A mystery revealed

[WindHawk]

Sorry, about the pic quality, but she's put on her best outfit:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v290/WindHawk/mystery.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v290/WindHawk/boat_night2.jpg

[WindHawk]

You've come a long way baby:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v290/WindHawk/Boat_wk1.jpg

[Dan Nielsen]

Some kinda black magic going on under that bed sheet. Seems to be saying "Look out world, Here I Come!"

Oh yeah, by the way, sniff, shrug, nice boat.

[Captain Pre-Capsize]

What a beauty there. I've got a couple questions... What is the design? Tell me a bit about the bilge boards or are they called keel boards? They take the place of the centerboard and open up the interior a great deal. What does the designer say about windward performance? How is it to get on/off the trailer? Too many questions, I'll stop - for now!

[NormMessinger]

WOW! I'd like to have been there when you lifted her toga. But I think I liked it better before you sraped off all the paint. ;)

[WindHawk]

She's a Swifty 13 built by Shell Boats in St. Albans, Vermont as an available set of plans, a pre-cut kit, or a finished boat for about $4,500 US. She's hull #001, and being the prototype, she was Fred Shell's boat for several years before being sold to a man in Ohio, who I bought the boat from.

The hull rests on a set on keel boards, and although I've only sailed her without the mizzen sail so far (she's a yawl), she went into the wind fairly well. On a beam reach, she can get up on plane with 2 people on board in about 12 knots of wind. Fred tells me that the mizzen moves the center of balance back a bit, and that she'll sail a few points closer to the wind with it up.

Since I bought her in May, I've been through sailing school, and I was able to sail several different kinds of boats for comparison. She has a very pronounced center of balance, and when rocking the tiller back & forth, you can actualy feel her rotate around it on all three axis. Just simply the best balanced boat I've yet to sail, Sunfish, Laser's, Flying J's and Flying Scots are not even in the same league. I can't wait to get her back overboard.

She floats on & off the trailer with zero effort, and will sit happily on a beach. Here's a pic of the keels from behind:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v290/WindHawk/Boat5.jpg

[Ken Hutchins]

Yes that sure is purdy, love it. ;)