July 14, 2006

• Harpoon 4.6

  An awesomely beautiful sailboat. In case they ever go a-missing, as so many things on the Internet do, I repost some of its design points below, which I’d like to follow if I could ever get off my butt and actually build a boat. (You can read more about this awesome sailboat design at http://www.ruach.net/HarpHist.html#Debut46.)

  Before building the 4.6, we visited numerous Yacht clubs, schools and universities. We asked questions. We enticed debate. We received first-hand advice from some of the nations’s best teachers and sailors. And from all of this we formulated some critical requirements. - The boat must have a main and jib, for how else is the young learner to truly appreciated the relationship between main and jib. – The sails must be easily and fully adjustable for trimming in various wind conditions. – The boat must be absolutely safe…unsinkable, self-bailing and easily rightable. – The boat must be forgiving under sail to allow the less experienced sailor room for error without a capsize. – A highly resilient rubrail is a necessity. – The potential buyer must know that this boat will keep a high resale value. – The 4.6 must be roomy, sleek and uncomplicated, yet able to accept all the abuse of exuberant youth. – The boat must give the helmsman a good feel of action and control. – Sails must be carefully designed to suit the boat instead of the other way around. – Spinnaker packages should be included as optional equipment. – They must have storage area without cluttering or taking away from the sailor’s comfort. – Blocks, fittings and bailers should be correctly placed and guaranteed to last. – The boat must be competitive in a wide spector of winds. – She must be easily trailerable or dry-sailed. – There must be an aggressive fleet development program to assure keen, competitive fun away from one’ home base. We approached the C&C Design Group with our requirements. With their design in hand we then produced the prototype. Like the 5.2 prototype the 4.6 was extensively sailed and evaluated over many months. Finally the mold was made and early this year the first Boston Whaler Harpoon 4.6 left Rockland, Mass for the New York Boat Show and her inaugural showing. The boat is of foam sandwich construction reinforce at critical stress points. She’s completely unsinkable, self-bailing, and so durable that she carries a 10-year hull warranty. The sails are specially designed by North. And, like her 5.2 sister, the gear is first class, Harken blocks, Elvstom bailers, Kenyon spars. One interesting innovation to the 4.6 is the seat angle. Seats are angled 7 degrees in an opposite direction to the heeling angle. Thus, when the boats has a 7 degree heel, you are sitting at a neutral angle on the seat. This feature adds comfort and security to the beginner while making hiking easier for the racer. Now only eight months after her inauguration, the Harpoon 4.6 is “joining the club” all over the nation. And there’s every indication that when the collegiate racing year begins in September, she’ll be well represented. What else would you expect from a member of the Harpoon family?

  from http://www.ruach.net/HarpHist.html

  • 8:58 am
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