I had not heard of these before today.
Always trust the Kiwi's to come with something cool.

Viper 640

http://www.viper640.org/

Length Overall: 6.40 m 21' 1"
Length Waterline: 19' 1'
Beam: 8' 2"
Displacement: 335 kilo 737 lbs
Ballast: Lifting Bulb Keel. 125 kilo 275lbs (including 220 lb bulb)

Draft 4' 6" with keel down. 1' 10' with keel up.
(keel is bolted down while sailing per class rules)

Sail Area

Main/Jib 252 sq ft
Spinnaker 425 sq ft

Mast Carbon
Handicap PHRF 111 US Sailing Portsmouth Yardstick 70.4
Designer Brian Bennett, Kiwi Yacht Design
Builder Rondar Race Boats
Crew 3 or 2. Typical competitive crew is three people and a weight
of 500 to 580lbs

http://www.sailinganarchy.com/fringe...iper%20640.htm

Striking Back!

Designed in 1996 by Kiwi sailor Brian Bennett, the
Viper 640 was voted the following year as "Boat of
the Year, Overall Winner" by a leading US sailing
magazine, with 65 boats being built by the designer
in the first two years and interest from all corners of
the US. Yet within just a few months of receiving
these accolades, the designer/builder had to return
to New Zealand and without his support, the hull
molds were sold out of the country and the class
fell into obscurity.

This could have been the final chapter, the end of a
class like so many others before and since. There
was no class racing and numerous boats for sale,
but no interested buyers. However, in the end of
2004, a small group of Viper owners and crew met
in Marblehead, MA and what started out as an
enthusiastic revival of racing Vipers locally rapidly
grew into a full-blooded renaissance in the class
nationwide, with a waiting list of people anxious to
buy boats, a new class association, a new website,
growing fleets in the northeast, southwest and
southeast, a North American Championship in 2005,
a developing regatta schedule, class-embroidered
clothing and most importantly, a new builder

Improving on (close to) perfection
Before encouraging the building of new boats, The
Viper 640 Class Association wanted to make certain
that a new boat would be as up-to-date as possible,
while ensuring that the existing boats remained
competitive. Inexpensive modifications that were
relatively simple for existing boats to implement and
that improved ease of handling were discussed,
before being either rejected or incorporated in the
build of new boats. Both cost and preventing existing
boats from becoming obsolete were at the forefront
of every decision.

There were two primary modifications upon which
the class spent a considerable amount of time: The
first was the adoption of a carbon mast (the original
mast was a heavy, double-sleeved aluminum section,
effectively two masts sleeved together) that would be
some 40lbs lighter and thus dramatically improve
ease of raising and lowering, offer greater tuning
options and give greater hull stability. Most importantly,
the supplier agreed to offer the carbon mast to existing
Viper owners, complete with spreaders and new
shrouds, for some $800 less than the cost of the
original aluminum mast; the second was to make
changes to the spinnaker shape and the spinnaker
retrieval system in order to make spinnaker douses
easier on crew and equipment alike.

The fact that many of the existing Viper owners had
already implemented a carbon mast, a skiff-style
foredeck spinnaker throat and wider spinnaker sock
- and were prepared to extol their virtues at length
- enforced the class' unanimous decision that these
modifications be officially adopted.

New Boats
After much deliberation the Class appointed Rondar
Raceboats as the class builder (www.rondarboats.com).
With over 30 years of experience, Rondar Raceboats
had an exceptional worldwide reputation for producing
quality, performance sailboats. Indeed, in the 2005
Five-Oh-Five (505) World Championships, with a
highly competitive 170 entries, not only was the winning
boat a Rondar, but 7 of the top 10 boats were from this
same builder.

Prospective US owners can now buy boats directly
from Rondar at "builders cost", which substantially
reduces the cost of a new Viper. Moreover the designer,
Brian Bennett, has agreed to waive his royalty fees on
the first 20 boats produced under the auspices of the
class, thereby reducing the price still further. Rondar
Raceboats is aiming to bring the cost of an individual
base boat down to below $20,000 and for a fleet
purchase base boat to below $18,000, including a
carbon mast. The price for a new boat is therefore less
than half that of similarly-paced sports boats, and
requires fewer crew; clearly exceptional value for money.

In addition to the existing groups of Vipers in the
southeast, the southwest and New England
(Marblehead is the primary fleet, with 15+ boats),
even before the appointment of Rondar Raceboats
as builder there were two groups of prospective Viper
owners forming to buy new boats at syndicate prices,
one in western Long Island Sound and one in eastern
Florida.

Riding the Reptile
Make no mistake about it; the Viper 640 is a fast
and exciting ride. With its generous sail plan, fine
entry, sleek hull shape, light displacement (725lbs)
and 2-3 crew on the rail, the boat slices smoothly
upwind and planes easily downwind. How fast?
When not being raced one-design this 21' dinghy
-keelboat, using the original aluminum mast, is
awarded PHRF ratings between 98 and 111,
depending on location; carbon-rigged Vipers in
Europe rate the same or faster than a Melges 24.

However, thanks to the creativity of its designer
who incorporated a huge rolled-edge cockpit and
dramatic hull flare, the boat is actually comfortable,
relatively dry, versatile and easy to sail. Indeed, a
recent new Viper owner took his first sail on the
open Pacific with 3 non-sailing adults and a 3-yr
old toddler, enjoying a pleasant family day sail. He
subsequently followed that experience by racing
single-handed in 12-14 knots, still using the
spinnaker to devastating effect on the downwind
legs, and having no difficulty in effortlessly planning
away from boats like Farr 40s, J120s and J130s
bobbing in his wake (the Viper automatically planes
"knuckle-up" - no awkward hanging-off-the-transom
"à la Melges" for this design)...until a clumsy gybe
saw him lose his footing, causing the boat to broach.
Even with no crew, all it took was the release of the
vang and the spinnaker sheet, and the Viper popped
back up onto its feet to continue its sleigh ride to the
leeward mark!

Of course the class does not necessarily advocate
such rash sailing adventures, but it does go to show
that speed, coupled with ease of handling, are the
hallmarks of this design.

While there is clearly a great deal of focus on new
boats and new fleets, the class has not forgotten
the 65 owners who originally gave this class its
chance at life. The Viper Association is desperately
seeking the remaining missing boats that were
scattered to the winds after the dissolution of the
original class in the late 90s, with the intent of
offering the owners of the original boats a chance to
bring their craft up to 2006 specification at a fraction
of retail cost, and to incorporate the original Bennett
boats and the new Rondar Raceboats boats alike
into the revamped Viper 640 Class Association.

For more information on the Viper 640 Class, to
register an existing boat with the Class Association
or to find out more about the fleet purchases, please
contact the Viper 640 Class Association President,
Justin Scott at , or visit the class website.

Bart wrote:
http://www.sailinganarchy.com/fringe...iper%20640.htm

Striking Back!

Designed in 1996 by Kiwi sailor Brian Bennett, the
Viper 640 was voted the following year as "Boat of
the Year, Overall Winner" by a leading US sailing
magazine,

Yep, it's an awesome boat. Can't believe you haven't seen one before.
They are really fast and also not twitchy beyond the skills of an
above-average sailor. The only reason we bought a Johnson-18 instead
of the Viper is that the Viper is not beachable and many of the places
we sailed, you had to go off a beach or very shallow in-shore dock. To
lift the keel, you have to unrig the mainsail & boom, attach the boom
vang to the main halyard, and hoist it up into place. I believe the
new boats have a hoisting frame that latches in place but the boom
still has to be unrigged. No shoal water capability.

We've sailed in company with this class a few times, they are speedy
in light air and handle the heavy stuff well too. One time, as the
wind clocked to 30+, all the other classes were either breaking boats
or heading for dock in panic. Even small keelboats were crashing &
burning, like the J-24s. The "traditional" boats that you'd think
could handle heavy air, like the Flying Scots, Lightnings, &
Daysailers, all went in. The Johnson 18s and the Vipers all kept going
trhu all 3 races, and afterwards talked about how much fun it was.

Fresh Breezes- Doug King

On Sep 27, 9:07 pm, wrote:
Bart wrote:
http://www.sailinganarchy.com/fringe...iper%20640.htm

Striking Back!

Designed in 1996 by Kiwi sailor Brian Bennett, the
Viper 640 was voted the following year as "Boat of
the Year, Overall Winner" by a leading US sailing
magazine,

Yep, it's an awesome boat. Can't believe you haven't seen one before.
They are really fast and also not twitchy beyond the skills of an
above-average sailor. The only reason we bought a Johnson-18 instead
of the Viper is that the Viper is not beachable and many of the places
we sailed, you had to go off a beach or very shallow in-shore dock. To
lift the keel, you have to unrig the mainsail & boom, attach the boom
vang to the main halyard, and hoist it up into place. I believe the
new boats have a hoisting frame that latches in place but the boom
still has to be unrigged. No shoal water capability.

We've sailed in company with this class a few times, they are speedy
in light air and handle the heavy stuff well too. One time, as the
wind clocked to 30+, all the other classes were either breaking boats
or heading for dock in panic. Even small keelboats were crashing &
burning, like the J-24s. The "traditional" boats that you'd think
could handle heavy air, like the Flying Scots, Lightnings, &
Daysailers, all went in. The Johnson 18s and the Vipers all kept going
trhu all 3 races, and afterwards talked about how much fun it was.

Fresh Breezes- Doug King

Great information Doug. Many thanks. I'd like to
try one out.

It seems like a major flaw--not to be able to hoist the
keel without removing the boom. I'd think they would
have something built in for that purpose.

I was wondering if it could be beached.

So how is everything going?

Bart

Bart wrote:
Great information Doug. Many thanks. I'd like to
try one out.


There's a fleet up on Narragansett Bay, shouldn't be too hard to get a
ride on one. They have a Midwinters regatta in Florida, it would be a
nice break unless you're already in the VI


It seems like a major flaw--not to be able to hoist the
keel without removing the boom. I'd think they would
have something built in for that purpose.


I'd have thought so too, but it gets complicated & expensive. Using
the main halyard & boom vang tackle as a hoist works for getting the
boat in & out. One reason why I'm looking more for a boat with a
daggerboard/keel instead of just a lifting keel... we need to be able
to run in shallow water.

I was wondering if it could be beached.


Only with difficulty.

So how is everything going?


Right now things are kind of cycling in place, just finished up some
chores in the engine room... mostly cleaning... cruising consists of
working on your boat in exotic locations.

DSK

On Oct 1, 5:34 pm, wrote:
Bart wrote:
Great information Doug. Many thanks. I'd like to
try one out.

There's a fleet up on Narragansett Bay, shouldn't be too hard to get a
ride on one. They have a Midwinters regatta in Florida, it would be a
nice break unless you're already in the VI

It seems like a major flaw--not to be able to hoist the
keel without removing the boom. I'd think they would
have something built in for that purpose.

I'd have thought so too, but it gets complicated & expensive. Using
the main halyard & boom vang tackle as a hoist works for getting the
boat in & out. One reason why I'm looking more for a boat with a
daggerboard/keel instead of just a lifting keel... we need to be able
to run in shallow water.

I was wondering if it could be beached.

Only with difficulty.

So how is everything going?

Right now things are kind of cycling in place, just finished up some
chores in the engine room... mostly cleaning... cruising consists of
working on your boat in exotic locations.

DSK

I forgot to mention Doug. I saw a Viper 640 at the boat show
today. I stopped in for a few hours. I'd rate this years boat
show at Annapolis, the best I've ever seen--and I've seen
quite a few. Only the parking is a bitch. I was luck and found
metered parking two blocks from the show which only started
ticking at 10am--the start of the show. I got in early with a
pass and ran around the place for three hours--great fun. I
took lots of pictures. I'll try and post some if I get time.

I had a discussion with a friend in the industry about how the prices
always go to the boat shows. He denied it. But I've seen it time
and again. The Viper was a case in point. Check on line and people
talk about these boat costing $18-20K. At the boat show they
quoted me over $22k, and then stated the boat show price was
just over $20k. So they jack up the price, just so they can lower
it to where it was. I feel they want to cover their costs getting
the boat to the show, and their personal expenses. In reality, if
you walked in with a pile of cash and made them an offer, they
would take less outside of the boat show when they are a bit
hungrier.

Genrally, I'd say the new idea are fabulous. I saw one
big catamaran with the head vents going into the mast to
take the odors up and away from the boat. They claim no
head odors on the boat--something to think about!

Lots of carbon fiber. Most boats seemed more refined and
better put together.