Fulcrum Speedworks Rocket

[craigiri]

Being as it's a Rocket thread, I should at least mention that I've had mine out sailing 4 times or so here in Sarasota, FL.

I totally have the hang of rigging it - I can get it down from a 3rd level rack and have it rigged in less than 15 minutes. It will go a little quicker if I try a split pin instead of the ring for the rudder - that slows me down big time. I leave the sail on the spars - wrapped around, so it's not hard to just pop the mast on and rig.

Readers should remember that I have never owned a Dinghy nor sailed Sunfish. My present experience was on a stub keelboat and Sprint 750. This matters a lot, of course! I'm 68 and 180 lbs.

My first two days had fairly decent winds - 10-12, gusts as high as 18. Sarasota Bay can be quite choppy with currents from all directions as well as powerboats and jet skis, so this is NOT lake sailing. Far from it. But it's not Outer Banks ocean sailing either! 

I didn't dump the boat so that's a good thing. I was able to handle it in the gusts easily enough and feel confident that anything under 20 MPH gusts is doable. I'm not tempting fate w/heavier since I am usually alone - both in the boat and in terms of nearby boats watching me. 

It points well and tacks easily in all conditions I was in. I compared my pointing with a keelboat and I think I did as well or better (it was nearby). I can't judge my speed but it seemed faster than the (likely slow) 22 foot keelboat w/full sail. 

I keep quite a bit of sail forward of the mast - the mast is almost at the beginning of the viewing window. Whether that is right...I have no idea, but it feels OK. 

It doesn't feel at all short on sail or power - winter sailing down here tends to have some good breezes and I don't seek out stronger winds as much as I did with my Sprint 750 (yet!). 

As always, it's fun learning new things and the boat keeps me busy by the second. 

It would seem that the Rocket is very similar to the other models of Sunfish, etc - so I doubt we Rocket Owners are going to have "new things" to share. The larger cockpit is nice - a bunch of sunfish sailors have looked at it and agreed they'd like that space. The grandkids are coming down soon so I will have a chance to put a kid or two in it and use the cockpit more. As of now, I use it mostly for a bag at the rear which is put up on a small hard foam pad (keeps it drier). 

Not much else to it - if you know sunfish or phantoms, you will know the rocket. The lighter weight helps...I am sure...with my back and the 3rd story rack and launching, etc. 

I have not rowed it again although I will because I want to try the different techniques. 

 

[Dave Clark]

Fun little snippet from inside the plant. Our monster CNC "the etch a sketch" got properly online cutting G10 for assembly which freed up space on our orignial CNC "gerty" to do other things. We'd had a lot of trouble getting the deck foam to cut well on our CNC knife cutting machine which cuts glass cloth kits, as the deck foam is very dense and the knife tended to skip in the corners. So with suddenly free capacity on Gerty (yes, it's a reference to the movie Moon) we moved the deck foam cutting over to him. Gerty's a way more accurate and powerful machine than the ply cutter, but most notably is capable of engraving. Say hello to graphics!

DRC

 

[craigiri]

All sailors say one should practice dumping and righting their Dinghys.

I did so today.....giant storm was north of us but 12-14 steady southerly when I left the dock - was supposed to stay that way but I stayed close due to the odds. Winds shifted 180 degrees to the north and stayed at about 14 with slightly higher gusts - a little fun. 

I knew the big blow was coming but stayed within 500 feet of shore - one last tack....within 30 second, large waves with whitecaps started pounding from the North - it was as if a large powerboat had gone by! But I was all ready - headed in and got to the shallows.

Being a newbie I don't have all my moves down yet - but I figured with all that wind I should head close, pull the board 1/2 way and head upwind to take the power off. I did so and slowed nicely....and slowly edged off the side of the boat (warm water, so this is how I start and end my rides). I think my mistake was edging off the downwind side of the boat because the boat followed me over! 30+ knots and as soon as it got under the empty hull I think that and the sail loosened was an easy-over.

No problems. Walked to front of boat and grabbed line so boat would point into the wind - and pulled it right over. Took almost zero effort - no leverage or daggerboard pulling needed.

Anyway, I think I learned something. Maybe I will exit off the rear of the boat or the upwind side next time. I'm not yet sure about the best way to deal with the sail in high wind landings. It seems letting it down can provide a pocket for wind to still get in. Maybe I will even crawl off the front of the boat in high winds and just grab the line there - that would keep her pointed into the wind. 

Looks like 38 MPH gust at start of that instant switch.

 

[fastyacht]

Someone likes the Rocket:

 

[Grymbrow]

Fun little snippet from inside the plant. Our monster CNC "the etch a sketch" got properly online cutting G10 for assembly which freed up space on our orignial CNC "gerty" to do other things. We'd had a lot of trouble getting the deck foam to cut well on our CNC knife cutting machine which cuts glass cloth kits, as the deck foam is very dense and the knife tended to skip in the corners. So with suddenly free capacity on Gerty (yes, it's a reference to the movie Moon) we moved the deck foam cutting over to him. Gerty's a way more accurate and powerful machine than the ply cutter, but most notably is capable of engraving. Say hello to graphics!

DRC

View attachment 501231

Is that a traveler track on this one?

 

[Dave Clark]

Is that a traveler track on this one?

Yes. That's an interceptor.

DRC

 

[Fasterdamnit!]

Hell Yeah!!

Yes. That's an interceptor.

DRC

 

[yesailz]

We picked up our Rocket over a month ago, but it only just got warm enough recently (in New Hampshire) to finally get it out on the water.

Here some pictures from a couple of weeks ago.







Here's a short video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jTWJewI87c4

Thanks to Dave and Fulcrum team for building a great boat! And thanks to everyone here for providing so much great discussion and information about the boat. It really helped us figure out to buy it.

Picking it up in Rhode Island went great. Dave and his team did a great job of securing the boat to our roof rack, which was highly appreciated, since we had no idea what we were doing. It was also great to see their facility and see how much passion and fun Dave appears to bring to his work.

 

[MR.CLEAN]

 

[MR.CLEAN]

Picked up in Providence yesterday. Hell of a facility, and she rode nicely through the back roads, no real lift noticeable on the car until 75. Boat will be sailing in southern VT (Whittingham, Raponda lakes) and maybe Spofford NH if we join there. First sail Saturday. Thanks Dave.

 

[Rum Runner]

Picked up in Providence yesterday. Hell of a facility, and she rode nicely through the back roads, no real lift noticeable on the car until 75. Boat will be sailing in southern VT (Whittingham, Raponda lakes) and maybe Spofford NH if we join there. First sail Saturday. Thanks Dave.

Looking forward to your report.

 

[Proneshooter]

Some feedback on sailing a Rocket would be nice.

 

[Jaubin]

Weird, had to reset my P/W and lost my old username...

Anyway, picked up my Rocket in May, and have been trying to get onto it any chance I get. My solution to getting it on/off the car involves the
mast support box that i drive onto, and then a 4:1 purchase setup that uses a girth hitch on the mast and the mast fairlead. Cleat on the mast box keeps it held up... tie it to the rudder mount, and raise up a few inches, swing the bow off the roof, and then drop the stern. Works, but still way easier to just have someone help you lift it off.

Been out on a few local ponds, then spent a week up on Lake Champlain, and just got back from some time near Pt Judith in Narragansett. Fishing area there has a beach that's a nice place to launch if you've got a friend to lift the boat over the rocks in the parking lot...then you're in a protected area where the wind fills in nicely. I've had a few other boats before but always dealing with crappy trailers and never used them enough (H16, Holder 12, etc) so limited experience overall.

Two small/medium adults fit really comfortably on the rocket, it's clear the cockpit is big, but the amount of room to move around and the stability is really nice to get out there for a little while... handles dumb mistakes pretty well, and one thing I need to improve on is using the extension more often vs sitting in on light winds as I'm really good at getting the mainsheet caught on the extension when it's folded back. I've been using the sheeting from the rudder for the most part, but should probably try and use the standard sheeting when the wind's up. I managed to throw down an aggressive jibe in ~20 knot winds and instinct of "getting overpowered....EASE" kicked in, and I believe I death rolled as far as I can tell...happened fast of course, but even w/ the centerboard not fully down was easy to get back on it's feet and going. So far the most I've hit on a reach in 12-15ish was around 8 knots...gets up on plane really nicely tho, that's addictive for sure. One thing I haven't figured out is the ideal speed to uncork the bailer...every time I've tried I feel like I'm just filling the boat up. Super fun so far...gotta get out more in heavy air to get more practice in going fast.

 

[valcour2]

Looks sweet on the water. And cool on top of the GTI.

 

[Martin T]

Looking good but I suggest you get your weight further forward to get the boat level in the water. In the second picture you can see the bow is pointing skyward & you're dragging the stern which will slow you down.

 

[Jaubin]

Hah, yeah my wife and I both share that tendency to grab tiller vs the extension, and that forces you towards the back of course. Definitely plenty of spots to sit that are comfy... The other thing I need to do when sans kids is to not send the boom as skyward, no ducking required w/ it that high, but likely some more weight adjustment required with it up there.

 

[Xeon]

Mmm hull looks cool. But to European eyes nothing with that dog of a rig will ever look cool.
And yes i do understand the American market and no I am not dissing the boat and I hope it goes from strength to strength.

 

[yesailz]

Here's another picture of the Rocket sailing.

Also, a tip about attaching the loop that connects the boom and the mast. I recommend putting a twist when looping it on to the boom like this:

You can slide the mast in and out (vertically between the boom and point where the loop crosses itself), but the loop stays securely attached to the boom when they are separated.

 

[Proneshooter]

Has anyone sailed one in heavy air and big waves yet?

 

[feralcomp]

Has anyone sailed one in heavy air and big waves yet?

+1; more ride reports please. How tf can we live vicariously through your experiences if you don't share them?

 

[munt]

OK, Ima put on the black hat for a moment... Why the hell don't we have a plethora of videos of these boats being sailed? A blurry picture of a guy a mile away in a lake? A video of a guy bobbing around with wife and dog in 2 kts of breeze? COME ON! Somebody sail the boat hard in some wind and waves and record that shit! At this point I'll even listen to your garbage soundtrack just to see how the boat actually sails. And if you post a video with the "Raider" rig I might even do "like and share"...