This story takes me back a few years to my early sailing days on the inland lakes and reservoirs in the UK. Looks like the Fireball has come a long way since those days.
The New Fireball – A collaboration between Winder Boats and Weathermark Sailboats.
Dave Winder and Dave Hall have put their heads together and along with the International Fireball class approval and Phil Morrisons design skills have made some changes to the boat. The hull and all critical measurements stay exactly the same, but the deck and internals have had some changes.
After much consultation with class associations and sailors from all over the world the following changes were approved and have been implemented into the construction of the new boat. The changes ( some visible and some not so obvious ) have been made to make construction simpler, keep cost down and make sailing the Fireball an even better experience than it already is.
The key to a fast Fireball is a stiff and light hull, built to the minimum permitted rocker. We can do this because of our use of cutting edge technology which means we can build them consistently flat, strong and stiff.
The hull is resin infused oven baked epoxy foam sandwich with an epoxy foam sandwich deck. The inner and outer skins of the hull moulding are carbon along with the foredeck. All our hulls are post-cured which ensures rigidity across a wide temperature range. Standard colour is silver grey deck and hull (other colours are available).
What is resin infusion?
In contrast to the traditional wet-lay technique, resin infusion sees all the materials placed in a gelled mould and using a vacuum the resin is infused through the fibres. The results are stronger, stiffer and more consistent.
With our years of experience using resin infusion, we are pushing the innovation boundaries and are often called on to offer training to a wide range of professionals in its use.
Our ‘Championship boat’ includes the new changes and comes with;-
▪ Harken or Allen fittings,
▪ Selden or Super Spar spars
▪ A choice of sails – subject to price.
▪ Side deck edges have a 45deg angle for their length
▪ The stern tack is shorter
▪ The jib sheets and cleat platforms are recessed into the side tank / deck
▪ Carbon in the hull laminate in place of Kevlar.
▪ Larger drain tubes
▪ 16:1 kicker lead to mainsheet duocam.
▪ The following controls are lead to the helm;
▪ Jib leech
▪ Pole height
▪ Cunningham
▪ 14:1 jib halyard tension
▪ Slide and plunger adjustment for jib sheeting angle
▪ Chocks to control lower mast bend ( strut at extra cost)
▪ Pump system for spinnaker halyard with spinnaker stowed in bags.
The boats will be built at the yard in Keighley, West Yorkshire with the sales office operated by Dave Hall in the south of the UK.
Contact: Dave Hall dave@weathermarksailboats.com
Dave Winder david@winderboats.com
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