Yes that was me out there, with the 2 other resident mothists on a chase boat and rest assured the real foils are coming shortly. We did achieve liftoff and some rides of a couple of minutes duration before the boat got too high, cavitated and went on a mining expedition. Those foils were knocked up off an old centreboard for a completely different boat and are about 1/2 as long as they should be, so the decisive lack of control due to flying too high and losing all lateral resistance was to be expected. The new foil moulds are done, the boats are being modded at the moment so they don’t break under the extra stress (photos will be up shortly of 9255 and 9228) and to suit the control wands, we will be doing materials testing this week and laying up the first set next weekend if all goes to plan. As far as spending the mega-bucks in R+D costs… think again. MDF is cheap, having mates who have a CAD router helps and also having some help from suppliers makes the R+D costs very reasonable indeed. The new ones are somewhat more mainstream in their design (with bow sensor and flaps) and are simply there to get the boats flying; none of us are spending Rohan Veal’s kinda money on pre-preg Illet foils; nor do we expect the same kind of performance out of our older, heavier boats (Lazich 2s and a Twyman one-off from about 10 years ago) as Rohan and the other foilers out there at the moment sailing HT foilers or Prowlers either. We’re high (or will be), but not in ‘that’ way… well, not all of us at least!

Btw… I didn’t see you out there… but I do know that sufferers of the archimedian rare bathtub rash disease… I mean laser sailors… were out there earlier on the day we went foiling when I had my Lazich out without the foils. You didn’t happen to be one of those folk are you? Seriously dude, I’m interested to know what qualifies you to rain on my attempts of have a little light-hearted fun… if you happen to be that certain laser sailor who i noticed illegally epoxying his mast step a couple of weeks back and felt it’d be his place to ask exactly why i was rigging a kayak with a sail, I suggest that you shut your virtual yap until this issue can be properly raised over a couple of friendly brewski’s at the bar. The ‘net is not a place to whinge and moan; it’s here for porn and self-enhancing one’s ego.

Either way, I suggest you try it before you consign our attempts to do something different to the loony-bin.

And, yes, the ‘oath’ was a blatent rip-off of the crews oath from the 12 footers. I’m lining up to crew at the Intl. skiff regatta / 12 nats at the end of the year on a 12, and have heard many stories about 12 antics (including that of the oath), which are directly translatable to moth antics (except that it is possible to steal someones moth and rig it inside a building, complete with rudder and centreboard… try that with a 12, i dare you!!).

regards
foil-a-lot / foil enthusiast / nutcase

If you really want in; the usual first step is to a) swear the mothist oath (ie. I solumnly swear I will never sail a laser, bethwaite boat or other SMOD piece of trash again, signed and dated Johnsee) and then b) go buy a moth and c) sail said moth. Once you have gotten past the swimming stage and progressed to the flying stage, then you may yet prove to be a true zen mothist, grasshopper.

Alternatively a nice little sponsorship package c/o LSD and/or globecast headed my, foilzilla’s and foils mcgee’s way for the purposes of funding the aforementioned foil contruction may result in a drastic change of mind to the gain of the occasional foil ride for OG and/or yourself. We already have support from our respective workplaces, but any assistance that is willingly forthcoming will be gladly accepted and appreciated.

Come say hi tomorrow if you’re around…

regards
the nut on the end of the foils

I want in. They look like so much fun… and also my chance to one day prove to OG that I am a far superior sailor to her :D

Open day is the plan. Carbon is being bought en-masse as we speak and the moulds are ready. Test flights occured 3 weeks ago (with reasonable success). We’re all hooked and one of us has copious amounts of spare/boatbuilding time. Will do joyflights/publicity stunts for all (bar Johnsee for fear of breakages, random carnage and general sillyness) on the day.

The moth has returned… muhahaha.