back when boating was popular
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luminary
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Friggin' in the Riggin'
Anarchist
Check out the main halyard winch. Nice touch.
Speedycustard
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I'm pretty sure those are a couple of Gun punts (now illegal in the UK) just off the slipway!
richardsstephens
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They look very similar to the Shark cats. There is still an active fleet of Sharks racing at Canandaigua, NY. They are fast boats! http://www.sharkcatamaranclass.org/
maldonmud
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And developing the popularist theme from 1962 to 1967 a narrative from the UK Unicorn A class site Unicorn A class from a previous European & UK champion, Bob D
During the Unicorn Nationals at Stone SC in 2009 someone, during a general conversation, asked the question 'where did the Mazzotti Potti get it's name from?' The answer to this is well known to the old timers in the Unicorn ranks, but it was realised that there may be younger people sailing Unicorns who may have no idea of the early history of the boat. It was then suggested that as I have been sailing a Unicorn longer than anyone else (42 years), I should supply the answer before I actually 'pop my clogs' and leave this vital question unanswered.
The short answer of course is that the boat was designed by John Mazzotti who presented the cup as a perpetual trophy for the national champion to hold each year, the first year of presentation being in 1969. Having answered the original question, a bit of background history may be of interest.
In about 1962 the IYRU decided that they were going to start promoting catamarans worldwide, and so they set out three divisions for them. Firstly the A class which was the single handed boat, secondly the B class which of course includes the Tornado, and then the C class, the class in which the 'Little Americas Cup' was always raced for.
John Mazzotti, already a keen cat sailor, decided that he would like to build a new boat to meet the B class requirements, and so, in 1963, with an equally keen friend Peter Shaw, they put their heads together and came up with the 'stitch and glue stressed ply' method of construction and a new boat was built called the Manta B. Also involved in the original discussions was Rodney March who later designed the Tornado with the same 'SGSP' construction. This type of construction was of course used by Jack Holt with his Mirror Dinghy design, although this did not stress the ply anywhere near the amount needed to build a catamaran hull..
During the next two years they successfully sailed the Manta B, plus they also built a C Class cat using 'SGSP' construction. Also during this period the IYRU announced that they were going to run some trials to select a boat for international status in both the A and B catamaran classes. This announcement then prompted John Mazzotti to think about designing an A Class boat using the same very successful 'SGSP' construction, and so throughout 1966 he and Peter Shaw toiled away in Peter's garage at Shoreham in Sussex, building two boats, which it was decided would be called the Unicorn. The first completed boat was sailed on Weirwood Reservoir in Sussex in January 1967. The name Unicorn was derived from two sources. Firstly Uni, (the boat is single handed), and secondly, during one of the Little Americas Cup races at Thorpe Bay, the Americans had brought over an A Class boat called the A Lion, and John Mazzotti thought, 'if in future we are going to race against this A Lion we had better be called Unicorn' (the lion and the unicorn etc.). The first boat, which John sailed in the IYRU trials had the number K4. This was because at this stage the RYA were issuing the numbers for A Class boats and this Unicorn was the fourth boat to be registered. This meant that when the Unicorn became a class in its own right, the numbers started at four, thus there has never been a Unicorn 1, 2, or 3.
The IYRU trials for A and B class boats were scheduled to be held at the Catamaran Yacht Club on the Isle of Sheppey in Kent, on the 5-11th August 1967, so John had just a few months to get the Unicorn tuned and ready. The trials duly proceeded with eight A Class designs and twelve B Class boats taking part. Cutting a long story short, the A Class had very close racing and was won by the Australian
A-Cat 11 latterly called Australis, with John Mazzotti sailing the Unicorn into fourth place. The B Class was won easily by Tornado 1 sailed by Reg White and Bob Fisher, who took six first places out of nine races. The original single sail rig used on the Unicorn at the trials had a luff length right to the bottom of the mast, which at the time was considered to be a superior set up. This latterly was found to be not so, and it was subsequently changed to a more conventional design which gave a significant improvement in performance. Who knows what the result and future outcome would have been if these changes had been made before the trials.
The IYRU naturally selected the Australis for international status but this boat never really progressed because its performance was not really superior to any of the other A Class boats around at the time, and secondly, its method of manufacture made it very expensive compared with a home built 'SGSP' constructed boat like the Unicorn, which at that time could be built in your garage for around £150. (Those were the days.)
The Unicorn could easily be built by anyone with average DIY ability, and this, added to the economy of price, enabled numbers to rise rapidly. Within seven months of the IYRU trials the numbers had reached sixty, within another twelve months they were at two hundred and sixty, and by mid 1971 they were at five hundred. Not bad for a single handed catamaran , a type of cat that was virtually unheard of in the UK before the IYRU trials. Also at this time the first GRP boat was built by the official Unicorn professional builder Trowbridge & Sons.
The first national championship was held in 1968 and was won by Bob Bond, who also won in 1969 and 1970, using a sliding seat (would you believe). Bob went on to become the RYA's senior sailing coach for many years. In those first years the most common rig was an IYE mast and a four or five batten sail from Anderson Aerosails, but in 1971 Graham Hutchings (ex Needlespar) used a Needlespar mast and a Gayle Heard sail, and duly became national champion. This mast/sail combination then became standard for almost all Unicorns for many years, and in fact all the current racing Unicorns still use the Needlespar , even if you can't buy a new one any more.
On the current international scene the A Class boats have developed well beyond the performance of the Unicorn, the development of which is restricted by its class rules. However, at club level it is still an exciting boat to sail, and as a 43 year old design, in the right hands it is still very competitive.
Funny how a simple question can lead to so much waffle.
During the Unicorn Nationals at Stone SC in 2009 someone, during a general conversation, asked the question 'where did the Mazzotti Potti get it's name from?' The answer to this is well known to the old timers in the Unicorn ranks, but it was realised that there may be younger people sailing Unicorns who may have no idea of the early history of the boat. It was then suggested that as I have been sailing a Unicorn longer than anyone else (42 years), I should supply the answer before I actually 'pop my clogs' and leave this vital question unanswered.
The short answer of course is that the boat was designed by John Mazzotti who presented the cup as a perpetual trophy for the national champion to hold each year, the first year of presentation being in 1969. Having answered the original question, a bit of background history may be of interest.
In about 1962 the IYRU decided that they were going to start promoting catamarans worldwide, and so they set out three divisions for them. Firstly the A class which was the single handed boat, secondly the B class which of course includes the Tornado, and then the C class, the class in which the 'Little Americas Cup' was always raced for.
John Mazzotti, already a keen cat sailor, decided that he would like to build a new boat to meet the B class requirements, and so, in 1963, with an equally keen friend Peter Shaw, they put their heads together and came up with the 'stitch and glue stressed ply' method of construction and a new boat was built called the Manta B. Also involved in the original discussions was Rodney March who later designed the Tornado with the same 'SGSP' construction. This type of construction was of course used by Jack Holt with his Mirror Dinghy design, although this did not stress the ply anywhere near the amount needed to build a catamaran hull..
During the next two years they successfully sailed the Manta B, plus they also built a C Class cat using 'SGSP' construction. Also during this period the IYRU announced that they were going to run some trials to select a boat for international status in both the A and B catamaran classes. This announcement then prompted John Mazzotti to think about designing an A Class boat using the same very successful 'SGSP' construction, and so throughout 1966 he and Peter Shaw toiled away in Peter's garage at Shoreham in Sussex, building two boats, which it was decided would be called the Unicorn. The first completed boat was sailed on Weirwood Reservoir in Sussex in January 1967. The name Unicorn was derived from two sources. Firstly Uni, (the boat is single handed), and secondly, during one of the Little Americas Cup races at Thorpe Bay, the Americans had brought over an A Class boat called the A Lion, and John Mazzotti thought, 'if in future we are going to race against this A Lion we had better be called Unicorn' (the lion and the unicorn etc.). The first boat, which John sailed in the IYRU trials had the number K4. This was because at this stage the RYA were issuing the numbers for A Class boats and this Unicorn was the fourth boat to be registered. This meant that when the Unicorn became a class in its own right, the numbers started at four, thus there has never been a Unicorn 1, 2, or 3.
The IYRU trials for A and B class boats were scheduled to be held at the Catamaran Yacht Club on the Isle of Sheppey in Kent, on the 5-11th August 1967, so John had just a few months to get the Unicorn tuned and ready. The trials duly proceeded with eight A Class designs and twelve B Class boats taking part. Cutting a long story short, the A Class had very close racing and was won by the Australian
A-Cat 11 latterly called Australis, with John Mazzotti sailing the Unicorn into fourth place. The B Class was won easily by Tornado 1 sailed by Reg White and Bob Fisher, who took six first places out of nine races. The original single sail rig used on the Unicorn at the trials had a luff length right to the bottom of the mast, which at the time was considered to be a superior set up. This latterly was found to be not so, and it was subsequently changed to a more conventional design which gave a significant improvement in performance. Who knows what the result and future outcome would have been if these changes had been made before the trials.
The IYRU naturally selected the Australis for international status but this boat never really progressed because its performance was not really superior to any of the other A Class boats around at the time, and secondly, its method of manufacture made it very expensive compared with a home built 'SGSP' constructed boat like the Unicorn, which at that time could be built in your garage for around £150. (Those were the days.)
The Unicorn could easily be built by anyone with average DIY ability, and this, added to the economy of price, enabled numbers to rise rapidly. Within seven months of the IYRU trials the numbers had reached sixty, within another twelve months they were at two hundred and sixty, and by mid 1971 they were at five hundred. Not bad for a single handed catamaran , a type of cat that was virtually unheard of in the UK before the IYRU trials. Also at this time the first GRP boat was built by the official Unicorn professional builder Trowbridge & Sons.
The first national championship was held in 1968 and was won by Bob Bond, who also won in 1969 and 1970, using a sliding seat (would you believe). Bob went on to become the RYA's senior sailing coach for many years. In those first years the most common rig was an IYE mast and a four or five batten sail from Anderson Aerosails, but in 1971 Graham Hutchings (ex Needlespar) used a Needlespar mast and a Gayle Heard sail, and duly became national champion. This mast/sail combination then became standard for almost all Unicorns for many years, and in fact all the current racing Unicorns still use the Needlespar , even if you can't buy a new one any more.
On the current international scene the A Class boats have developed well beyond the performance of the Unicorn, the development of which is restricted by its class rules. However, at club level it is still an exciting boat to sail, and as a 43 year old design, in the right hands it is still very competitive.
Funny how a simple question can lead to so much waffle.
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robjwilkinson
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Not at all...very interesting. Is there a book thats devoted to the Catamaran and its development over the years?
I love Cats, got into them after building a little Wharram Hitia 14, for such a basic rig it goes well enough. I hardly use her now but might dig her out to let a buddy of mine have a go.
I like the lines of the Shearwater, looks a good solid boat.
I do have in my possession a Hobie 16, what a blast to sail..myself and a another guy were going to buy this from the previous owner...we took it for a test ride...I was smitten by it...my friend was all wide eyed and couldnt quite grasp the distance we were covering. He backed out of the sale in the end...so I bought her!
Where does most Cat sailing take place in the UK? I would like to know...next time over I would love to meet some of the owners and hopefully get a spin. I am located in the Falklands.
I love Cats, got into them after building a little Wharram Hitia 14, for such a basic rig it goes well enough. I hardly use her now but might dig her out to let a buddy of mine have a go.
I like the lines of the Shearwater, looks a good solid boat.
I do have in my possession a Hobie 16, what a blast to sail..myself and a another guy were going to buy this from the previous owner...we took it for a test ride...I was smitten by it...my friend was all wide eyed and couldnt quite grasp the distance we were covering. He backed out of the sale in the end...so I bought her!
Where does most Cat sailing take place in the UK? I would like to know...next time over I would love to meet some of the owners and hopefully get a spin. I am located in the Falklands.
Just Sail
Member
- 331
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This is a Bobcat Catamaran from Montreal Canada the geeky kid wearing the table cloth is me, I'm now over 50 so its a while ago. Just for laughs.
The luff spar for the jib is an interesting but speed robbing addition
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The luff spar for the jib is an interesting but speed robbing addition
/monthly_10_2010/post-9613-088421400%201286838860_thumb.jpg
/monthly_10_2010/post-9613-010832500%201286838886_thumb.jpg
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Hobie Anarchy
Super Anarchist
That's similar to the Cougar Catamaran that also had a speed-robbing jib luff spar.
scooby_simon
Member
All round the coast and in most of the larger ponds ! (Excluding the lake district).Not at all...very interesting. Is there a book thats devoted to the Catamaran and its development over the years?
I love Cats, got into them after building a little Wharram Hitia 14, for such a basic rig it goes well enough. I hardly use her now but might dig her out to let a buddy of mine have a go.
I like the lines of the Shearwater, looks a good solid boat.
I do have in my possession a Hobie 16, what a blast to sail..myself and a another guy were going to buy this from the previous owner...we took it for a test ride...I was smitten by it...my friend was all wide eyed and couldnt quite grasp the distance we were covering. He backed out of the sale in the end...so I bought her!
Where does most Cat sailing take place in the UK? I would like to know...next time over I would love to meet some of the owners and hopefully get a spin. I am located in the Falklands.
Roy Mills
Member
And developing the popularist theme from 1962 to 1967 a narrative from the UK Unicorn A class site Unicorn A class from a previous European & UK champion, Bob D
During the Unicorn Nationals at Stone SC in 2009 someone, during a general conversation, asked the question 'where did the Mazzotti Potti get it's name from?' The answer to this is well known to the old timers in the Unicorn ranks, but it was realised that there may be younger people sailing Unicorns who may have no idea of the early history of the boat. It was then suggested that as I have been sailing a Unicorn longer than anyone else (42 years), I should supply the answer before I actually 'pop my clogs' and leave this vital question unanswered.
The short answer of course is that the boat was designed by John Mazzotti who presented the cup as a perpetual trophy for the national champion to hold each year, the first year of presentation being in 1969. Having answered the original question, a bit of background history may be of interest.
In about 1962 the IYRU decided that they were going to start promoting catamarans worldwide, and so they set out three divisions for them. Firstly the A class which was the single handed boat, secondly the B class which of course includes the Tornado, and then the C class, the class in which the 'Little Americas Cup' was always raced for.
John Mazzotti, already a keen cat sailor, decided that he would like to build a new boat to meet the B class requirements, and so, in 1963, with an equally keen friend Peter Shaw, they put their heads together and came up with the 'stitch and glue stressed ply' method of construction and a new boat was built called the Manta B. Also involved in the original discussions was Rodney March who later designed the Tornado with the same 'SGSP' construction. This type of construction was of course used by Jack Holt with his Mirror Dinghy design, although this did not stress the ply anywhere near the amount needed to build a catamaran hull..
During the next two years they successfully sailed the Manta B, plus they also built a C Class cat using 'SGSP' construction. Also during this period the IYRU announced that they were going to run some trials to select a boat for international status in both the A and B catamaran classes. This announcement then prompted John Mazzotti to think about designing an A Class boat using the same very successful 'SGSP' construction, and so throughout 1966 he and Peter Shaw toiled away in Peter's garage at Shoreham in Sussex, building two boats, which it was decided would be called the Unicorn. The first completed boat was sailed on Weirwood Reservoir in Sussex in January 1967. The name Unicorn was derived from two sources. Firstly Uni, (the boat is single handed), and secondly, during one of the Little Americas Cup races at Thorpe Bay, the Americans had brought over an A Class boat called the A Lion, and John Mazzotti thought, 'if in future we are going to race against this A Lion we had better be called Unicorn' (the lion and the unicorn etc.). The first boat, which John sailed in the IYRU trials had the number K4. This was because at this stage the RYA were issuing the numbers for A Class boats and this Unicorn was the fourth boat to be registered. This meant that when the Unicorn became a class in its own right, the numbers started at four, thus there has never been a Unicorn 1, 2, or 3.
The IYRU trials for A and B class boats were scheduled to be held at the Catamaran Yacht Club on the Isle of Sheppey in Kent, on the 5-11th August 1967, so John had just a few months to get the Unicorn tuned and ready. The trials duly proceeded with eight A Class designs and twelve B Class boats taking part. Cutting a long story short, the A Class had very close racing and was won by the Australian
A-Cat 11 latterly called Australis, with John Mazzotti sailing the Unicorn into fourth place. The B Class was won easily by Tornado 1 sailed by Reg White and Bob Fisher, who took six first places out of nine races. The original single sail rig used on the Unicorn at the trials had a luff length right to the bottom of the mast, which at the time was considered to be a superior set up. This latterly was found to be not so, and it was subsequently changed to a more conventional design which gave a significant improvement in performance. Who knows what the result and future outcome would have been if these changes had been made before the trials.
The IYRU naturally selected the Australis for international status but this boat never really progressed because its performance was not really superior to any of the other A Class boats around at the time, and secondly, its method of manufacture made it very expensive compared with a home built 'SGSP' constructed boat like the Unicorn, which at that time could be built in your garage for around £150. (Those were the days.)
The Unicorn could easily be built by anyone with average DIY ability, and this, added to the economy of price, enabled numbers to rise rapidly. Within seven months of the IYRU trials the numbers had reached sixty, within another twelve months they were at two hundred and sixty, and by mid 1971 they were at five hundred. Not bad for a single handed catamaran , a type of cat that was virtually unheard of in the UK before the IYRU trials. Also at this time the first GRP boat was built by the official Unicorn professional builder Trowbridge & Sons.
The first national championship was held in 1968 and was won by Bob Bond, who also won in 1969 and 1970, using a sliding seat (would you believe). Bob went on to become the RYA's senior sailing coach for many years. In those first years the most common rig was an IYE mast and a four or five batten sail from Anderson Aerosails, but in 1971 Graham Hutchings (ex Needlespar) used a Needlespar mast and a Gayle Heard sail, and duly became national champion. This mast/sail combination then became standard for almost all Unicorns for many years, and in fact all the current racing Unicorns still use the Needlespar , even if you can't buy a new one any more.
On the current international scene the A Class boats have developed well beyond the performance of the Unicorn, the development of which is restricted by its class rules. However, at club level it is still an exciting boat to sail, and as a 43 year old design, in the right hands it is still very competitive.
Funny how a simple question can lead to so much waffle.
Roy Mills
Member
I found it all very interesting. Thank you. What I am looking for is similar info from someone who sailed, or was involved with, the C Class cat back in the days of sloop rigs. I was given an old, wooden, C Class platform some years ago and having now felt it prudent to sell my 36 foot Tennant cat with wing mast I have time on my hands to renovate this old C Class to the point where it will make an interesting day sailer for strictly local use. I expect I shall be single handing it quite often, but gingerly, since 81 year old bones do not leap from side to side of a 14 foot beam all that smartly. So I am curious about the jib/main used back then, whether winches were used or main sheet tackle ratios (what size) were felt adequate, in fact any info about the early days of C Class boats before the Little Americas Cup developed them beyond the reach of ordinary blokes. They used to race C Class cats here, English Bay Vancouver, but I have had no luck in tracking down anyone with experience. The jib will be self tacking so there will primarily just be the main to consider, and reef points may not be de rigeur (bit of French to satisfy Canadian customs) on racing cats but I dare say there will be a set on my day sailer. So info, advice or just plain comments will be appreciated.
