Minuet Yachts: a 2m fun boat-can the design be improved?

[Doug Lord]

This thing just amazes me! Watch the video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWRFd9kQmqY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZVSaTmqK3A

[Manie B]

Jeez well spotted Doug !

they are beautifull !

hell the yellow and white one even reminds me of my boat
centre board thru the cabin roof et al

thanks for the post, next time my missus says my boat is smalll I can show here this and say - that is how much I can shrink my boat !!

it is unbelievable to see how easy she turns and how well she tacks
the designers sure as little apples got this one right

amazing

[Submarine Tom]

I have sailed 2m ones very similar and they are FUN!

-Tom

[Doug Lord]

I can't get over how the guy in the first video just picked the boat up launched it and sailed away. Apparently no ballast-just the crew-like a model boat that you sail! It's got me thinking.......

[Dirteater]

Amazing performance really.
so I have a couple question.
1. Is the center board wieghted?
and it seems to have a pretty flat hull.
2. so whey doesn't it roll/tip?
seem much more stable this I expected.

[Petros]

looks like fun, wonder what the range is. Not much room for the first mate, or rum. wonder how it handles heavy weather.

[Corley]

For a minute there when he was launching I was expecting him to whip out a remote control for the thing. What I noticed from the video is the boat seems very tender, but sailed within its limits I'm sure it would be fun. I'd be a tad concerned in a capsize situation how would you get out of that thing and how much reserve buoyancy does it have? Seems those concerns would limit the window of conditions in which you would sail. It would certainly feel very fast because your so close to the water even if you were not travelling at high speed.

[Dirteater]

Originally Posted by Corley

For a minute there when he was launching I was expecting him to whip out a remote control for the thing. What I noticed from the video is the boat seems very tender, but sailed within its limits I'm sure it would be fun. I'd be a tad concerned in a capsize situation how would you get out of that thing and how much reserve buoyancy does it have? Seems those concerns would limit the window of conditions in which you would sail. It would certainly feel very fast because your so close to the water even if you were not travelling at high speed.

Pretty much what I was thinking Corley
I supposed the skipper weight distributed over the length helps,
and as I said it does seem more stable then I expected.

[Submarine Tom]

We sailed two people, my girlfriend and me. It was a bit odd at first, perhaps like two man luge would be (don't know, never done that) but once we got sailing, it was a blast!

-Tom

[sharpii2]

Originally Posted by Dirteater

Amazing performance really.
so I have a couple question.
1. Is the center board wieghted?
and it seems to have a pretty flat hull.
2. so whey doesn't it roll/tip?
seem much more stable this I expected.

1.) Apparently not, seeing how he handles it. To effectively act as a counterweight it would have to be too heavy to handle with just one hand.

2.) It doesn't capsize because the crew is sitting on the very bottom of the boat, and that is somewhat below the waterline. As long as the crew doesn't lean with the boat, his weight is pushing directly downward like inside ballast.

You see an even more extreme example of this in the Amazon. The natives there stand up in their very narrow dug out canoes, as they paddle them, with seemingly little fear of flipping.

I have designed a series of narrow scows that take advantage of this effect.

kayaks work this way too.

[Submarine Tom]

It doesn't matter which way you lean, in fact there is no leaning. You are below the water line for the most part. It is freaky to have your eyes so close to the water, especially when the "toe-rail" buries. We were out in some pretty good winds and the thing was fantastic. If you ever have the chance, I'd highly recommend it.

Thanks for posting this Doug, it was 20 years ago I sailed one and had forgotten all about it.

-Tom

[Doug Lord]

Originally Posted by Submarine Tom

It doesn't matter which way you lean, in fact there is no leaning. You are below the water line for the most part. It is freaky to have your eyes so close to the water, especially when the "toe-rail" buries. We were out in some pretty good winds and the thing was fantastic. If you ever have the chance, I'd highly recommend it.

Thanks for posting this Doug, it was 20 years ago I sailed one and had forgotten all about it.

-Tom

===================
You're welcome, Tom. I'm just plain fascinated by the little "yacht"!

[Dirteater]

Sharpi and Sub/
thanks for your replys.
they do look like great fun.
I guess I kinda of look at them the same way I do motorcycles...
I love anything on 2 wheels regardless of size.
(every bike has its own good and bad qualities).
these boat look like great little perfomers for sure.
and it does make sense the the passenger is the ballast and probably out-weighs the boat at that!
I guess you have to tip the skipper before you can tip the boat.
cool.

[Doug Lord]

What do you guys think of using a really wide hull type -like an Open 60-or even Raisons mini like this? Seems like you might get more righting moment. Still probably limited to hull speed....

Pictures Open 60 and Mini-(Mini==Tanton's render of Raison's boat compared to a "normal" mini):

[ancient kayaker]

Doug: a wide bottom might give planing ability but it would reduce the draft, raising the CoG significantly, which would result in a boat with less secondary stability and therefore less safe than the minuet I suspect. The minuet is a sophisticated design, it would be difficult to improve on it IMHO.