Razor4 and Cobra5...developing the themes

[mudhenk27]

I thought you might be interested in my latest developments with Razor and Cobra designs using foam panels.

I've decided to go to Orlando with a 300 gram boat this year. I had a chance to sail Razor4 a bit and was happy with its performance. I can never leave well enough alone, though...there's always another idea to try. So I'm building Cobra5. The two boats are very similar, but Cobra5 has a finer bow, made by twisting the panels. I'm pleased with how well it went together. The only thing I'm not thrilled about is that C5 fits so tight in the box that I had to move the rudder forward to get enough throw...there's always tradeoffs.

Hope I can try Cobra5 before March, but I think it LOOKS fast...which seems like a good reason to pick it!

The pics are jumbled together...can't figure out how to sequence them, but the names tell you which boat it is when you highlight a pic.

Happy holidays to all.................Bill

[Walt H]

Bill,

Is Razor 4 the same boat that you sailed in the Region 1 race in September? Or have you made significant changes?

Walt H.

[mudhenk27]

Walt, that was Cobra4...my first foamie hull. That race was its first, and the rig was a bit too far forward. That prevented me from being able to point well enough to keep up with the leaders. After that race I put in another mast tube and improved her abilities. Razor4 was built since then, and Cobra5 is a sort of combination of developments from both.

Bill

[Dick Lemke]

Bil - there are three mast tubes in the hull - but only one thru deck. Does that mean you tested before applying the deck - or are there plug/patches to cover the unused tubes allowing them to be used if needed?

Dick

[mudhenk27]

Hey Dick, there's only one tube on Razor4....based on prior experience I was confident putting it in, and got lucky, too. Cobra5 has 3 tubes...for two reasons. First, the centers of flotation and gravity are a bit farther aft on this boat than my last few, so I'm less confident. Second, I have a new rig to test with a different center of effort that seems to indicate a more forward position than my other rigs. Hopefully, one of the three options will be good!

Bill

[Niel]

I use three tubes in all my boats, the versatility is worth the bit of extra weight.

Nice looking boats you've got there Bill. You should take them out to dinner though and buy them a hearty meal!

[marcsmith]

she's a skinny little tramp....

[mudhenk27]

OK guys....I can take the abuse....but I prefer to think of them as "lean and mean!"

Bill

[Niel]

Lean and mean, eh? And here I thought you were just running out of materials!

[mudhenk27]

These difficult financial times require frugality