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'mini cup' sailing dinghy
"imagineero" wrote in message
ps.com... snip Hi David, How do you find your minicup handles compared with other small dinghys, especially to windward? Im a bit on the large side myself at 6'3" and 230lbs, so im wondering if this boat is quite big enough for me. It looks to have plenty of flotation. Shaun: I'm a bit shorter, but around the same weight as you. I had my MinCup for several years and had a lot of fun with it. I sold it a couple of years ago though as it wasn't quite the right boat for me. The boat is incredibly stable for it's design. In light airs I would sometimes sail it while standing up. I quite liked the lateen sail for it's simplicity and not having standing rigging (shrouds etc), made things easier too. You don't see many lateen sails any more other than on a Sunfish, but they were the favoured sails of Mediterranean pirates. They're still commonly used on dhows as well. While sailing it with other boats I have found that it doesn't point quite so high as a laser for example, but it's not that far off. I was never as fast as other "commercially produced" boats though. To review the "cons" quickly though: - You probably won't be able to build it for less than you could pick up a used sailing dinghy such as a laser. - My thighs would ache when sailing in light winds due to needing to crouch in the centre of the cockpit. - As a "full sized person", there's not a lot of room to bring a second person. It was quite a tight fit for my son and I - Even though it's pretty quick, you won't be winning races against a production boat. - With it's weight (135lbs), it's on the high end for a single person to transport on a car-top. The "pros" though: - You can put the money into it as you can afford to so that might make it more achievable for people on a tight budget. - It's a great boat to learn to sail on, very stable and simple. - The great fun in building any boat. I sold the boat to make room for my new projects and because I built another boat that didn't require quite the same amount of athleticism to sail. If you're interested, you may want to check out the MiniCup FAQ at http://byyb.org/pn761/index.php?name=FAQ&id_cat=5 I've got some pictures and what not at my own web site at http://www.floatingbear.ca/MiniCup.htm One of my favourite pictures is being out in about 20knots of wind with my son - http://www.floatingbear.ca/sailingfi...ough_water.jpg I hope this helps with your decision. Feel free to drop me a note, or stop by the BYYB board Andrew Butchart |
#2
posted to rec.boats.building
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'mini cup' sailing dinghy
I was hoping Andrew would pitch in here. I thank Andrew for the help
when I built mine. David Andrew Butchart wrote: "imagineero" wrote in message ps.com... snip Hi David, How do you find your minicup handles compared with other small dinghys, especially to windward? Im a bit on the large side myself at 6'3" and 230lbs, so im wondering if this boat is quite big enough for me. It looks to have plenty of flotation. Shaun: I'm a bit shorter, but around the same weight as you. I had my MinCup for several years and had a lot of fun with it. I sold it a couple of years ago though as it wasn't quite the right boat for me. The boat is incredibly stable for it's design. In light airs I would sometimes sail it while standing up. I quite liked the lateen sail for it's simplicity and not having standing rigging (shrouds etc), made things easier too. You don't see many lateen sails any more other than on a Sunfish, but they were the favoured sails of Mediterranean pirates. They're still commonly used on dhows as well. While sailing it with other boats I have found that it doesn't point quite so high as a laser for example, but it's not that far off. I was never as fast as other "commercially produced" boats though. To review the "cons" quickly though: - You probably won't be able to build it for less than you could pick up a used sailing dinghy such as a laser. - My thighs would ache when sailing in light winds due to needing to crouch in the centre of the cockpit. - As a "full sized person", there's not a lot of room to bring a second person. It was quite a tight fit for my son and I - Even though it's pretty quick, you won't be winning races against a production boat. - With it's weight (135lbs), it's on the high end for a single person to transport on a car-top. The "pros" though: - You can put the money into it as you can afford to so that might make it more achievable for people on a tight budget. - It's a great boat to learn to sail on, very stable and simple. - The great fun in building any boat. I sold the boat to make room for my new projects and because I built another boat that didn't require quite the same amount of athleticism to sail. If you're interested, you may want to check out the MiniCup FAQ at http://byyb.org/pn761/index.php?name=FAQ&id_cat=5 I've got some pictures and what not at my own web site at http://www.floatingbear.ca/MiniCup.htm One of my favourite pictures is being out in about 20knots of wind with my son - http://www.floatingbear.ca/sailingfi...ough_water.jpg I hope this helps with your decision. Feel free to drop me a note, or stop by the BYYB board Andrew Butchart |
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