So which boat should I be looking for?

General chat about boats
Hotspur
Posts: 117
Joined: Sat Sep 10, 2011 7:38 pm

Re: So which boat should I be looking for?

Post by Hotspur »

Thanks, looks very interesting.

Surprised no-one has mentioned the Supernova - looks to me like a bigger Lightning 368. I suspect it's a bit on the shallow side for me, with its double floor, but looks like an interesting boat.

Am currently stalking a few Solos and OKs. Still hoping forlornly for a Seafire to appear, but I think it will be one of the former two.
Visit my blog Naval Air History at navalairhistory.com
davidh
Posts: 3166
Joined: Wed Dec 28, 2005 10:43 am
Location: Ventor Isle of Wight

Re: So which boat should I be looking for?

Post by davidh »

Hotspur

The Supernova is ...super! A lovely boat to sail, delightful handling and nicely responsive, caters well with a range of weights.

The story behind the boat is that David Giles drew heavily on the underwater sections of the 505 when he designed the hull, it certainly behaves well. The only downside was that the early boats could have an issue with the cockpit filing up when sailed in a lumpy sea - later Hartley boats with the open transom solved this problem.

Sadly, the Supernova doesn't qualify as a Classic - a shame as I like the boat!

D
David H
Alan P.
Posts: 138
Joined: Thu Oct 18, 2007 10:15 pm
Location: Allier, France

Re: So which boat should I be looking for?

Post by Alan P. »

I bought a new Supernova from the then builder, Mark Giles, in 2002. Loved it and ,at that time, really good value for money. After many years with an OK ,i found it hard work physically to drive upind in gusty conditions but an absolute dream downwind. I did the opens for a few years but these were mainly on ponds and i always thought the Supernova was much much better in big seas and big winds. Never had any cockpit flooding issues in these conditions. The OK was much nicer to sail on ponds. I sold the Supernova on with ease in 2006.
But the boat has changed greatly since then with a change of builder,sails and almost a change of design over several versions built in different ways. It appears that the various MKs are weighing differently, the exact details of which i do not know. So do your homework before buying if this is going to be important to you.
Best of luck stalking an OK. The class has had a huge burst of interest over the last few years after a quiet spell when few new ones were built and several good secondhand ones were exported to Poland,Germany etc. Consequently newer boats are a bit thin on the ground in the UK.
OK 1211 Peter Crew wood 1968
Gull 2892 Hartley MK6 Plastic 2014
Streaker 1582. Home built. Wood 2005
Hotspur
Posts: 117
Joined: Sat Sep 10, 2011 7:38 pm

Re: So which boat should I be looking for?

Post by Hotspur »

Thanks both. I'd be happy with an older OK, presumably as with the Solo, a wooden one is the safest bet. There's the one on eBay, which appeals to me in many respects, though it's in Yorkshire, a very long way for me to go from Southampton, especially if it turns out not to be as advertised.
Visit my blog Naval Air History at navalairhistory.com
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