Bladerider FAQ's

Design

Q. Who designed the Bladerider and what experience do they have?
A. Andrew McDougall is the Bladerider cheif designer and has been designing and building International Moth hulls and sails since 1980 and has produced numerous National and World Champion designs.

Q. What is the hull shape like and what are the main differences over other Moth hull shapes?
A. The shape of the Bladerider is an advancement over the Hungry Tiger and Prowler. Our testing showed that the Prowler hull was significantly faster low-riding than the Hungry Tiger, so we did a lot of analysis on these two shapes to find out why. We also took into account the lift available from the foils at higher low-riding speeds (the hull sits higher in the water even when not foiling). The result was a finer bow, straighter rocker, flatter bottom, squarer chines. We then improved the stern shape to get cleaner liftoff. For foiling, the main aim was to reduce weight and windage so the flares were reduced and the freeboard at the front was lowered.

Q. How do the wings attach to the hull and how long do they take to put together?
A. The front wings, along with the mast base, slot into tubes encased by the bulkhead frame. The rear wings are attached by U bolts. The wing covers slot into an integral track on the gunwale and only laced at the front using a clever method to tighten across the wings. It should not take more than 40 minutes to put the wings and gantry on the first time.

Q. What design or NACA section have you used for the foils?
A. The sections are as yet not published designs. For the lifting foils the starting point was NACA 63-412 and Tom Speer's H105. Andrew McDougall spent several months analyzing many standard sections, derivations, and many totally new attempts. The challenge was to create a foil that had high lift-drag ratios at 6 knots and at least as good as the others at top end speeds. As pure section lift-drag ratio predicted by X-Foil, the gains over the NACA 63-412 are really significant from 7 to 20 knots.

Q. What is that long stick hanging from the bow of the boat?
A. It is called a 'wand'. It controls the altitude of the boat automatically via a series of push rods and connections, through the boat, and down to the centerboard main-foil flap.. The wand is offset from the centerline of the hull for practical reasons and to avoid the disturbance a central wand creates over the foils.

Q. Why do foils have the vertical curves in them?
A. The downward curve in the center gives greater lift, the upward curve in the tips helps reduce tip vortex. The rudder foil has more than the center foil as the centerfoil is restricted by the need to keep it straight for the flap hinge.

Construction

Q. Who is building the Bladerider?
A. McConaghy Boats are manufacuring the boats on behalf of Bladerider International. McConaghy has many years experience in building carbon composite boats of all sizes.

Q. What sort of hull weight can I expect?
A. The hulls are around 8.5kg unpainted and around 10kgs (22lbs) painted and finished.

Q. What will be the total weight of the boat including foils?
A. Just on 30kgs (66lbs).

Q. What fittings and rope will be used on the boat?
A. The Bladerider will be supplied completely fitted out with Ronstan fittings and FSE Robline ropes.

General Enquiries

Q. Do you have a junior training or high wind sail available?
A. We will be working on a smaller 7m sail in 2007.

Q. Is the boat being sold as a development design or a one design?
A. The Bladerider will be sold to fit within the International Moth Class rules so therefore there is nothing stopping anyone from customizing their Bladerider within the International Moth Class rules for Moth Class championships. However it is the intention that the Bladerider design will be frozen for at least twelve months after the first production boat is made. However we may introduce an upgraded model at any time if there is improvements to be made in the speed, assembly and ease of use.

Q. I have heard that you are pitching the Bladerider X8 as a one design class to ISAF for a possible future Olympic Games?
A. Based on feedback and comments that we have received over the last few years, we feel that ISAF might be interested in something like the Bladerider for a future Olympic event and therefore we are open to any suggestions or discussion they might have. However at this stage the Bladerider will continue to be sold as a mass production boat and to fit within the International Moth Class rules.

Q. Do you have a demo boat that I can test sail?
A. Yes, we will have demonstration boats available in various locations around the world. It is best to contact either an Ambassador, Reseller or us for more details.

Q. What events will your boats be showcased at?
A. Yes, a list of shows, demos and regattas with the Bladerider X8 can be viewed on our events calendar.

Sailing

Q. What sort of sailing skill do I need to sail a Bladerider?
A. It has been proven that you do not need much or if any dinghy sailing experience, however what is more important is good balance, fitness and determination to learn and go fast! It is not uncommon for beginners to tip over 30 times in their first session, however we find that those that have sailed a 29er or 49er before, seem to fly the Bladerider very easily.

Q. How are the foils put in, are they retractable?
A. The foils are inserted from the bottom generally on land or in 1m of water. They can be raised for easy launching in as little as 50cms of water, however it is ideal that you have at least 1.5m (5') of water to launch and sail in.

Q. What technique do you use to lift out of the water?
A. Take off is very easy in flat water conditions. You just need to go on a reach and get the apparent wind up and the boat will automatically rise and stabilise the boat height once at the ideal height. There is a video here showing this from a standing start.

Q. Do you have any instructional videos for the boat assembly, rigging and sailing?
A. We will be putting these instructional videos in the support section of our web site soon.

Q. How much wind do you need to lift out of the water?
A. The average skipper weighs approximately 70kgs (154lbs) and will lift out of the water in 6 knots of
wind. A heavier skipper would weigh approximately 90kgs (198lbs) and will lift out of the water in approximately 8 knots of wind.

Q. What is the miniumum and maximum sailor weight?
A. Ideally the sailor should not be less than 50kg and not more than 90kg. However based on our own tests, it is possible to sail and fly the Bladerider even if you are as light as 40kg and as heavy as 100kg.

Q. How do you sail the boat in large wave conditions?
A. You just need to slow the boat down a bit downwind otherwise if it goes too fast, the boat will launch up into the air and you will come back down. This is a lot slower than taking it easy by pulling on lots of downhaul and sailing across the face of the wave, not down it. Upwind is no problem as the boat clears the water and sails over the crests of the waves. The Bladerider X8 is the fastest dinghy in the world in these conditions, ie up to 16 knots upwind.

Q. What if my local sailing place has weed or jellyfish?
A. From our experience racing in the International Moth class, we have raced in locations with large amounts of weed and jellyfish and this has not caused any problems. Occassionaly sailors will hook a jellyfish or weed around the foil, but it possible to clear the obstruction without tipping over by forcing the boat up to maximum height until the foil ventilates and the boat will come back down to the water, exploding the object away from your foil. Otherwise you can always tip the boat over and clear it manually.

Q. What if my local sailing place has inconsistent winds?
A. It is much easier to sail a foiler Moth in flat water and inconsistent winds, than in big seas. As you get a gust and pick up speed, you build up your own apparent wind and then all you have to do is bear away and keep the boat dead vertical during any lulls or knocks. Sheeting in on the mainsheet will also help give you control during a lull or knock.

Q. What is the top speed?
A. Currently the top speed set in the International Moth Class is held by Rohan Veal at 27.9 knots in approximately 20-22 knots of wind. The top speed of the Bladerider is held by Rohan Veal at 25.85 knots and a best 10 second average of 23.8 knots. Andrew McDougall has posted a speed over 26 knots, but it yet to be confirmed.

Ordering

Q. If I order a boat now, how long before I receive one?
A. We will commence shipping orders in January 2007. Delivery will depend on the position of your order in our production queue. You can reserve a boat in the queue by paying a 30% Reservation Deposit. Contact us for a delivery time estimate.

Q. Can I just order Bladerider foils to fit to my own Moth?
A. Not at the moment. Our outrigger is designed specifically to fit the Bladerider and would be difficult to fit to other boats neatly.

Q. Does the boat come supplied with a CE certificate for European deliveries?
A. DIRECTIVE 2003/44/EC OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 16 June 2003 amending Directive 94/25/EC on the approximation of the laws, regulations and administrative provisions of the Member States relating to recreational craft states in paragraph 2 (xi) that any craft with hydrofoils is exempted. This means that a Bladerider does not require a CE certificate or labelling provided the Bladerider is sold with hydrofoils. A copy of the directive is available on request.

Distribution

Q. How do you send the boats from the factory?
A. Air freight or sea freight. Your choice, however air freight will be more expensive but much faster (about 4-7 weeks faster).

Q. Do you have any distributors or other builders licensed in other countries as yet?
A. We have opened discussions with a number of potential importers/distributors in Europe and the US. The Bladerider is available for licensing, but we have been concentrating on our own production for the moment. We will keep you informed.

Q. How can I help sell some more boats in my local area?
A. Details of our Ambassador Programme are now available, through which we can support and reward the efforts of enthusiastic Bladeriders to build fleet numbers in their club or local area.

Q. Does the boat come in a box?
A. Yes, it ships with a basic cardboard/timber framed box that the complete boat (disassembled with the trolley) fits neatly into. The box measures approximately 3.5m x 0.8m x 0.4m making it a very easy to transport. (That calculates out to a volume weight for shipping of 120kg The actual weight is a bit over a third of that.) You can also upgrade this box to a fiberglass travel box now as well.