Space Ghost!
Edward here's another boat thanks to Nick. Let's read his email:
Hi Joe,
Great site! (Flattery will get you everywhere!) Thanks! What about a Phantom?
It’s light at 61kg and really very stable............
(Nick, who are you fooling? Does the name Haversham mean anything to you?)
and can be built at home plus is roomy inside for the larger gentlemen!
I sail a Phantom and have sailed many boats and it’s by far the best single handed
non trapeze boat I have sailed with 79 boats at the nationals last year thus a great
following and growing.
I am 6 ft and 14 stone and do ok as you don’t need to be a 17 stone giant to
sail one anymore which is mainly due to the fully adjustable carbon rig which
makes a huge difference. The national champion last year was 14 stone and
this was sailed in F5-6 conditions for 2 days and F1-2 on the last day.
There are now many guys sailing Phantoms at the front weighing in just
over 12 stone.
It truly is a great boat to sail and I would personally recommend this boat
to anyone. The only negative is most of the following is in the UK with a few
boats in South Africa.
Anyway just thought I would let you know! I have nothing to do with the
Phantom Association just rate the boat highly! Please take a look at
www.phantomclass.org.uk
Kind Regards,
Nick Orman
PS Thanks for the site has given mucho enjoyment and I have even been in a
picture on the site and not in a Phantom! J
Great email Nick! Especially the parts that stroke my ego.
More on the Phantom.
The Phantom dinghy was designed by Paul Wright and Brian Taylor in 1971.
They wanted to produce a single-hander that was exciting to sail, manageable
and at the same time affordable to build. It isn't possible to design a boat that
will accommodate all weights, even in these days of 'wings' and equalisation
systems. As there were already boats on the market for the lighter helms (the Laser)
they decided to design a boat that was both comfortable and fast for larger sailors.
A Phantom sailor shouldn't weigh less than 10 stone, and is most suitable for
those in the weight range of 12 -18 stone(76 -115 Kg).
The Phantom has a hard chine hull with a deep 'V' bow, a flat run aft, and
planes easily. With her lightweight hull and large rig on a stayed mast she has
a high power to weight ratio, but is stable and responsive. There is no trapeze
or spinnaker and she can carry a wide range of helm weights
The Phantom class association and the designers view the development of the
class in a proactive manner always providing that care is taken not to outclass
older boats. Latterly the design has been modified to incorporate self draining
cockpits and carbon spars. Additionally the design allows freedom in cockpit
design and sailors are therefore able to develop cockpit sail and rig control
systems that suit their individual requirements.
The Phantom can be 'home-built' from plans available from the designers using
the stitch and glue method. Alternatively it can be obtained professionally built in
GRP foam sandwich, or wood.
Isn't a Phantom a poor man's OK dinghy? We all know that an OK
is a poor man's Finn. So what does that make a Phantom?
I'm just kidding..no I'm not..yes I am..no I'm not..yes I am.
No hate mail, especially from Nick.
Update: Nick responds, "A cheap OK dinghy which is a poor man’s Finn!??
The Phantom is a boat the Finn sailors would sail if the Finn was not an
Olympic class! The Phantom is a much better boat to sail!
Lighter and faster and far more responsive plus a superb social scene!"
Edward, more to come.
A big thank you to Nick, warm beer and marmite.
Links: Go Sail | Phantom Class Association | Phantom Owners Group
Tags: dinghy sailing, sailing, phantom dinghy, home built boats, boat building
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