I use 1/4 inch, but am setup to allow me to move all over the boat while still hooked (since I am the only movable ballast). The setup requires a ...

The Pearson Ariel wouldn't have a full batten main, but many racing mono hulls do.

Are you sure that it is from a cat? The Ariel class was a one design started by Pearson Yachts in the early 60s.

I personally wouldn't trust any anchor that I could easily carry on the boat to hold over night. You may as well tie a length of line around a big roc...

I have one from Salty Dog. It makes a great sea anchor, but I have never really needed a righting bag to get the boat upright.

The 5.5 uni is pretty clean to sail and doesn't have the jib blocks to hit when you slide across the tramp. From what I understand, the 5.5 sl is not ...

I have a 5.5, so I am a little biased. Before I bought the 5.5, I looked at the 6.0. Way too much boat for single handing or 2up with a smallish crew....

I actually get different helm (lee and weather) depending on wind conditions... and since my days usually start light with increasing wind (seabreaze)...

The jib tends to moderate a lot issues that affect boat balance. Andrew is right that raking the rudders forward will decrease the perceived weather h...

I have a gill skiff harness and a gill spreader bar harness. Out of the two, I prefer the skiff. Both are comfortable, have releasable hooks and ru...

Since you are in Michigan, I would give Mark Biggers at the Cathouse (cathouse1.com) a call. He gets trades in from time to time and might have someth...

Nacra 6.0na is a 20 foot boat and a real handful. I think it may be class legal as an F-20, but not 100% sure.

For $10k, the Nacra is probably going to be the easiest to find. The Capricorns are great boats, but aren't that numerous in North America. I don't kn...

I always feel that the boat is going the fastest when on it's side and I am in the water swimming after it. The rest of the time, the type of rig woul...

Jim, The best way to ensure that you have huge amounts of weather helm is to sweep the rudders back slightly. The center of force will move furt...

Hi Philip, I bought mine from Mark Biggers at The Cathouse in Michigan. I believe that the previous owner (Ray Fullerton) switched to a Nacra F-17....

Not longer bridle wires, longer bridle foil. It will have to be stronger than the normal length (4.5 feet) one. The bridle foil is also the easiest su...

From what I understand, the 5.5 uni is able to point much higher than the sloop version, so a uni with a spin would be your best bet. The other th...

Using Scott's categories, I guess I would be between. There isn't really a Nacra fleet in my area and the portssmouth fleet doesn't race very often, s...

When I first saw the video I thought that you hit a windsurfer! I guess my main question is "Why?".

I agree with Erice on the skiff thing. I crewed on an I14 back in my younger years and it is always a fight. In gusty conditions, you are in and out a...

Ideal race weight for a P16 is about 250 lbs. In variable conditions it is pretty easy to get teabagged if you are a little slow on the wire. If y...

I actually have changed diamond setups for a very hard blow (25+) I don't weigh enough to be out in that kind of air solo without using every trick av...

I have spent quite a bit of time in the air wondering where the boat had gone and how I was going to catch it after I land. The experience of multi...

Nice weather Scott. We have had the opposite problem in Dallas. More than 10 days of 100+ F and either no wind at all or too much wind. A trip out...

Larry is right about the stand up on stern thing. I flipped bow over stern on Lake Michigan. Luckily the only damage was a broken daggerboard and brui...

RCH: I knew what you meant I was just screwing around. The boat will tend to rotate around the point that has the most weight on it (it sits low...

Kenny: I don't think that the P18 has higher volume hulls than my Nacra 5.5 and my 180 lbs is enough to get it to turn into the wind.Standing aft w...

If you are having trouble righting solo, a bob will only compound your problems. Even the relatively light weight of the bob on the end of a 30 foot l...

I saw the title of this and the first thing that came to mind was "My inlaws" (hopefully my wife doesn't read this). I have a Nacra tramp, but have...