Thursday 22 September 2011

moth mayhem..

So. having sold my fast car, which was an enjoyable toy and a great build project, I have used a bit of the funds to buy a different toy,
        a moth dinghy!.

I have been wanting to have a go at taming one of these since I was a kid, and now finally am able to fulfill  the fantasy..
   for those who aren't aware of these they are just about the most extreme boats out there, they are a development class with very few rules,  basically 11ft long up to 7ft wide and with 8 sq metres of sail,  this has resulted in the current boats having hulls of around a ft wide, with wings on the sides to help stay upright, and the development of hydrofoils  enabling the boats to fly at incredible speeds..



  The one I have brought is about 15 ys old, so in terms of the class it is obselete, however it still has the potential to be fantastically quick,
    I now have to learn to sail it.
    my first sail was as close to carnage as I can imagine,   the boat is the most tippy unstable thing that you can imagine sitting on, every single move results in it either falling over on top of you or, as you try to balance it falling over the other way,  i capsized  at least 5 times in approx 40 mins,  but lordy it was fun.
  
   hopefully over this chilly winter i will master this beast.. i will keep you posted on the progress.....

2 comments:

  1. Neat boat. What design is she? I race Classic and Vintage Moths here in the states. You can take a look at some of my boats at my blog spot:
    http://mid-atlanticmusings.blogspot.com

    Best regards,
    George A.

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  2. hi George, cheers, she is a magnum 9.9 made by john claridge in the early 90's, she currently has a metre long hole in one side as i'm having to rebuild the daggerboard casing, and access through the side is the easyest way... when she's whole she goes like a rocket... i'm absolutely loving it...

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