Rich - not sure if appropriate here or in the PUB, but how is the F3 that you were building? I miss getting your emails as construction continued, and am wondering if it finally is done, and how it sails?
Care to offer any comments or observations on the building construction, the performance of the boat? How does it sail against other multihulls with/without foilers - or are you the lone boat in the Chicago area?
Much has been posted here by the manufacturer, but would sure be nice to get/read an honest opinion of owner (knowing of course, it’s considerable cost).
Appreciate an update or overview of findings since it was completed — performance, ease of building, parts missing, parts fitting, “pain-in-the-butt” processes you didn’t like, expectations versus actual performance, thoughts on the Wing Tip Rig, weeds on foils, etc.
Pretty much what you would say if you were approached by someone interested in puchasing the boat as a possible first multihull experience.
hmmmmmmmmmm
this is good. the owner of the company tell you what his product does? unbelievable
doug the question was directed at matt. but thank you for that commercial. i always enjoy a good laugh
cougar
long live the cup
un believeable
It is nice to see you have learned how to make a link and reference to your website page(s) for further information on your products and ideas. Too bad it took this long to learn how to do it, and we all had to be subject to some many similar and repetitive posts in the past.
Hopefully it is a sign that future “information in greater detail” can also be handled in the same manner for future refence to your products and ideas.
I honestly expected a long, detailed (and repetitive)explanation of the merits and benefits of building/buying and sailing a foiler as was customary in the past. This truly is a breakthru and watershed moment!
Based on his comments posted on your site, it still seems there is a bit of an issue if this truly is a beginner’s boat or not - as he noted some issues with setup, and especially sailing the boat. I guess we will be kept informed of any other posts that appear on your web site in a similar manner, and again thank you for your consideration for keeping your response specific, on target and (thankfully) not repetitive.
I still would like to know Rich’s thoughts on the entire process - from ordering to building to making a lot of phone calls to final performance. And lastly, now that he has it - what does he do with it and who/where does he race it?
Rich Matt bought the first F3 kit: the kit is NOT SUITABLE for a beginner. An expert builder and sailor is required to complete and set up the kit.(no previous multihull experience is necessary)
A ready to sail F3 or X3 is suitable for a beginner because the technical set up is already done. An F3 is a FIXED foiler and without lite air modifications(such as removing the wands) it is a dog in lite air non-foiling conditions. In those conditions the wands cause the flaps on the foils to go to the full down(takeoff) positon and are VERY draggy. The boat can be configured to sail well in lite conditions by removing the wands and removing the hydrofoil/fin combination and substituting a daggerboard only each side. But no one has done that to my knowledge…
A retractable foiler solves the light air performance problem by retracting the main foils/wand system entirely.
Again, NO foiler is a suitable build project for a beginner at sailing or building;experts only need apply.
A fully completed and set up foiler can be an excellent boat for a first time multihuller…
I remember seeing emails from you and Bill regarding a hull leak issue and those emails took place well before the photos of Rich’s boat started coming by email !
Or did Rich hold off building for a great deal of time after receiving the kit? If Hoj bought his boat after Rich did - he never indicated he had any construction photos to work from. Also Cris Traiser (Mpls) indicated he had neither instructions for tuning or photos when we sailed with him and his Foiler up here.
I definitely know that Rich was still building his boat when we were trying to sail the Minneapolis F3 !
I’m not sure when Hoj got the pictures but I know Rich sent them fairly soon after Hoj got the kit. I have a copy here of the F3 manual that was sent with Chris Traisers boat; I’ve also been available by phone or e-mail for any questions; both are published on my website.Chris Traisers boat is the F3 that was featured on the cover of issue 125 of Model Yachting and is also the boat pictured in the video on the microSAIL! site.
As to a “hull leak issue” the problem ,as I remember it, was caused by water testing the hulls BEFORE the flange was finished. Because of the way the hulls are built they are delivered bonded together but with an unfinished flange that is part of the kit finishing process. If the hulls are water tested before the flange is finished they will possibly leak. I don’t think I included that fact in previous instructions since it never occured to me that an unfinished hull would be water tested.
Rich definitely got his F3 prior to Hoj by probably a month or more…
Advertisement when I bought the boat said “Hulls complete only cosmetic work required”. They now say " Hulls nearly ready for painting - already primed, all cosmetic work predone. There were 13 file folders of instructions. I could not work on 1-6 because of missing material ( there are no parts you need a machine shop to build this boat. Looked at amas hulls. There are primed except for a 1/32" gap at the flange which is filled flush with hull surface. Went to folder #7 " Cosmetic - Painting " Now is the time to do all cosmetic work ----DO NOT SAND THE PRIMER OFF because it will expose pin holes. I immersed hull in water before proceeding with wet sanding/priming flange joint to check for pin hole leaks. The water came into hull at the whole 1/32" joint. Hull had 6oz.of water in seconds. Luckily the transom joint is so bad it all poured right out. Doug’s reply "Experienced should have been your guide as to whether or not to immerse unfinished hulls in water. The final water tight integrity of any thin model hull comes from the final finish process. Since you made that mistake you need to drill drain holes in the transom and allow the insides to thoroughly dry before proceeding. ME - "water tight integrity with final finish process "PAINT " .
There were some issues about missing parts from Mr. Hojnacki.When notified that the parts were missing I immediately re-shipped them.
Mr. Hojacki received the second F3; Rich Matt the first. Rich supplied Mr. Hojnacki with step by step construction photographs that he took during the construction process.
Rich Matt found and suggested some points that could improve the kit; it was my first kit and there were areas that could be improved. Nevertheless, Rich built his boat in about 2 1/2 months and Mr. Hojnacki has yet to complete his.
Mr. Hojnacki was informed BEFORE PURCHASE that the F3 should be attempted by expert builders only.
There was no material list and I could not tell if the material was missing till I got to that part of the construction. There was no file I could work on because of missing material. Do we want to go through step by step why the boat is not complete starting with purchasing, delivery, missing material, quality, fit, instructions-dimensions, 5/8" holes drilled? punched in the bottom of the amas hulls that don’t belong there. Lemke is interested. Anyone else? Why are you e-mailing me at home. I can read you here. I see today that you are doing almost all of the assembly yourself for the same price. Little x’s with no dimensions on a sketch do not make for precise construction and fit. 5/8" holes that have to be drilled in 1" diam 3/16" thick tubing that have to line up in four places to fit into four tubes 72" apart and slide in and out. A procedure everyone can do at home. Not one of our members even has a drill press. Let alone the capabilities of lining them all up to the tolerances required. What’s the use you are always right. All I got was confrontations not help. Trying to build this boat has been one of the worst experiences of my life. You were 3 months late with delivery (boat to be shipped 2 wks. after receiving 2nd check) so I asked you to send instructions so I could make templates for hull and fin set up. These dimensions weren’t even right. Months later you said if I returned boat in same crate you would fix the wrongs if they were yours which you said weren’t anyway. Like I still had the crate. Why is my main sail is 2" shorter than Matt’s. You say that can’t happen. Then we quit speaking. The main sail is 3 1/2" away from the boom. Show me that on any of you picture. This is useless. I stop. Promised myself to not get upset about this boat again. You brought this out in public. I was letting you go.