Massive VX One Demo Weekend April 14-15

[jh26]

With Spring well underway, the VX One demo schedule is really starting to heat up. The weekend of April 14-15 we have demos in four locations: Texoma Lakefest, Southern Yacht Club in New Orleans, Lake Norman Yacht Club in North Carolina, and Sail Newport in Rhode Island. See the VX website for details and contacts for each location.

 

[MR.CLEAN]

What's up with Saturday? If I take the eastern route, my Detroit-CHS trip can go right by lake norman...

 

[davidgugg]

Allen give me a call, will have my boat ready for you. The weather looks ok for Lake Norman North Carolina.

Guggs

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[ultaracer613um]

Oh, snap... More permagrin! Kiwi, qas your dad on the boat in that shot?

Makes me want to skip out of here and head to the lake.

Rod, keep up the good work.

 

[jh26]

New SA Banner graphic...



That's the blue skies and blue water of Sarasota Bay from the 1st Annual VX One Midwinters.

 

[jh26]

Forecast for Lake Norman today mid 70s and wind at 14... Great conditions for some VX sailing!

 

[intensitysails]

Hit 15 knots with 560 pounds of happy sailors on board in Newport Harbor today. More demos for tomorrow. We will be sailing out of the docks at the hoist at Sail Newport. If you do not see us just wait a little and you will!

We will sail from 10 AM until the last interested sailor gets to sail.

 

[StumbleNola]

Holly good god this boat is fun. With four aboard we were hitting 14-16kn downwind without ever feeling out of control. At least the boat was under control, the grins were outrageous. Upwind was almost as much fun, 8kn or so when cracked off just a tad, and five degrees more and we were planing upwind.

 

[AClass USA 230]

We had the opportunity for a great test sail at the Southern Yacht Club demo event this weekend and at the request of Donnie Brennan, I'll offer my impressions of the boat.

The conditions were perfect, 12-18 knots from the ESE, flat water to medium lake chop (as we sailed more offshore). We sailed with four (4) on the boat for the two sessions we did, Donnie, David Reich (the owner), Elise Read, and I were on for the first hour of sailing and then David hopped off to let Greg Rubin take a test sail on the second hour long session. The total crew weight was probably around 600 lbs, about 100 lbs heavier than what Donnie believes is the ideal three-handed crew weight of 500 lbs. There was plenty of room for four on the boat and I did not feel like we were trying to squeeze forward or had too much weight aft. The boat seemed to sail on her lines just fine as the wake was clean and the bow did not feel like it was plowing.

We first headed upwind. Donnie worked the jib, David played the solid vang, Elise hiked, and I steered and trimmed the mainsheet (Greg steered, I played the main, and Elise played the vang for our second session). The only negative I can say about the boat setup was the tiller might need to be about 4-6 inches shorter as I has having a hard time getting the tiller extension through the cockpit without it catching on something. The boat also had a 12 strand Dyneema main halyard with no cover where it was cleated off and it tended to slip about 2-3 inches during this session. This kept us from properly tensioning the downhaul so the draft position in the mainsail was a bit too far aft when you vang sheeted giving the boat more weather helm than I would prefer. That's an easy fix and as it turns out the only performance negative I could note. Our boat speed was typically in the 6.6 to 6.8 range with a couple of spurts to 7 to 7.1 knots if we "hiked". Hiking on this boat is extremely comfortable. You just fall into place due to the deck contours and when we "hiked" (i.e. we leaned our upper bodies out a bit), the boat speed bumped up .1 to .2 knots but it is still so comfortable. Brian Bennett (designer) really got it right on this one as it should make the boat attractive to a lot of older sailors. The steering while heavy due to the weather helm was still very responsive. If you crack off to a bow down upwind to close reach mode, the boat will go to 8+ knots. I found the boat performed best when you minimized rudder movement. The fine bow did not require big tiller movements to sail around any chop. If we were sitting in and got a big puff, the boat would heel over to the point where the righting moment of the small bulb would stop the motion and what was interesting when this happened was that the boat did not slow down more than 1 knot in the "knockdown" mode.

The real fun starts when you turn down and set the chute which is incredibly easy. Turn down to a broad reach, ease out the self cleating jib, pull out the pole, hoist, sheet in, heat up, and zoom! We were instantly sailing in the 13-16 knot range so pretty much matching windspeed downwind. With three or two on board, you'll probably sail 1-2 knots faster. The acceleration was still really entertaining with four on board. The steering is very quick and rewards small movements and anticipation as you bear away in each puff and then heat back up to grap the next one. You will be sailing with an apparent wind angle of no more than 90-100 degrees to get the best performance out of this boat and that will make the racing fast, tactical, and fun. What was really impressive was as we got around 2-3 miles offshore, the chop built to 1-2 feet and on a couple of turn downs in the puffs, I aimed the bow squarely at the back of a wave yet the boat never plowed. It always popped up and over the back of every wave. That was very cool because you can have a lot of fun pushing this boat as hard as you want in 12-18 knots.

My friends know me for my multihull sailing so ask how the boat compares to my A-Class cat and my Corsair trimaran. The A-Class sails upwind at 10-12 knots in the same conditions with the same tacking angles so it would not be a contest. But downwind, I think the A-Cat would only be slightly faster. I sailed on Friday afternoon in similar conditions on my A-Class and was sailing at 14-18 knots downwind so the two are not far off. The VX1 would also not be as fast as my Corsair Sprint 750 upwind as that boat will sail at 9-10.5 knots in the same conditions with similar tacking angles. However downwind, I think the boats are very close in performance and the VX1 might have a slight edge in larger chop as I have to work harder to keep my leeward ama from stuffing. The Corsair also feels like a much heavier boat (which it is) so does not have the planing, skip over the water, skiff feel the VX1 provides (but is way more stable than a skiff).

Would I buy one. Yes. Will I buy one? Maybe. If the class reaches critical mass on the gulf coast and especially on my local Lake Pontchartrain, it would be hard not to want be a part of it. I think this boat will be very attractive, perhaps irresistable, to anyone who is sailing an older centerboard or keelboat design (Flying Scot, J-22, Lightning, etc.). It's easier and a lot more fun to sail. It may also turn the heads of the sailors who own the Melges 24's. It seems just as fast upwind and downwind but a lot cheaper to buy and easier to sail. There will also be limits on sail purchases to keep that arms race down. I think this boat is also going to take away potential Melges 20 customers as I believe it will certainly perform better upwind and at least match the Melges 20 downwind (probably faster) and it is less expensive to buy. Of the various sportboat designs out there, it has to be one of the best, if not the best in terms of bang for the buck.

If you do get a chance to sail the boat, I strongly recommend it. You will be grinning for sure when you get off.

 

[ortegakid]

We saw 17.3 on Lake Texoma Lakefest this friday, with Rod and two newbies sailing, was truly epic fun, sat was perfect, about 12, saw 15 downwind, so much fun, this boat flat rocks! And we won PHRF spin!

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[MR.CLEAN]

boat test

dynamite duo

​

On his way down to cover Charleston Race Week on Saturday, roving editor Mr. Clean stopped by the Lake Norman Yacht Club near Raleigh to sail two of the newest one-designs in the world. Here’s his report.



When I swung by the LNYC the other day to see some old friends, I didn’t expect to get 30 minutes of stick time on two of the hottest new boats on the market -Brian Bennett’s VX-One, and the Johnstone boys’ new J/70 – all within minutes of parking my truck. But the wind was blowing, the sun was shining, and it didn’t take long on either boat to appreciate just how good both designs are at fulfilling their quite different missions. They are undoubtedly both ‘sportboats’ (or ‘sportsboats’ for our downunder and UK brethren), the most common definition of ‘em being under 30 feet, easy to tow, easy to launch via ramp or crane, and planing downwind in moderate breeze. These are definitely both in the genre, though they couldn’t possibly be more different if they tried. But first, a word about the testing:



You may have noticed an explosion of ‘demo days’ for new boats over the past few years. There is certainly nothing new about boat demos, but lately, manufacturers have responded to the continually shrinking value of magazines and boat show marketing by going straight to the sailors with their offerings, and it seems to be working. The little test sail I stumbled on in Carolina was, for the VX, part of an ambitious demo weekend with boats in four different states, while the J/70 is on a whirlwind debutante ‘coming out’ party that included Newport just a week ago, North Carolina on Saturday and Sunday, and Charleston this coming weekend. The Rondar guys have done the same with the Viper and K6, it’s the only way to try out most beach cats, and we’re encouraged that this seems to be the wave of the future in small boat marketing. In fact, Charleston Race Week has become the de facto ‘sportboat boat show’ for all of North America; with the VX and J/70 both attending this year’s CRW for more demos, the world’s biggest sportboat regatta is also the only place in the US where you can see and touch the Ultimate 20, Melges 20, Melges 24, J/70, J/80, and VX One.



One of the reasons that demo sails work so well is that they sell boats while simultaneously giving people enough info to do their own reviews. In other words, the random testers become the reviewers, rather than some douchebag magazine editor looking to keep his advertisers happy. As SA has proven so well, crowdsourced product reviews are almost always better than editor reviews – see an SA’ers review of the VX posted yesterday for an example.



I guess that is an interesting segue to a boat review by yet another douchebag editor, but I’m nothing if not contradictory. Deal with it!



VX Vroom Vroom Vroom



Lake Norman can be a very fluky place, and the LNYC harbor was calm as glass (like usual) worrying me that I wouldn’t get enough breeze to sail. I jumped on a bowrider with designer/builder Brian Bennett, and when we got out of the cove, was psyched to see the breeze was fine on the lake – a lovely 10-12 knots with lulls below and puffs slightly above.



Brian and I traded places on one of the three VXs on rotation, displacing a crew full of Highlander sailors (who were shocked at what the VX could do compared to their more expensive ancient design). I jumped on the tiller to see what the newest and lightest of the sportboats could do, and within five minutes, I realized it can do just about anything.



First you have to remember that this is closer to a dinghy or skiff than it is to a keelboat. The bulb is really only down there to keep you from flipping over, and to help you right the boat if you do, and you can sail the VX-One in ‘SuperSport’ mode without it. But even in non-insane mode, the boat is more like a 49er than it is like a Melges 24.



There’s nothing revelatory about the layout, other than the smallness and lightness of everything, and the general quality of the build. The main sheets off the boom in skiff style, a 2:1 purchase providing more than enough power for any skipper to handle it. There’s no floor block or cleat – things happen so fast in this boat that a cleat would be of more comedic value than it would be useful to sailing. There’s no traveler for the same reason, and there’s no backstay because ultralight boats with square mainsails have other, quicker ways to depower. The driver can easily control the main and vang, though sailing three up, you can spread jobs around to keep the crew into it. Bow person can handle the jib and hoist/drop, middle can be a proper mainsheet hand and kite trimmer, and driver can shut up and drive.



In its ability to go where you want, the boat reminds me of a Formula Ford or similar small, open-wheel racecar. The boat’s perfect balance and fantastically light weight seem to translate your every thought into action. Gliding up through a lift, bearing off on a header, easing the main for a puff and then sailing to it, bearing away for a hoist – I literally don’t recall having to push or pull the tiller until the kite went up. Thinking about it seemed to provide enough movement to make it happen. Upwind, the boat is loaded with power. With two very big guys aboard (for a total weight of around 465), in an average wind speed of probably 9-10, we needed every pound to hike the boat down with some depowering tools already engaged. Those tools are simple and quick – the carbon Gnav setup and Cunningham are plenty effective, though once they are more or less set up, you’ll be playing the sheet rather than the other controls for 90% of the time. This is all skiff style stuff, and the endless trimming and helming is engaging in a way that cleated off sails never can be.



The jib sheet and self-tacking setup is right off a 49er as well, though Bennett has included a furler to make life easier in head-to-wind starts and in between races. The unit works smoothly and well, and the loads on the little jib are light enough for a kindergartner to pull on ‘em.



Downwind, as you’d expect, this little boat lights up like no other keelboat I’ve ever sailed, and like a real skiff or cat, there is no “soak” mode for the VX-One. In a boat like the Melges 20/24, Rocket, SB3, or J/80, moderate air means you need to ease the sails out and soak down like a symmetric boat, with the crossover to planing conditions standing around 13 knots for a windward/leeward course for the M24 up to the high teens for a J/80. Like the Viper and Shaw – only more so – there is no crossover in the VX.



As soon as you bear away and pull on the single-line spinnaker halyard/tack line/pole out line, the boat glides into a planing run. There is no transition, no hump of water to lurch through, no noise, and no wake. Gybing angles will be similar to a catamaran’s, and boatspeed downwind during VMG sailing will easily exceed wind speed in light to moderate conditions. I’m not going to give you some bullshit numbers based on reaching around the lake – I sailed hard on the wind upwind and VMG downwind, and the boat is damned quick. How quick?



Already testers have been sailing 17-18 knots in 15-20 knots of breeze, and in 10-12 knots, the lack of drag and the generally good habits of the boat provide little doubt that she will be far faster than her 18’8” waterline would have us expect. Upwind it’s a little early to see where the VX’s targets should be, but my guess is the VX will enjoy sailing bow down with speed in the low sixes in most conditions, and with her big righting moment, be quite a bit faster than a Melges 20, for instance. In breeze, the VX might be the first keelboat to ever claim the holy grail of planing upwind, certainly with the Super Sport’s trapezes she will.



Knowing that wipeouts and capsizes are an important factor for potential owners and crew, I tested the boat’s stability the best I could, and for her size, I was amazed at how solid the VX is at the dock and upwind and downwind. I came up hard from a 12-knot reach with all three sails up, strapped everything in, and had Brian jump to the leeward side of the boat, all to make the boat flip. She wouldn’t have it, and instead, laid over at about 70 degrees with the tip of the rudder still keeping the boat tracking. I accidentally gybed with all weight on the new low side. I tried to flip her over upwind. None of it worked. For a boat that feels the weight of a frisby, this was pretty amazing. After talking with a few early owners, capsizing is definitely possible on blown gybes in big air, but otherwise, hasn’t been an issue, and the boat comes right back up. Recovering from a turtle, though likely to be very rare, is something every crew of an ultralight sporty should practice before ever racing in big breeze.



Logistically, the VX-One is the ultimate keelboat. Legendary race car designer Colin Chapman famously said the key to successful race car design was to “simplify and add lightness”, and the VX-One takes this philosophy to its ultimate conclusion in the world of sportboats. Lifting and dropping a keel that weighs a hundred pounds is child’s play, and Bennett is proud that he’s got perhaps the only keelboat built that you can tow with a Yugo, and that normal cars can still get 20 MPG while pulling. The loads on everything – even the kite in breeze - are suitable for anyone from age 10 to 100. The spinnaker launching and retrieval system is unbelievably slick and should allow for some scary late drops. Overall, the package is perhaps the final stage of the never ending march to lighter, easier and faster that all started with the Melges 24.



The VX-One is around 26 grand, with a ‘fleet building special’ kicking in soon that includes everything you need to race plus a lot of sweet extras at $29,950. Be sure to check ‘em out at vxonedesigneracing.com.



Tune in tomorrow for Clean’s report on the J/70 and an overall look at the fleet building prospects for these new sporties.

 

[jh26]

Funny you should mention kindergartners and 10 year olds - I was racing at Lake Norman last weekend with my 10 year old trimming the jib, my 12 year old trimming the spinnaker, and my wife hoisting and dousing, and they all absolutely loved it. Now they are totally spoiled rotten and refuse to sail anything other than a Bennett designed boat.

 

[ortegakid]

Let me put my 2c in, this boat flat rocks!! As an old guy,(58) and our foreman also same age, our owner/driver being super man Rod (30 somethin), it was work.Only because it was nuking. On friday we saw 17.3 on the reaches, and knocked it down once also, but no problems, simply get the kite back in and start over. And by work I mean it in a good way, hiking hard all the time as we were on the light side for conditions. Seriously well thought out and constructed, this is the most fun keeler I've ever had the pleasure to sail on. A winner in all aspects, can't wait to sail again on one, should be epic with a big fleet!

 

[davidreich]

Adding to the reviews here as well, I had my boat in NOLA this weekend and SYC was gracious to allow Donnie Brennan of Diversified Marine run the demo off their lot. The weather was no less than perfect all day Sat as you can read below in A Class' post. What I want to hit on here was the last demo of the day. Donnie hopped off the boat and there were 3 little kids on the dock asking, "Mr. Donnie, we want to go on the VX!" I agreed to take them out with the dad - an old friend of mine from college days. So off we set on the VX - me, the Dad, an 11 boy, a 12 boy, and an 8 yr old little girl. Breeze was still on with 12-15 and the pressure lines a little more. out of the SYC harbor and to a close jib reach to clear the shoreline and we were planning at 10-12 kts. The 2 boys in the front locked in the hike straps and high fiving all the way.

We cracked off to set the kite. I moved forward for the hoist and to trim, the little one sat in dad's lap at the helm, and pow! the boat was up to 14.5 in no time. After an easy controlled jibe and the little one back on dads lap (while he is steering and trimming the main of course), I told the boys to start reading off the speedo to Dad. 14.1 !! 14.7!! 15.2 !! 15.6 !! 16.2!!!!! High five again between the boys!! Dad leaned over to me and asked "and how much is this thing?" The very next comment was "Dad, you gonna have to sell the Melges!!!" Priceless was all I could think.

Back at the dock and helping the littles off the boat, the little girl turned to Donnie Brennan and said "I don't ever want to go slow in a boat again".

Kids - you can't beat their honesty. Best demo sail yet for the VX owner.

 

[Rolfe'd]

"Already testers have been sailing 17-18 knots in 15-20 knots of breeze"

I did 19 on it in the same breeze

Clean's review nailed it. It's athletic, skiff style sailing upwind - you can dump 2 feet of main and the angle of heel stays steady, the boat just goes faster. Downwind is absolutely insane, the boat accelerates extremely quickly and the ride is super smooth; we were jumping motor boat wakes with no problem. Also, one thing that hasn't been mentioned: You don't need the spinnaker to plane, I think we hit almost 15 knots jib reaching.

 

[Rapscallion]

So, what will it rate?

 

[Willsail4food]

A

of the VX on Texoma. I have more footage; this is all I was able to edit so far.

 

[SailAR]

Thanks for rinsing off the camera.. but I think you missed a spot. :blink:

 

[tphil]

In a good breeze, 3 up and still not enough beef on the rail or lead in the tail ?

Dragging a rail in the water is noisey but not fast - just saying.