there is a Windrush sitting on my neighbors lawn, so I will print this post, and go have a look at it. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TornadoSport260 Posted January 7, 2008 Report Share Posted January 7, 2008 Ok a bulkhead is a vertical brace that sits inside the hull underneath each beam and its job is to provide a rigid structure to support the hull. Easy way to check is to open the hatch covers and if u see one forward of the hatch cover underneath the beam, its got one. As for buying one in NZ no idea how your gonna do. A GRP Bulkhead Mark II boat is the best you'll do as I havnt heard of any foamies being sold to NZ. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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