Z Class queries

[<Greybeard>]

Sukhdev since you've sailed the board here's a couple of questions (since the thread over at Starboard has caught fire I thought I'd sneak in here).

Is it just a formula with a daggerboard as some people imply?

What is the biggest shortcoming of this design?

What suprised you most?

What do you think is the relevance to recreational sailing if any?

Sorry, inquiring minds want to know  

[sukhdev]

quote: Is it just a formula with a daggerboard as some people imply?

The outline of the board is obviously formula inspired but it wasn't just a case of taking a formula hull and putting in a daggerboard. The entire section from the footstraps to the bow has had a lot of work done on it in order to maximize light air performance. Its longer than a formula, and the underwater shape up front is very differernt from any of starboard's formula boards.

 

quote: What is the biggest shortcoming of this design?

At the moment its weight I think, at least based on my limited testing. The light air performance could be optimised further as well. There needs to be some testing/thinking about locating a front beating strap.

 

quote: What suprised you most?

How easily it planed despite the relatively high weight of the first board built. Maybe its the profile of the bow section but the board transitioned onto a plane in very marginal conditions smoothly.

 

quote: What do you think is the relevance to recreational sailing if any?  

A lighter hull based around this concept (or Exocet's design), with further performance improvements would provide a one board recreational design especially for sailors who are looking to cruise/plane in light air (most of the world's conditions). If its just planing you are after then a formula hull (or similar) would do fine.

This class of boards clearly has potential; check out the details of a similar hull from Exocet here:

http://www.exocet-original.com/article.php3?id_article=384

and you can see a video of the exocet board in action here :

http://www.exocet-original.com/article.php3?id_article=413

[<GB>]

Sukhdev thanks! Saw some comment on the SB forum regarding railing it for upwind, something I wondered about too. What's your take? Will it rail?

[sukhdev]

Yes it does rail. Unlike longboards, its not railed from the lee rail but from the centreline. To rail it, the rear foot presses against the EVA hump in the middle and the front foot floats somewhere between rear of mast track and the lee rail. Track is run forward and if you hang your weight off the boom (set high) its possible to keep alot of the rail in the water. Making it longer would obviously accentuate this and make the light air performance better but at the price of affecting the planing performance.

Take a look at the pictures and you will see the fore to mid rails are thick and square, they hold fairly well when railing.