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[jdallstrungout]

Good morning S2 7.9 members,
Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Joel Doyle and I live in Rochester, NY on the Lake Ontario shore. I have been an avid sailor for 25 years. I daysail and cruise my home waters on my highly modified 23 ft trailer sailer. I have crewed at the Youngstown Level Regatta and the LYRA regattas held locally as well as nearby club races. I have been reseaching the purchase of a boat that would be suitably competative for racing and would also be a lively daysailer and weekend cruiser. The S2 7.9 seems to be a winner for this intent. I would appreciate any and all feedback related to making an intelligent purchase. I have reviewed most of the S2 7.9 racing rules and would like to address the area of owner modifcations.
Question-Do the rules allow for "illegal" modifications than can be restored to class regulation at races? Such as, moving the traveler to a bridge deck position for personal use then returning it to midcockpit for racing.
As an engineer I often design and fabricate items that facilitate single-handed sailing so little "improvements" are an evolutionary process for me.

I would want to race my 7.9 but I don't want to stray to far from the class rule with my relentless puttering.

Thanx in advance

[Tom Elsen]

Hello Joel

So long as you can (and do) restore the original design and functionality, just the presence of additional gear is not a problem. The question of what is legal revolves mainly around functionality. As long as the original design functionality is intact and used, you won't have a problem.

That said, the type of modifications you're talking about would detract from the resale value of your boat. And I surely can't say what PHRF would do, so best to check with your local authority for handicapping decisions.

Now, the 7.9 is a great boat. But if you're a hobbyist / engineer / tinkerer, you might be better served by a boat that is more amenable to such things. Look at Merit 25s or Tartan 10s or Capri 25s or other such designs. If you want to boost your racing skills, look at the one-design classes that are strong in your area. Move in the direction of your primary interest. Just MHO, but a boat with a lot of purposes, is usually one that does serves none of them well.

[jdallstrungout]

Tom,
Thanks so much for the feedback. That's how I had interpreted the rules so I guess I'm on the right track. The One design classes strong in my locality don't really work for me. The only easily trailerable class is the Hobie 16 fleet 295 and little cats are obviously not suitable for weekending. That's why the 7.9 stood out. I'm not sure how to translate your last statement. Are you saying that the 7.9 was designed to do so many things (trailer/cuiser/racer) that it is not really good in either one, or were you poking a little fun at my expense?
JD

[Tom Elsen]

Hi Joel

I wasn't poking fun at all. Sorry for the confusion.

The 7.9 is a very good all around boat. But if you're going to spend most of your time cruising factor that in to the equation. Maybe a 7.9 IB is a good bet. Maybe something else is as well.

If trailering is a significant part of the requirement, maybe a well-kept 6.9 is a better bet. It takes a lot (and some pretty crafty engineering) for two people to set up / take down a 7.9. It's likely not something you'd do for a weekend adventure.

If racing is your primary interest, my strong preference is one-design if at all available. If not, then go for a racing-oriented boat. There, maybe a 7.9 OB is a good bet. So are some other designs at considerably less expense.

[Tom Line]

I suspect that one of the things Tom is worried about is the ease of raising the mast up and down for cruising.

It can be a bit of a challenge with 2 people, though a number of folks here do it with setups that can be found on the 7.9 page.

If you're going to wetsail the boat, then it will be a great boat for you.

If you intend to do one design racing, you'll want to look for a boat with an outboard motor. If you plan on doing the occasional PHRF racing with am emphais on cruising, I would strongly suggest the inboard.

My wife (definitely the cruiser while I am the "racer") thinks that the interior of the boat is a bit spartan. If she had her way she'd have a permanent holding tank, a functional sink in a much more usable location, and a bit more storage area.

Of course, I think the boat is perfect - from the performance point of view. (Who wants a real toilet on a boat...?)

[jdallstrungout]

Tom,
As a matter of fact, you nailed it. Thats pretty much my plan. As there is no local 7.9 fleet the bulk of my racing will be PHRF. We have a half a dozen or so local regattas that the 7.9 would be perfect for, and that will be my initial focus. As I get more aquainted with the sailing characteristics it would be no great hardship to pack her up and trailer to a class race. As I had mentioned earlier I live on the Lake O shoreline and my slip is my back yard, so wet sailing will be the rule. I have been doing intense research here on this site as well as related sources and like what I see so far.
Thanx for the feedback
JD

[LarryE-old]

I believe the 7.9 is a great way to go. We sail year round and race at least twice a month. Still racing is only 50% of our sailing. Wife would prefer more room below and inboard power. However she is OK with the way it is as it does everything well, at least for us.
I to am an engineer and am always looking to make things work better, within class rules.
As for raising the mast, two people, 20 minutes. One person will take a while longer, you will be suprised what you can do with a Cat. 5 hurricane comming.

[tpf]

The 7.9 is a fun boat - very responsive and it will tell you if you do something wrong. I purchased the boat because I wanted something that was a good boat to race and still have fun with my family.

I added a Harken flex furler which makes a world of difference for family sailing. There is not a lot of open deck space so putting away a 155 with a wife and two kids is not easy. It uses the same luff tape so I take the drum off for racing and put it on for cruising.

My boat is an inboard and it is nice for cruising but I have found the prop does not fold unless I dive down and fold it by hand.

I race mostly PHRF against (2) Capri 25's, (1) J24, (1) Impulse 26, (1) J80, (1) Benateu 32 and a couple of Lippincott 30's. The boat is very competitive and will sail to the rating under most conditions. If it does not do well it is usually not the boat.

For cruising a grill on the stern rail is a must - I have had some of the best steaks of my life from that little grill. I am not sure if the steak was that good or if 10 hours on the tiller made me so hungry that a shoe would have been great but all I remember was it was good.

Good luck!

[jdallstrungout]

Wow!! What a great bunch you all are. This is the kind a info I need. It makes me want to run right out and buy the 1st 7.9 I see. But I will take note of all your advice before that. I can't wait to race you!!! Weeeeeeeeeeeeee!
JD

[Ripper]

Glad I'm not the only one on lake Ontario with a 7.9. Although I'm in Toronto, I hope to see a class start in the near future.

I have just bought hull #241 IB this year and and after a little FG repair, she should be out hunting bear on the PHRF course. If you're half as excited about getting one as I was, wait until you get one.

Sorry I missed the CCR, definitely be there next year. This sounds like a class who has fun.

As a side note, there were only two 9.1's on the lake. Now there are five and they will have a start next w/e at Bronte. Big plans for next year.

The S2's are coming...the S2's are coming.

Hopefully, you sir are number 2.

[jdallstrungout]

Yo ho Ripper,
I've zeroed in on 4 boats so far. 2 in the midwest, 1 northeast, and 1 southeast. Got to do a road trip or plane flight to see any of them so this might take some clever planning. Fortunately I have family everywhere so I can do some visting at the same time. Maybe when the dust settles and I've made my choice we'll all meet at a class event. You are all making me very comfortable with this design. Thanks for the input and keep it coming.
JD

[jdallstrungout]

Hello group-Me again,
A couple of the 7.9s I'm looking at are inboard auxilliary. What is the general consensus on the integrity of the drive components. One of my primary motivations toward the design is the variable draft feature. My home port is notorius for sandbars that I can easily navigate with my centerboard boat(15" draft). However my outboard will nick the tops of the bars during heavy swells. The kickup feature prevents damage to the propeller. Are the external components (shaft, cutlass,prop) of the 7.9 situated above or below max draft? And what is the true max draft? I've seen it identified anywhere between 13" and 17".
Thanx again-JD

[tpf]

I am not sure it will work that well in water that thin - The boat draws 13" with the board all the way up and you need at least 12" of center board for directional control. You will also need to raise the rudder which is not real easy to get down and pinned. I am not sure how much control you will have with the rudder up - never tried it.

Good luck

[jdallstrungout]

My normal mode thru the subject skinny water is to reduce draft as much as required on both appendages and always under power. My centerboarder will track reasonably well under these conditions and the hull geometry is similar to the 7.9. I would suppose that an aggressive downhaul would facilitate returning the rudder to sail draft. My biggest concern is al those exposed drive components. But thanx for the feedback
JD

[Jim Kloss]

We've marked our centerboard so we know when it is still protecting the shaft, skeg and prop. About 18" draft, I figure. We've gone so shallow I couldn't start the engine because the prop was burried without doing noticable damage. So I think the components are all pretty rugged -- but you still need 18' of water and let the CB protect the mechanicals. Steering with the rudder kicked up (even a little) is no fun at all and I wouldn't want to do it in difficult conditions.

Jim Kloss
s/v Ambivalence
S2 7.9 #8