Post by cbrown on Apr 16, 2002 12:23:17 GMT -5
Jean and I purchased the Bimare F18HT this spring after sailing an Inter 20 for the last three years. We really liked the I-20, but I felt that it was a little too much boat for my 110 lb. wife. Below are my first impressions after sailing the boat at the Spring Fever Regatta and Virginia Beach last weekend.
Quality: The quality of the boat is very good. All the fittings are first rate and the boat seems really solid. The only thing that I do not like is the unfinished seam, but it is much smaller than I thought. However, I will be sanding the seam this weekend. (with Randy S., Matt S., W.F., Peter C., and Jamie D. in the class already I need all the help I can get) Oh, I hate the one piece hiking stick that comes with the boat. I do not know how anyone could sail with that thing.
Weight: For those of you that sail 400 pound boats you can not imagine how nice it is to move this boat around on shore. W.F., Jean, and I carried the boat (less the mast) from W.F’s backyard to the beach. In the process, we lifted the boat with relative ease over our heads to clear the neighbor’s fence and down a steep sand dune to the beach. Being so light, we found that weight placement on the boat is critical. Two people at the back of the boat and the sterns disappear.
Upwind: The boat points! At the Spring Fever Regatta I rounded the C mark for the last time behind two 20-foot boats. Normally, this would be a problem and I would not be able to get by them. On the HT, however, we rounded and just sailed normally, which was much higher than the two boats ahead of us. By the time we tacked for the finish we were ahead. I can see that this will be a huge advantage when sailing in open races.
Puffs Sailing in Virginia Beach last weekend gave me an opportunity to see how the boat responded to puffs. While the boat reacted quickly to the increased pressure, it also reacted quickly to increased downhaul and the slightest of luffs. In fact, I need to get use to how little you need to luff the boat in puffs. The sailing grove is much narrower than on the I-20 and it is easy to oversteer.
Chop: The wave-piercing hull really goes through chop nicely. Haven’t been in big waves yet.
Tacking: Fast, fast, fast. I thought that I might have trouble tacking the boat because there is no jib. Wrong. It tacks on a dime. By the end of our sail on Sunday I could tack the boat from one hull to the other almost as if we were roll tacking a monohull. I am sure that the A cat sailors are use to this but it was new to me.
Downwind:Not having a jib really simplifies things downwind. The boat felt well balanced and Jean appreciates the smaller loads on the spinnaker sheet. We will probably be installing a mid-pole snuffer system that seems to work well on W.F.’s boat. I am looking forward to sailing in 15-20 k winds to see how it handles then.
Overall:I am very pleased with the boat. It is well built, light, and fast. We are still getting use to the differences from the I-20, but every time that we sail it we become more comfortable. I am very pleased with our decision to buy the Bimare Jav 2 and establish a new class of boat in United States. I invite others to take a look. I think that you will be as pleased as we are.
P.S.[/b]When I look at the first few members of the class I started to ask myself what I had gotten myself into. How could I possibly compete with these guys? However, I want to become a better sailor and there is no better way then sailing with/against the best. Already, I have learned things from being around these guys. I expect to be a much improved sailor by the end of the summer.
Chris Brown
F18HT #6
Quality: The quality of the boat is very good. All the fittings are first rate and the boat seems really solid. The only thing that I do not like is the unfinished seam, but it is much smaller than I thought. However, I will be sanding the seam this weekend. (with Randy S., Matt S., W.F., Peter C., and Jamie D. in the class already I need all the help I can get) Oh, I hate the one piece hiking stick that comes with the boat. I do not know how anyone could sail with that thing.
Weight: For those of you that sail 400 pound boats you can not imagine how nice it is to move this boat around on shore. W.F., Jean, and I carried the boat (less the mast) from W.F’s backyard to the beach. In the process, we lifted the boat with relative ease over our heads to clear the neighbor’s fence and down a steep sand dune to the beach. Being so light, we found that weight placement on the boat is critical. Two people at the back of the boat and the sterns disappear.
Upwind: The boat points! At the Spring Fever Regatta I rounded the C mark for the last time behind two 20-foot boats. Normally, this would be a problem and I would not be able to get by them. On the HT, however, we rounded and just sailed normally, which was much higher than the two boats ahead of us. By the time we tacked for the finish we were ahead. I can see that this will be a huge advantage when sailing in open races.
Puffs Sailing in Virginia Beach last weekend gave me an opportunity to see how the boat responded to puffs. While the boat reacted quickly to the increased pressure, it also reacted quickly to increased downhaul and the slightest of luffs. In fact, I need to get use to how little you need to luff the boat in puffs. The sailing grove is much narrower than on the I-20 and it is easy to oversteer.
Chop: The wave-piercing hull really goes through chop nicely. Haven’t been in big waves yet.
Tacking: Fast, fast, fast. I thought that I might have trouble tacking the boat because there is no jib. Wrong. It tacks on a dime. By the end of our sail on Sunday I could tack the boat from one hull to the other almost as if we were roll tacking a monohull. I am sure that the A cat sailors are use to this but it was new to me.
Downwind:Not having a jib really simplifies things downwind. The boat felt well balanced and Jean appreciates the smaller loads on the spinnaker sheet. We will probably be installing a mid-pole snuffer system that seems to work well on W.F.’s boat. I am looking forward to sailing in 15-20 k winds to see how it handles then.
Overall:I am very pleased with the boat. It is well built, light, and fast. We are still getting use to the differences from the I-20, but every time that we sail it we become more comfortable. I am very pleased with our decision to buy the Bimare Jav 2 and establish a new class of boat in United States. I invite others to take a look. I think that you will be as pleased as we are.
P.S.[/b]When I look at the first few members of the class I started to ask myself what I had gotten myself into. How could I possibly compete with these guys? However, I want to become a better sailor and there is no better way then sailing with/against the best. Already, I have learned things from being around these guys. I expect to be a much improved sailor by the end of the summer.
Chris Brown
F18HT #6