Formula 14 development

On the F-14 site it states that the max beam is 8'-0"....is that still the case? Are all the other box rules still accurate? Darryl???
Regards,
Bob

Darryl...let me try this one more time...is the F14 max beam 7'-6

or 8'-0

? On the F-14 web site it says 8'-0

on my A&O DVD it says 7'-6

Which is it? Your response would be greatly apreciated
Regards,
Bob

Darryl? Berney? Anyone out there? I guess that means I can set the beam width at anything I feel like when the time comes...works for me.

Maz beam for the F14

class

is 8' - the max beam of the AO F14 is 7'6" as that is the beam that we calculated as being the best for all round performance for the Alpha. Just because the max beam allowable is 8' there is nothing wrong with being less than the maximum - just not over.

Thanks Darryl...I figured that if I went rouge I could elicit a response...LOL

Here is where I am at with my F14 project...Changed course from building a full fiberglass female mold to foam strip construction in a female wood jig...Put my foam plug to good use as I took templates off of it for my female jig. I have posted most of this on the homebuilt forum but thought I might as well put it here too since it does deal with a F14.

Best Regards,
Robert

Looks grate, is it your own design?

Thanks Gato...Yes it's my own design...tried to take inspiration from the latest offerings and run in my own direction with it. This design is definitly colored by my personal experience with high speed power boats and a couple decades of surfboard and sailboard design/construction.

As with every boat design, I build on a foundation of those who have walked a similar path before me and are generous enough to share their experience.

Best Regards,
Robert

Nice work mate, I'll follow your progress with great interest!!!
What is the min. weight of F14?

Thank you engineer...Here is a site that gives the F14 box rules.

http://www.formula14.yachting.org.au/

I'm going to build a F14 as I think it's the ultimate cat for me after building 2 F12:s and 2 F16:s. One is on the smaller side and the other too big 100kg+.
Still I think it's possible to end up around 60-65 kg for a F14 cat without using carbon.

Hope you will do your usual excellent photomentary of the build.

To take advantage of the most recent design trends I did a total revamp of my F14 design.
Including:
1) Broadening the hull from 9-1/2

to 14

wide
2) Completely changed the section shape
3) Add slightly more rocker profile

Almost finished with rebuilding the jig...here is the Starboard side Jig roughly completed…

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I like the look of that! Are you planning on building in wood or foam/glass?

Thanks Jalani...Foam and S2 glass/Kevlar, I already have the fabric...went to buy the 3/8" H80 Divinicell from my usual supplier (Merritt Marine In Palm Beach) and they said it would take 3 months to get it here from Europe...They just put in an order and their whole order is taking that long...Merritt is a major wholesaler to the Marine Industry down her in South Florida. Haven't been able to find another source (Divinicell or Corecell) that is not a couple of thousand miles away with $200+ shipping for the 7 sheets I will need.

I went ahead and ordered it from Merritt, but now I am kind of dead in the water...trying to find the lay-up schedule for a carbon version of the aluminum superwing in the mean time...

Finally got the divinicell cut and routed...got a bit of a start on the first half of the first hull.

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Glad to see you're back into it. I like the jigs you've built - they look very neat. Please keep us lazy voyeurs up to date with progress. <img src="<>/smile.gif" alt="smile" title="smile" height="15" width="15" />

Thanks John for the complement...this build is going to have to go in spurts, as time permits. Tackled the tight chine radius this morning...worked well considering the compound curve the strips were required to make.

Worked on the sheer this evening...so all the basic foam for one half of one hull has been glued in place....the epoxy/glass bubbles were too wet on the new work to trim the foam tight to the jig.

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Edge trimed closer... and stood right side up you can get a better look at what she is going to look like. Because the photo was taken at 45 degree angle, it is a little out of perspective, its leaner than it looks here...click on the photos for larger version...

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Update...foam for both half's of hull #1 glued up...slow but steady progress. Couldn't resist popping one of them out of the jig and weighing it...as you can see 6 lbs 12 oz for one half of a hull...foam only.

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Seeker, you might want to make yourself known here, there are a whole lot of people looking to buy your boat.

Scarecrow, thanks for the heads up...that's an interesting thread they have going on over there about building a rigid wing for a 14'-16' Cat or Tri...

A topic I was interested in exploring. With the cost of a carbon mast and a set of new sails being so high, it is very attractive to weigh the advantages of a rigid wing.

One of the most attractive aspects of it is the possibility of building the sail as well as the boat itself...

Seeker, do you have much to spare in your weight budget? Given most of it can be built from scraps in your build a wing could turn out quite cheap. Particularly if you're happy not to twist the first section.

Scarecrow...great tip...I threw out a laundry list of very specific questions over there on rigid wing design and Steve Clark gave very specific answers to every one of them...has to be an internet first...no beating around the bush...no generalities...nothing vague...straight question...straight answer. Steve was incredibly generous with his expertise. Thank you again for the redirect.

After you promting, I have spent many, many hours of research on the net. The prospect of building a rigid wing in place of conventional mast and soft sails seems very plausible at this point, and not nearly as bazaar as it is made out to be.

It'll be one hell of a result if you build a lightweight 14 footer with a rigid wing! You'll certainly generate a lot of interest!!

Seeker, I thought that there was a max. girth for the mast of an F14?

You are so right... That is one of the few restraints on the F14 design.Will it stop me from persue a solid wing sail? Not at all. A rigid wing suitable for a 14' cat is looking very promising, if it proves feasable, I am going for it. If I go this route I will respect the F14 Class and call my cat something else...

Regards,
Robert

call it a F14+

I have a way to go in completing my platform before the rig becomes a critical issue.I am hoping by that time, Steve Clark will have finalized his current work on build plans for a rigid wing suitable in size for 14'-16' cat's & Tri's.

Regards,
Robert

lesburn1, doesn't the tornado class have allowances for experimental variations? Sail # with an

X

or something to that effect?

Regards,
Robert

AS the

practical

interest in the F14 (lots of interest in the concept but very few

on the water

F14 cats) did not seem to

happen

, it was voted on some two years ago to make the only restriction on the class the length IE an F14 is any

multi hull

sailing vessel that does not exceed 14' in hull length. Everything else is open. This makes the F14 a fully development class that, if multi hulls are built within that one measurement restriction, eventually the practical design limitations will soon be self regulating.