The future of the WETA?

[unShirley]

One of you true believers should buy two or three boats, maybe more and travel the circuit offering them for charter. I'd sign up for two or three charters a year, but I don't see me buying any more boats, ever.

Maybe you could offer some sort of lease back as an inducement for buyers.

Already got it going on the West Coast. This quote is from http://www.pierpontperformancesailing.com/come-sail-with-us/

Our Wetas are available out of the Ventura marina or for “valet racing” at several west coast events. You register for the regatta and we’ll deliver the boat! Prices for valet racing vary by event (depending on the length and location of the regatta).

 

[Pete Pollard]

I'll definitely be in touch. Sailing in the Pacific is on the bucket list.

Thanks.

 

[Crump's Brother]

John,

You are bringing your FWYC Bottomless Beer Mug with you, right?

Yep, I seen to remember something about free refills in that mug.

NOR's up?

 

[Hot Donutz]

One point I missed in my long winded post is relating more to the existing fleets out there; sometimes it's not about the boat, though the boat counts of course, but about the people. That's how windsurfing grew. It started as a grass roots thing where people joined because of the people already massing at the one design Windsurfer regattas. They were a special group of people, and I think that the Weta Class in the USA, aside from a couple of jackasses like myself, has that special group of people. For that alone, it's worth joining.

JW

 

[Pete Pollard]

It doesn't hurt that the Weta is in a class by itself.

 

[nzsailorchick]

Any videos of the furled 12.9 being hoisted/dropped out on the water?

Looks like the pink screecher is going to be quite popular, considering the WetaFest spot prize responses from all the guys.

No but I can make one - I have some footage of it somewhere, I'll try get it sorted soon!

 

[BalticBandit]

How did the Weta sales do a the Salon Nautic (Paris ooat show) I stuck my head in the booth to see how it was going and there seemed to be good traffic

 

[nzsailorchick]

Pretty good I think, Laurent Vidonne does a very good job.

 

[WestCoast]

I'll say this, the one thing that intrigued us about the boat is that there is really nothing else like it.

It's not for everyone, the first time I sailed it in the gorge I could imagine some people being worried about the speed and wet factor.

But, over the years I've learned that more and more customers want to hit the water than ever before.

With the right gear, the sailing season can be extended in climates like ours up here in the Northwest.

Prices might rise from time to time, but I promise in almost a decade selling small sailboats, no one is getting rich here

I'm genuinely excited about the Weta and to help it expand here on the West Coast.

As I said in one of the yahoo groups: It will be a bit different than it was with Dave B. - that man poured his heart and soul into a single boat for almost 6 years! - but I don't think the enthusiasm of the class or the passion of the sailors will decrease at all.

We intend to be good stewards of the boat in our neck of the woods and help promote it here.

Worldwide, I don't know of anything else like it, so I imagine it will have a long and healthy lifecycle!

 

[Hot Donutz]

I heard that Weta sold out of it's most recent run at the factory. True? Sorry if I seem to be giving you guys a hard entry into the class. I realize that the class should and will make a big jump, going from basically a garage distributorship to the big guns up in Portland. It's just that it's...up in Portland. But hey, the bright side? NO MORE SALES TAX! Order the man a pink kite.

 

[Wess]

Help me understand the Portland thing? Why is that a big deal? Are they more than just another regional rep?

No criticism intended... just not following.

Thanks.

 

[nzsailorchick]

West Coast Sailing who are based in Portland are the new Weta distributor for the West Coast of the USA. The old distributor, Dave, lives near San Francisco.

For more info see:

http://www.wetamarine.com/about/news/606-weta-west-wraps-up

http://www.wetamarine.com/about/news/600-weta-welcomes-new-distributor

 

[WestCoast]

Ha, big guns, I like that

Distribution point doesn't matter much, and WA and California customers will still have to pay their taxes like normal.

We just have a full staff, a 30,000SF warehouse with probably 95 small sailboats in stock, the resources to attend more shows, reach out to more sub-dealers, stock more products and distribute goods all over the West Coast.

(holy run on sentence!)

We have experience shipping boats accross the country and around the world. We'll be able to support our West Coast Weta dealer network hopefully better than ever.

Not pimping what we do, but we try to be very good at it and we're happy to add Weta to the mix:

http://www.westcoastsailing.net/aboutus/

The goal is to support the class as it grows.

And boats are readily available at the moment, demand is high, but we'll have boats in stock in multiple colors ready for your sailing pleasure

 

[nzsailorchick]

RedTuna asked for a video of the 12.9 being hoisted and dropped, so I found some footage and made one.

This is Chris on his first sail with the 12.9 when we had just decided on the current system. It's to windy for the intended wind range of the sail, but it should give you an idea of how we see it being used. This is not a replacement sail for the standard 8m, but it will make the boat more competitive in light winds and two up. However I'm not sure how much difference it makes in windy weather.

Have a look and let me know what you think

 

[xonk1]

The 12.9 looks like a good effort to provide more sail area in light conditions and allow folks to sail deeper/faster. That said, it looks awkward to use. Seems to violate the WETA concept of simplicity and general ease of use. Might be fun for general sailing but probably not a good idea in the one-design racing environment. Keep it Simple! Happy Sailing, Knox Rodgers

 

[Pete Pollard]

Would you care to give us a quick comparison of the Weta to your F16?

 

[xonk1]

I sailed the WETA briefly several years ago when it first came to the US courtesy of Jon Britt. I cannot say that I have a good sense of the WETA's performance now for comparison.Too much time has passed. I will sail the WETA again ( demo ) at Charlotte Harbor Regatta and will charter for four days at WetatFest. That should give me plenty of experience for comparison. My sense is that the WETA and the F16 are quite different. Both have excellent qualities. We are back to the eternal quest to find the right boat for each sailor at any certain moment in his/her life. Happy Sailing, Knox Rodgers

 

[Pete Pollard]

Good luck to you.

 

[Wess]

With the caveat that I own and race an F27 - not a Weta (though I have demo sailed the boat and am interested), this was my reaction too...

Or maybe limit its use to a 2 person class?

The 12.9 looks like a good effort to provide more sail area in light conditions and allow folks to sail deeper/faster. That said, it looks awkward to use. Seems to violate the WETA concept of simplicity and general ease of use. Might be fun for general sailing but probably not a good idea in the one-design racing environment. Keep it Simple! Happy Sailing, Knox Rodgers

 

[cfarrah]

It's not class legal...was developed solely for PHRF racing by Weta. For OD events, the standard spinnaker is all that is allowed...

Weta is all about keeping it simple Knox. Looking forward to seeing you at WetaFest.

C.