AUS301 Posted May 6, 2010 Report Share Posted May 6, 2010 Hello everyone, I am in the process of selling my Tornado and then looking to buy an A class. I would like to hear opinions on which manufacturer would suit me best (if any). I am not expecting to be able to compete with the top A class sailors because of my size, but would like to know if there is a builder of A class that suits the heavier sailor. I am 6'10" and about 105kg. Thanks in advance for any advice. Cheers Jared Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joclo Posted May 6, 2010 Report Share Posted May 6, 2010 The "tool" has the most buoyancy of all the boats in Australia at the moment. Get a platform and look into a heavy rig to suite your weight along with sails. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crag Posted May 8, 2010 Report Share Posted May 8, 2010 You may be too heavy and tall as I looked into A class and was told that 90Kg was too heavy by A class sailers, but I suppose it is what ever you want to do, do you want to race and still go well,or go fast, or just have fun and sail. There is a variety of cats out there these days, if you just wanting a light cat that will still sail fast and allow tall heavy weights there is the Taipans, or 4.5 Nacra, and also Nacra 16sq perfect for your weight and very large class, but all depends on how much you want to spend,and what you want, this is just what I have heard and experianced [This message has been edited by Crag (edited 08 May 2010).] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madboutcats Posted May 8, 2010 Report Share Posted May 8, 2010 You'll love the A class and when the wind gets up you'll still be powered up while the others are depowering. I was 107kg when I had my old timber one, I didn't win any races but had great fun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AUS301 Posted May 8, 2010 Author Report Share Posted May 8, 2010 I will be racing it, but probably in mixed fleets of F18 and Tornado. I have also seen a few people add spinnakers to them, so will probably have a go at that to add some more excitement when I am just going for a blast. Thanks for everyones advice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Dowling Posted May 8, 2010 Report Share Posted May 8, 2010 Hello Jared I take it you are either sailing in Perth or at Somers by your mixed fleet of f18 and Tornado. An A would be an excellent choice to be competitive in that fleet. If you sailed well you'd be in front up to about 12 knots and with your height and weight you could hang in above that as well. The Taipan 4.9 would be off the pace in that company and is quite weight sensitive. The two Nacras mentioned are well out of that speed league and could never be described as light weight. Contrary to a view expressed above, height is an advantage on an A. The leverage provided works well as the boats are relatively narrow with a very hight power to weight ratio. Whoever said 90kg is too heavy for an A is dreamin'. A number of people have won national titles well above that and there are many good club racers around the .1 of a tonne range. The rigs are very tunable and sails are cut to suit weight. You won't win a World title but neither will most of us. Buoyancy is an interesting thing. On an A you and the boat weigh 180kg. You on say a Nacra 16sq weigh about 235kg. Obviously those hulls need to be more buoyant to be effective. (No criticism of the Nacra here - they are fine boats - just heavier than A's) The Tool as mentioned would be a good choice as would the Geltek Flyer II which has the same volume. In older boats the Boyer MkIV is a good choice as it has the same under water shape as the Flyer I but the rear beam is significantly higher. You would also be joining the most actively raced OTB class with 51 at this year's nationals, 29 at the NSW States, 31 at the Vic States and 36 at the Qld States. There is a very active fleet in Darwin also. I would be very careful about adding a kite - the boats are not built for the loads of a kite and the ones overseas who ahve done it use fairly small kites and all sorts of techniques to reduce the load on the bows. Try the A and you'll probably find the speed and responsiveness will render the kite an unnecessary complication. Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tornado Posted May 10, 2010 Report Share Posted May 10, 2010 Originally posted by John Dowling: In older boats the Boyer MkIV is a good choice as it has the same under water shape as the Flyer I but the rear beam is significantly higher. How would you compare a Mk IV Boyer to a Flyer I speed wise cosidering equal rigs. I would imagine the Flyer would be quicker, but by much? What are the pros and cons of the Mk IV and what do you look out for Canted hulls or are non canted OK Glued Carbon beams or alloy with striker still OK Boards? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Dowling Posted May 10, 2010 Report Share Posted May 10, 2010 Sorry - I actually meant MkV is the same under water shape as the Flyer I. All other things being equal - they are the same speed. However, the MkV has a deeper transom area so the rear beam is higher out of the water. They are a better choice for rougher water and the weight challenged. As far as the MkIV is concerned - they are still a fine boat but don't have the more modern concept of extra buoyancy along the keel - more veed in the bow. I've owned both canted and non-canted versions and feel there is no appreciable difference. Some people actually prefer non-canted as the 7 degree canting is a fair bit by current standards. Glued carbon beams are nice but they are few and far between in MkIV and they would be smaller diameter than current boats. The alloys in them are fine. The current high aspect boards would be hard to find in a Mk IV as well. The original boards work well in that hull shape. The most important thing in looking at a MkIV as in all boats is one that is well looked after and the platform is still stiff and around minimum weight. The Boyer boats were very well built and have stood the test of time. I have a 1997 MkIV which has been well used but is pretty close in performance to another one I bought new at the time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bad dog Posted May 13, 2010 Report Share Posted May 13, 2010 JD - having just bought a Boyer MkIV which I have yet to sail (my weight a wimpy 78kg and 5'9" - I dream of being more than a foot taller!!) how much of a problem is the low bow bouyancy? Do you need to hang off the aft end more? My old Mk IV was very deep in the bow, and I would regularly trapeze at the fwd beam going upwind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Dowling Posted May 13, 2010 Report Share Posted May 13, 2010 You actually do trapeze a little further forward on the MkIV than say a Geltek Flyer II. It's just better balanced that way. The MKIV has a much deeper bow than the current boats which means it digs in more but has the height to handle it. I've even used my one metre head sail from my Geltek on a MkIV andit was fine. A bit more care in top mark bareaways in 20 knots would be required though! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marcus40 Posted February 5, 2011 Report Share Posted February 5, 2011 If you want to sail aclass then go for it. I too am a heavy sailer.I was living in NZ at the time the class worlds were on in New Plymouth, we had the nations before the worlds in 2004. My boat weight was about 90kgs and I at the time my weight was about 120kgs. Man did I have the best time ever. I was sitting at the top mark in one race and Glenn Ashby lapped me for the 2nd time, he said some good words to me and made me fell good. I pulled my sail in and got on with the rest of the race, came last but have the best time ever. I was in the c grade and had a heavy boat...... Got to start somewhere..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marcus40 Posted February 5, 2011 Report Share Posted February 5, 2011 I'm with you on that one. Big guy. Heavy boat. Lots of fun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tornado Posted February 6, 2011 Report Share Posted February 6, 2011 Actually the DNA is the most boyant of the A's in OZ. Do it Jared, you know you want too. Cheers Stephen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bad dog Posted February 6, 2011 Report Share Posted February 6, 2011 So Tornado - have you got yourself an A yet? Since my last post I have mastered my new old Mk4 Boyer. Yes it has a lot of wave slap sitting in going downwind, but it never stuffs the leeward bow. It is reasonably quick upwind, especially in light air, but once past the top mark, the Mk5s wave me byeeee. MAybe I should get a new sail tuned to my weight... But on that most important measure of all - the Fun Rating - I'm off the scale every week! Mind you, all the Hobie sailors at Palm Beach say "oh look - he's got a fantastic tool box and spare parts bin, and wow, it comes complete with its own A Class!" Ha bloody ha. True though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tornado Posted February 7, 2011 Report Share Posted February 7, 2011 No, budget didn't stretch to an A. Put a deposit down on a Taipan yesterday. Can't wait to get my hands on it as it has been along time between boats (my own anyway) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bad dog Posted February 8, 2011 Report Share Posted February 8, 2011 Yep, hate those non-stretchy budgets - I've got one too. I bought a 10yo Boyer Mk4 from tassie for $2k, plus 1k to get it to Sydney, then found as I sort of expected, it needed another 3k of repairs, bits and work to get it up to sailing order. 6k and so far - and that's without the rig! (carried over from my previous boat). There was a nice Mk4 on the A-cat classifieds for $6k a while back... Enjoy the Taipan - sail hard mate! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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