Simon Rogers Designed Sport 700

Let me know what you think of this Skiff:

We are a Composites manufacturer based on the south coast of england. This boat was originally commissioned by one of our directors, who in his 20's used to be a hardcore skiff racer but now in his late 30's. He wanted a skiff that was a bit more tame. Simon Rogers designed this, which is a bit larger than a conventional skiff and has 100kg of weight in the keel.

The black boat is the prototype (which reached speeds of up to 18 knots on test sails). It was resparayed black and sold to a local company who to my disappointment (and serious lack of promotional opportunity) have not sailed it once. The last pic is of the second one which we are slowly getting together.

Hopefully once the second one is built, I will be able to use the first boat to do match racing but if I can get enough interest, turn it into a one design series.

opinions, suggestions welcome!

Tommi

 

Do you have any numbers for the boat? Great looking!

 

Nice to see another player in this market. Simon is a talented guy from a talented family.

Why did you sell off the first boat? Wasn't it for your director?

What sort of mainsheet trav are you planning?

What is the DSPL? How much lead?


Likes:

Spinnaker launch tube

Racks



Dislikes:

Rig seems short

Deck styling forward of the cockpit is not attractive, to be nice.

Rudder cassette and tiller look agricultural. Could they be in carbon?

Motor mount looks too close to the rudder. Make sure the rudder hard over does not hit the prop (tight docking issue).

The cockpit "lockers" seem strange.

You'll need foot braces on the cockpit sole.

I don't like the forward hatch access to the interior. The Melges 20 is the same.

 

Thanks for the replies!

I've attached the spec which should hopefully answer some of your questions.

I think once our director rekindled his love for sailing he also rekindled the realization that owning a boat requires a lot of effort and consequently he went off the idea and the boat had been sitting in our yard for a year before it got sold!

Paul B - I agree with all your dislikes. I have spoken to Simon and we need to do a bit of re-work on the deck for the next boat (especially the non-slip and lockers). In fact we are thinking of making the next boat with 2 decks, a sub deck to seal the bottom and create a floor, then another on top to close the boat in and for the deck fittings to bolt onto. What this would mean is any water coming over the bow would drain straight through (the same idea as what Simon did with the Artemis 20).

As the first one was built with personal use in mind a lot of corners were cut. We actually blanked the insides of the lockers off on the first boat to prevent sinking if she tipped over. We were thinking of having the cassette and tiller in stainless steel (the boat is e-glass, epoxy infused and will then be sprayed) but carbon could look very attractive.

Is there a forward hatch system that you prefer for this type of boat?

Many thanks for the interest!

Tommi

 

The attachment does not note the weight (Displacement) or the keel weight.

I would prefer no forward hatch, with the opening to the "interior" via a "companionway" at the forward end of the cockpit, as on a normal boat.

 

Nice boat, but why must we take terms that (in this context) have a specific history among boats with certain characteristics, and then destroy their meaning by using them as marketing buzzwords?

Sure, it may be inspired by the Skiff classes - but that doesn't mean it is one of them. One of my boats comes from the same line as a Maxi, but my boat's not a maxi. A Hungry Tiger Moth without foils fitted is not a foiler, although it's very similar to one and foiling is a cool word. A R/P 66 fixed keel is not a canter, even if it's otherwise almost identical to Black Jack or Targe and even if canter is a buzz term.

If it walks, looks and sounds like a duck it's a duck, but if it walks, talks and sounds a bit like a duck it could be a pelican or a hawk but we don't still call it a duck!

It's not just about the S word - similar things happen in other areas of the sport. No one wants to be too pedantic, but speaking as a composites engineer and hardcore skiff champion*, why muddle meaning.

Rant over!

* no, I've got no engineering degree, but it's a cool term so lwhy can't we ALL call ourselves composite engineers? Nope, never won a championship in a skiff class but I rowed a skiff once and won a spelling championship in kindergarten.

Ain't it wonderful now we're muddling meanings and messing with words?

 

Sorry for taking a while to reply (been out of office).

 

Just curious what the delivered cost of this would be. Including a trailor and rig. Also how many could you stack inside a 40' container?

 

The total price for the boat with rig, trailer, outboard, sails, all deck gear etc. is £19,500.00.

Would you like the transport to New Orleans? I can source a price from the freight company we use. I think you could probably fit 4 boats with trailers into a 40' container? but the packing department of the freight company would know best what is the maximum to avoid damage etc.

We currently have mouldings ready for the 2nd boat. They have been infused with a clear coat finish so we would spray it to your desired colour.

Let me know If you would like me to email a detailed spec of whats included.

 

As usual, I'm in agreement with Paul B.

Since the boat is directly aimed at the sportier sportboats, it would be interesting to have it reviewed/driven by people familiar with the SB3, the Ultimate 20 the Melges 20 and the Viper 640. That is what is going to face the design when it gets out to the real world anyway.

Displacement to me seems high, but then again I sail a boat that weighs 55 kilos ready to sail. The drawings do not clearly indicate a bulb which would mean the whole package might be heavy. 18 knots is serious speed though.

Although I hate incorporating things just because they are momentarily popular, a square top fully battened main would get her asked to dance more often, as would more carbon and an articulating bowsprit.

--
Bill

 

hi ive sailed this boat with three guys, in the solent. shes a bit of a beer can sailer
very stable until you trim the sails and then she goes like stink.
sailed an SB3 before.
this thing is much more serious