Steve and Dave Clarks Unidentified Foiling Object

[Matt D]

On ‎5‎/‎29‎/‎2018 at 3:00 PM, Dave Clark said:

Thanks for coming everybody! It's been a pleasure to get to teach and share these last two weekends. Catch me next weekend up in Ottowa. We'll be running the standard demo circus (ufodemo.com) after racing on Saturday. Before that, I'm on my own time working on boatspeed and tuning. I am AMPED for wickford. The whole fleet is getting really fast. What a blast!

Attached is the supercut of what Kirk, Andrew and I could record. Often times I hold back on picking up a camera and just try to focus on teaching in the moment rather than jumping to make a moment relivable. The social media professional in me gets mad about it, but the coach in me is certain it's the right choice.

What a great group of people!

DRC
 

I am so stoked to try one of these bad boys out!  I should mount a gopro to make a good lowlight video of me eating $hit my first time out. 

 

[dacarls]

I like the bungees and spring clamp ideas.  Super simple, and simple is good.  They just need to hold the blade for a few minutes, with minimal load.   I'll try them this weekend.  In time, I'm sure Dave will have a more elegant solution.   I have a question into Fulcrum and have not heard back yet on the proper use of the main foil hold down pin and retention bracket.  I was surprised to see that the upper plates of the pin bracket are slotted on one end, so they can swing out when not under load.  I thought that once the strut was lowered, the pin would slide through one bracket, through the hold in the strut, then through the bracket on the other side.  I could only get the pin through the bracket, the strut, and just start on the 2nd bracket.  It was not a particularly secure hold down.  I've seen some internet traffic recommending that the hold in the strut be enlarged.  I'd rather not drill it out unless I have to (can't undrill it).   Since I'm not sure why the top part of the brackets are 'gated', I suspect there is more to this assembly than I am seeing.  Any experienced UFO pilots have some advice?

Doug

Can you sharpen your pin? Smaller diameter- get it in, then push it in to the correct diameter.. 

 

[Champlain Sailor]

Can you sharpen your pin? Smaller diameter- get it in, then push it in to the correct diameter.. 

I've found that I can insert the pin into the strut easily, lower the strut with the gates open onto the pin locator, then swing the gates closed over the pin.  This is actually quite easy once you get the hang of it, it takes 10-15 seconds.  My concern now is that the gates can swing open in a sailing session, particularly after a capsize.  I'm thinking of gluing some velcro to them so that I can wrap a velcro strap around the front once the gates are closed to keep them securely in place.

 

[Dave Clark]

I've found that I can insert the pin into the strut easily, lower the strut with the gates open onto the pin locator, then swing the gates closed over the pin.  This is actually quite easy once you get the hang of it, it takes 10-15 seconds.  My concern now is that the gates can swing open in a sailing session, particularly after a capsize.  I'm thinking of gluing some velcro to them so that I can wrap a velcro strap around the front once the gates are closed to keep them securely in place.

I figured out the fix to this up in Ottowa after it busted my balls a out eight times in one race. Run a loop of string over from the ring-ding over the top of the sprit. The loop should be too short to reach the other end of the pin. Intersect your loop (preferably spectra) with a shorter loop of 5/16ths bungee which runs around the pin end. I don't know categorically why this works so well, but this tight elastic strop proved highly effective for the remainder of racing. I'll take a picture when I get a chance.

Also big thanks to Napean Sailing Club for running the OSGP and giving us flying machines a start. What a blast!

DRC

 

[Matt D]

Big thanks to Dave for coming to Ottawa and letting a few of us try the UFO.  His coaching with the headset was awesome.  This is making me seriously reconsider my sailing priorities.

You UFOers have yourselves a pretty sweet ride!

 

[DerekF]

I've found that I can insert the pin into the strut easily, lower the strut with the gates open onto the pin locator, then swing the gates closed over the pin.  This is actually quite easy once you get the hang of it, it takes 10-15 seconds.  My concern now is that the gates can swing open in a sailing session, particularly after a capsize.  I'm thinking of gluing some velcro to them so that I can wrap a velcro strap around the front once the gates are closed to keep them securely in place.

Per Dave's recommendation, I actually tightened the Phillips head bolts / lock nuts that hold the gates to the hull.  They now only move with decent pressure applied.  I'm heading out Wed afternoon to try it out, but I'm 90% sure it'll fix the 'gates opening up on a capsize' issue.  

 

[Charlie P Mayer]

I thought this might happen:  I just don't have enough time to play with all my boats, so one of them has to go.  

The UFO has been a ton of fun, great support from Dave (thank you Dave), but I think the wind here at the lake is just a little too spotty and light for the boat.

Anyway, the boat is set up on the dock and ready for inspection or demos.  $4,000 including cover and beach wheels.  Central Texas.

Yes, I bought an ad.

Charlie

 

[DerekF]

Friends, I got out on San Diego bay recently and finally got some great 360 Video footage.  You can click and drag the video as it plays to get a 'look around'.  Wind was a bit light and this was the only good ride I got but now that I have the new camera rig working I hope there is more to come!  Enjoy and I'd love feedback,

Derek

 

[Champlain Sailor]

It looks like seven UFO's raced in Wickford last weekend.   Great turnout!  I'm regretting that I didn't get my act together and get down there.  Would any of the attendees be willing to post an account of the event?   What's it like to race a UFO?  Did you have your own start?  What course was used?   Was everyone foiling?   Please share!

 

[Merde2]

Wickford was a blast. Great regatta, food and venue. Free air show included.
Course was a closehaul/reach.
The conditions on saturday were marginal. Dave was able to fly upwind consistently since he's got the technique to take off in those conditions. Huge advantage if you're flying vs VMG sailing. There were a few downwind gusts where everyone got up on their foils. 
Sunday was drifting in sub 3 knots, glassy water. Even with a big split in the fleet at the bottom, everyone converged at the top mark. Close racing with results hinging on the last 'race'. 

 

[DerekF]

In case anyone was wondering what happens when your rudder halyard comes lose while foiling... (video below is shot in 360, so click and drag the video while playing to see different angles).  The boat makes a hard but stable landing and is an easy platform to readjust the rigging.  BUT, the boat is still way more fun with both foils in the water...

 

[Wess]

I thought this might happen:  I just don't have enough time to play with all my boats, so one of them has to go.  

The UFO has been a ton of fun, great support from Dave (thank you Dave), but I think the wind here at the lake is just a little too spotty and light for the boat.

Anyway, the boat is set up on the dock and ready for inspection or demos.  $4,000 including cover and beach wheels.  Central Texas.

Yes, I bought an ad.

Charlie

So wish I didn't have 22 more weeks of rotator cuff PT rehabs ahead of me.  PM me if you still have it in the Fall.

 

[Dave Clark]

So wish I didn't have 22 more weeks of rotator cuff PT rehabs ahead of me.  PM me if you still have it in the Fall.

So you can't write a check until the PT is done?

In other news, for those who generally stay away from facebook, here's another great in-boat video of great technique. This one is from Otto in Charleston. Watch the hands. The sheeting is great.


DRC

 

[Charlie P Mayer]

Cool video!  Note the lack of wetsuit and the lack of crazy corrections.  Sweet spot for the boat and the skipper - good job Otto!

 

[Wess]

So you can't write a check until the PT is done?


DRC

LOL it really does hurt to write or type anything.  But seriously if I had to buy now it would be another Laser simply because there are no Aeros or UFOs living and racing in Naps.  With the Laser I can race ~52 weeks a year in my own back yard and multiple days a week all summer.  I do love the UFO and still might jump just to have it as a toy but for local racing the Laser is king.  Waiting to see if anything changes by Fall when my PT is done. 

Good luck to you Dave.  You sure designed and build a cool boat there with the UFO.

 

[DerekF]

One more lesson learned for everyone.  Beware of seaweed!  I have found that even small pieces of kelp trapped on the foil strut add enough drag to keep you from getting airborne.  If you find yourself with your foil settings correct but you are actually seeing your bows dive into the water as you speed up, you probably have kelp wrapped around the foil.  Get a piece of kelp wrapped around a foil or wand while foiling and you're going down.  

If you sail somewhere with crystal clear water, it's probably easy to see kelp hanging off of your foils / struts.  If you sail somewhere with murky water, and you can't figure out why you're not getting airborne, you might want to check for kelp.  

 

[Dave Clark]

One more lesson learned for everyone.  Beware of seaweed!  I have found that even small pieces of kelp trapped on the foil strut add enough drag to keep you from getting airborne.  If you find yourself with your foil settings correct but you are actually seeing your bows dive into the water as you speed up, you probably have kelp wrapped around the foil.  Get a piece of kelp wrapped around a foil or wand while foiling and you're going down.  

If you sail somewhere with crystal clear water, it's probably easy to see kelp hanging off of your foils / struts.  If you sail somewhere with murky water, and you can't figure out why you're not getting airborne, you might want to check for kelp.  

Hot tip for how to de-weed really quickly: reverse.

I was sailing up in toronto where you can basically ground the foil package on a thicket of weeds if you go into any corner of the harbor to close. You pick up several pounds of big ropey weeds. Backing out for a couple feet usually cleared them off the foils entirely. So basically a tack with a big stall and reverse in it. 

DRC

 

[fastyacht]

Hot tip for how to de-weed really quickly: reverse.

I was sailing up in toronto where you can basically ground the foil package on a thicket of weeds if you go into any corner of the harbor to close. You pick up several pounds of big ropey weeds. Backing out for a couple feet usually cleared them off the foils entirely. So basically a tack with a big stall and reverse in it. 

DRC

See, I knew there was a good reason I taught my Opti kids back in the mid 80s how to sail backwards!

 

[martin 'hoff]

Hot tip for how to de-weed really quickly: reverse.

What DRC says. Perhaps because I am a contrarian, I got myself a long-handed hard-bristled brush for my Whisper cat - - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00ABMHDD4/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 -- I'll get a chance to use and report on it next week. 

Everyone here in SA thinks it's stupid and dorky, but we are often foiling just slower (the cat has four legs, after all), and we're two on board. So if crew can clear the weeds on-the-go with the brush, seems like a win to me.

 

[tewtops1]

unfortunately, due to my travels with my job, and im in the process of moving overseas, Im selling my ufo.  its boat #006...   ive only sailed it 4 times.   it has been stored inside a garage its entire life...comes with a galvanized trailer   boat is located in Gulfport ms..   email me for details    [email protected]      Terry Richardson