JeffD

It would have been 60s. I believe John Spencer originally designed the Ant as a trainer for the larger Cherubs. They had wooden spars and used P class main sails as they could be purchased cheaply second hand. I think the Aussies quickly hotted up the rig and deck layout and added a trapeze. Probably why it has lasted in Aus and not here, the class was pretty much dead here by end of 70s if not earlier as most kids were pushed into single handed boats. Nice to see Flying Ants back home in NZ. FA130 was my first boat.

RS Ketch rig option? Then you can join the serious cruising brotherhood and sling hammock whenever you please...

I don't know RS700s but a couple of random ideas to check out... Can you line up against other 700s and see how you are comparing? Sometimes there just isn't enough grunt in the wind to work with. I would check your mast rake. With a fixed spreader rig too much aft rake will make the spreaders push the mast into a forward bend down low, coupled with loose lowers and mast compression as soon as you hop on the wire is a recipe to dump power exactly when you need it most. With most trap boats you need more rig tension to ensure the spreaders don't lose control of the mast bend as soon as you weight the wire (and consequently drop tension on your side stays,

Honest mistake here GRF... Still you could prove it beyond doubt by not wasting the next 10 pages pontificating about foiling rudders, just go and sail it. 3.7s are cool boats if you are the right weight which is around 75kg. They are light, can plane everywhere and don't need those foiling thingies. If its going down the mine move your ass to the back of the boat. Some useful stuff here http://www.3-7class.org.nz/tuning--technique.html But good luck, all the best learning to sail it and do post photos of your progress. And you Poms need to keep your grubby little minds off our sheep ok.

Doug Lord is that you?

Great to see your 700 on the water at last Dion. +1 on getting the right shoes for trapping, sometimes you are almost gripping the gunwale with your toes to hang on. If you don't have soft grippy soles you are going to be skating all over the place. Once you have enough breeze to get on the wire you need to pull in the main as you are stepping out to balance the extra power with your weight (It happens naturally if you are holding it). Once you are on the wire learn to steer the boat under the rig. Upwind you can bear away a few degrees to hold you on the wire in lulls and pinch it up in the gusts for an initial response, once you get the feeling of balance on the wire you can combine that with trimming the sheet as you go. Good luck today

Hi Chris, Its great watching you guys trying innovative new construction methods. Without giving away all your secrets, would you elaborate a little on the trends for rocker and volume distribution?

Am I the only person who had to look up what these slow 2 person ICs might be? Dude, all you have to know is bathtub and 3ksb and you have the IC understood You may need to elaborate, some here might think an IC is an International Canoe which might exceed your 3ktsb by a small margin.