TOPIC:

I'm thinking of buying an Albacore and dont want to buy a uncompetitive hull.From what i have learnt from the NAA site the woof shape is very good.How does the rondar shape compare?Is there really that much of a difference?

Hi, Any Rondar boat will be fairely old now and generally speaking, I doubt would threaten any Woof. Having said that, any boat in good condition will be compeditive in the right conditions, Rondars are from the Fairey mould and are very good in the light, especially on flat water. It depends a lot on your budget, and whether you want a wooden boat or something that needs less looking after.

I would suggest you check out the Albacore buyers guide, it's very comprehensive and should answer a lot of your questions.

Crawfy

GBR6703,Woof GBR7502,Amos GBR7179,Young

As Crawfy says, they are based on the Fairey hull shape rather than a Woof, but in my view this only makes a difference in marginal planing conditions on a reach where the Woof will plane a little earlier. However a 30 year old GRP boat will not be a stiff as a 30 year old wooden Woof so you would loose out there. A good rig and good sails will make a noticable difference, but Im pretty sure we wont see a Rondar win the nationals.
I had Rondar 6490, which was quite quick (we managed 9th in the Nationals with it last year which is not bad for a 30 year old plastic boat), so there are some good ones out there, but there are also some very tired examples too so choose carefully.
One of the things to check for on the Rondar is that the bottom of the
side tanks are not coming off where they meet the hull.


JohnW2008-10-19 16:38:22

Hi Brian



If you have seen a Rondar Hull send me some pictures if you can and I will give you some feedback. As John and Crawford have already stated the problem with a glass boat that is 30+ years old is that it is likely to be flexible (soft). Having said that you will not pay as much for this vintage (Fosrite or Rondar). If you want a glass boat that is a bit more up to date you may consider looking at "porter" boats circa 1988 so only 20 years old. The other posibility is to look at a composite hull, the wooden decks offer a bit more stiffness and may even have wood stiffners internally. my email address is DerekGibbon@aol.com my other details can be got off the committee page.



Good Luck with your hunt.



Derek Gibbon 7176

NAA Chairman