New ZIM ILCA's

[RobbieB]

Charleston area ZIM dealer High and Dry Boatworks took delivery of 10 ZIM ILCA's in late March.  ALL are sold with the next delivery coming in June.  

After seeing the boats this weekend and talking to the dealer both of us agree these boats are just like all the older boats that are ILCA legal.  

It was funny for me as I stood there looking at the boats and thinking, "Wow.  There's nothing different, (outside of the gelcoat finished deck to hull connection) and while it was a bit anti-climatic I'm pretty sure that's the point.  If it's a true OD class it SHOULD BE anti-climatic!  

$7,300.00 appears to be a "Basic" race ready rig, but nothing fancy.  No carbon bits and some of the rigging lines are thicker than what's "preferred, (just like in the good'ole LPE days).  It also looks like one of the outhaul package blocks was missing from every boat which is obviously a learning curve thing from the factory folks.

On boat has reported a leak which is currently being problem solved by the dealer but it's looking like a bailer related issue.  I didn't ask if they installed the "new screwless" auto-bailer I've heard about.

Kids have been sailing 4 of these rigged as 4.7's and outside of the leaky one everyone seems very happy. 

So there's the report folks.

 

[Champlain Sailor]

Wow, I guess I wasn't paying attention and didn't realize that Zim was gearing up to build the ILCA.   That is great news, in my book.  In my experience, buying both Zim built boats and RS boats that Zim imports, they build good boats, and are a very solid company to work with.   This should be very positive for the ILCA class.   Maybe someday we can even go back to calling them Las**s again.

 

[RobbieB]

Wow, I guess I wasn't paying attention and didn't realize that Zim was gearing up to build the ILCA.   That is great news, in my book.  In my experience, buying both Zim built boats and RS boats that Zim imports, they build good boats, and are a very solid company to work with.   This should be very positive for the ILCA class.   Maybe someday we can even go back to calling them Las**s again.

It's not ZIM USA.  It's ZIM China.

 

[Champlain Sailor]

Ah, thanks for the clarification.   Can't speak to Zim China either way...

 

[crashtack]

Wow, I guess I wasn't paying attention and didn't realize that Zim was gearing up to build the ILCA.   That is great news, in my book.  In my experience, buying both Zim built boats and RS boats that Zim imports, they build good boats, and are a very solid company to work with.   This should be very positive for the ILCA class.   Maybe someday we can even go back to calling them Las**s again.

I've had the opposite experience with Zims. Their 420s (c and z) are mediocre at best in terms of build quality

 

[WCB]

It's not ZIM USA.  It's ZIM China.

It's the same company, isn't it?  The production is done in China and the sales office in RI, correct?  Some production stateside I think.

There are no more territories for ILCAs I've heard so you have Ovington and Zim ILCAs already coming into the US and I think it's Performance out of Australia looking for a distributor here too.

 

[tillerman]

Charleston area ZIM dealer High and Dry Boatworks took delivery of 10 ZIM ILCA's in late March.  ALL are sold with the next delivery coming in June.  

After seeing the boats this weekend and talking to the dealer both of us agree these boats are just like all the older boats that are ILCA legal.  

It was funny for me as I stood there looking at the boats and thinking, "Wow.  There's nothing different, (outside of the gelcoat finished deck to hull connection) and while it was a bit anti-climatic I'm pretty sure that's the point.  If it's a true OD class it SHOULD BE anti-climatic!  

$7,300.00 appears to be a "Basic" race ready rig, but nothing fancy.  No carbon bits and some of the rigging lines are thicker than what's "preferred, (just like in the good'ole LPE days).  It also looks like one of the outhaul package blocks was missing from every boat which is obviously a learning curve thing from the factory folks.

On boat has reported a leak which is currently being problem solved by the dealer but it's looking like a bailer related issue.  I didn't ask if they installed the "new screwless" auto-bailer I've heard about.

Kids have been sailing 4 of these rigged as 4.7's and outside of the leaky one everyone seems very happy. 

So there's the report folks.

Did you measure the mast rakes of the 10 boats?

 

[Bill5]

Did you measure the mast rakes of the 10 boats?

And the henway.

 

[tillerman]

And the henway.

What's a Qingdao Zou Inter Marine ILCA hull weigh? 

Did you weigh all 10 boats?

 

[RobbieB]

I've had the opposite experience with Zims. Their 420s (c and z) are mediocre at best in terms of build quality

Interesting.  We'll see how it goes.  This will be a good test of the effectiveness of our factory inspectors

 

[RobbieB]

What's a Qingdao Zou Inter Marine ILCA hull weigh? Supposed to be within class tolerance

Did you weigh all 10 boats? Nope

 

[RobbieB]

Did you measure the mast rakes of the 10 boats?

Nope

 

[RobbieB]

It's the same company, isn't it?  The production is done in China and the sales office in RI, correct?  Some production stateside I think.

There are no more territories for ILCAs I've heard so you have Ovington and Zim ILCAs already coming into the US and I think it's Performance out of Australia looking for a distributor here too.

PSA was first to get boats into the US.  Currently we have Ovi, PSA and Zim dealers.  I don't think any Ovi's have made it here yet.

 

[Wess]

No carbon bits and some of the rigging lines are thicker than what's "preferred

one of the outhaul package blocks was missing from every boat which is obviously a learning curve thing from the factory folks.

boat has reported a leak which is currently being problem solved by the dealer but it's looking like a bailer related issue.

It's ZIM China.

Color me shocked.

 

[RobbieB]

Color me shocked.

At least they showed up with class legal spars, class sail, blades....You know- some of the stuff LPE couldn't send for a while cause they weren't paying the suppliers...

 

[Wess]

You keep wanting to make it about LPE instead of the abortion that is ILCA leadership.  While I never ever had an issue getting what I needed or wanted from LPE I could not care less that they are gone.  They walked into the ILCA trap and fell for it.  If LPE are that stupid - and they clearly were - they got what they deserved. 

Laser sailors however deserve better than Chinese crap and the sellouts that are current ILCA leadership.

 

[tillerman]

Some background on the history and ownership of Zou Inter Marine...

https://www.sail-world.com/Australia/Zou-Inter-Marine-–-now-with-added-Byte/-111052?

 

[WCB]

PSA was first to get boats into the US.  Currently we have Ovi, PSA and Zim dealers.  I don't think any Ovi's have made it here yet.

Ovingtons are here.  Two dealers have them, West Coast Sailing and I forget the other.  We have one or two Ovingtons joining our fleet in a few weeks when they get delivered on a truck with some new RS Teras for our program.

 

[WCB]

You keep wanting to make it about LPE instead of the abortion that is ILCA leadership.  While I never ever had an issue getting what I needed or wanted from LPE I could not care less that they are gone.  They walked into the ILCA trap and fell for it.  If LPE are that stupid - and they clearly were - they got what they deserved. 

Laser sailors however deserve better than Chinese crap and the sellouts that are current ILCA leadership.

I can't say that I have the full story but saying that it's ILCA's fault and not a business issue of LPE's is not correct.  There's a reason that there's no more Seitech dollies which LPE bought.  It has very little to do with the ILCA, it is true in fact that LPE was not paying their suppliers which is why sail deliveries dried up and dolly wheels were no longer available...etc.