Bladerider FX FAQ's

Design

Q. Who designed the Bladerider hull, sail and foils 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. Andrew uses his own software that is used by a majority of all windsurfing sail designers.

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. 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.

Q. How do the wings attach to the hull and how long do they take to put together?
A. The front wing bars slot into tubes encased by the bulkhead frame. The mast stump also fits into a socket in the foredeck. The rear wings are attached to the hull by U bolts. The wing covers slot into an alloy track bolted and glued on the gunwale and are only laced at the front to tighten the whole structure up across the wings. If necessary, it only takes about 30 minutes to put the wings and gantry on after your first time.

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 centerboard and rudder.

Construction

Q. Who is building the Bladerider FX?
A. McConaghy Boats are contracted to manufacure the FX and X8 on behalf of Bladerider International.

Q. What is the hull strength and weight?
A. It is extremely impact resistant (meaning that you should not see many or if any dints in the side of the hull after knees and elbows have been pressed into it). The hull weighs about 18-19kgs (40lbs).

Q. What will be the total weight of the boat including foils?
A. Around 40kgs (88lbs).

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 offering a smaller 7m sail one day soon!

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 FX within the International Moth Class rules for Moth Class championships. However we believe the Bladerider FX will be raced as a strict one design class in the future.

Q. I have heard that you are pitching one of your boats 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 a 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 FX can be viewed on our events calendar.

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.

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.

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.

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 your Bladerider 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.

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 4-6 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. As we are still fulfilling back orders, we drop ship all of our orders at the moment, and therefore we have no need for a distributor at this stage.

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.