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PostPosted: Sat Mar 24, 2018 8:22 pm 
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Site Rank - Deck Hand

Joined: Sat Mar 24, 2018 8:04 pm
Posts: 2
Hello all!

So I've been sailing for about 14 years and raced very competitively for at least 5 of those years in both 16's and an f18 or two once in a blue moon. I took about a 3 year hiatus though and am finally really starting to get back into just "fun sailing" again and have been thinking about making the upgrade from my old 16 to maybe a higher end cat like the Tiger. The F18's I've sailed in the past were so much fun it was unreal, and the idea of getting back into one of them again really has me thinking...

However, before I pull the trigger on something like this I was hoping I could get a few questions answered. First, how solo-able is the tiger? I almost always sail with a crew, but there are plenty of days that the weather is perfect and I cant find anyone to come with me... So, I was curious if something like the tiger, or wildcat for that matter, is a boat that can really be single-manned.

Second, I was wondering about maintenance and general upkeep of these boats. Do they generally require a lot of constant money being put into the boat? If so, about how much per year do you think it would cost to upkeep a Tiger or Wildcat? (not including boat storage and such)

Finally, how worth it do you think an F18 is if it probably wont be raced very often? Dont get me wrong, I absolutely plan to race it when I have time...but the amount of fun I've had on those boats just makes me think how incredible it would be to just fly around on one weekend after weekend. However, if there is a strong opinion here that these boats are really only to be used as racing boats and aren't really worth the price tag otherwise, I'd love to hear those opinions!

Cheers all,

Luc


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PostPosted: Wed Mar 28, 2018 7:39 am 
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Site Rank - Old Salt

Joined: Sun Jul 06, 2008 8:21 am
Posts: 351
Location: Eagle, Idaho
Hello Luc,
You have been on a couple F18's so the question you should ask yourself is where are you going to sail? and how do you want to manage the boat for beaching and launching. The F18 need to be babied with pads and wheels, its not like your H16 or an H18 where you can drive them onto the beach. Don't try this with a Tiger https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M8-rkQNCYQg

On the water the Tiger is great and very fun to sail! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DzYWyCS0dVQ 2 more cents its best to have an exit strategy on the Tiger see video at about the 1:19 point. I think on a side tip over the Tiger ejects you more to the center of the main sail, where the H16 you hit the trailing edge (I note this for yearly cost concern). Both the H16 and Tiger create great pitch pull photo ops see youtube for more examples.

I have only had my Tiger for a year and a half so I'm still getting used to the difference between my old H18SX with Tiger spin setup. I have soloed some in wind under 10 and find it manageable but I'm still working on how to de-power when needed (learning curve).

I raced the Delta Ditch Run last year and it was blowing about 30 and managed to survive with only flipping once (crash tack to avoiding collision with foiling kite boarder that didn't understand the physics of TONNAGE).

Where are you located? There are a couple Tiger's in California for sale.

_________________
Corkguy H18, Tiger, Wildcat


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PostPosted: Thu Apr 05, 2018 7:48 am 
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Site Rank - Deck Hand

Joined: Sat Mar 24, 2018 8:04 pm
Posts: 2
Hi,

Thank you for your reply! This all makes good sense and I think at this point I'm more or less set on purchasing one. I'll be sailing in a very large lake out of a yacht club which honestly looks like it should be plenty of room for me. It also has a nice launching dock which will make that part easier.

The only question I guess I really have at this point is where I can find one in decent shape for sale, haha.

Currently I live in Texas but would be happy to make the drive out to CA if it meant a good boat at a reasonable price. Would you mind possibly PM-ing me about any Tigers you know of that are for sale in CA? I would certainly be interested in at least taking a look at them.

Cheers,

Luc


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