Boat Show Impressions
- In
May 2012, for the second consectutive year, I attended the Korea
Boat Show in support of Blue Galaxy, the builder of the XS-Spider. This
was
my first time seeing the production version of the boat, and I have to
admit
that I was very impressed by the workmanship and attention to detail.
It was
also my first time sailing the boat and I was extremely happy with how
the
Spider behaved. It’s beautifully balanced and fun to sail. I was
also very humbled and appreciative that our XS Spider was awarded the
2012 Innovation Award by the boat show organizers. This is a worthy
acknowledgement for all the years of hard work that Blue Wave and Van
Gorkom Yacht Design have put into this project and we are looking
forward to a bright future with the boat.
Features of the
XS-Spider
Racing
and Training
- A dinghy-like performance in a keel boat makes
the Spider an ideal
“crossover” platform and will
be extremely popular
with ages 15 through 50
- The
Spider has the potential to create a
strong youth program for any yacht club and encourage continued
participation
in its young adult members
- A
great racing performance with the racing sail package (square-top
main, vertical battened roller furling jib, and asymmetric kite)
- Three to four people in close exciting
one-design racing can sail this little rocket hard
- Many of the Spider’s design features make
this
boat an ideal platform for a teaching environment (special training
sail
package)
- The XS-Spider will maintain its leading edge
appeal for
many years to come and serve any yacht club well in attracting new
members to
their sailing program
- The boat has a lightweight structure yet it is
tough enough
to withstand the rigors of yacht club use
- The boat can easily be launched from a trailer
via a single
point hoist or from a boat ramp
Performance and Handling
- Sleek, stealthy canoe body with flat, stable,
after
planing-hull sections and a relatively high sail area/wetted surface
ratio
- Low displacement/length ratio gives the boat a
superior
windward performance
- The XS-Spider has a high initial stability, yet
is a very
responsive boat to handle in most conditions
- The XS-Spider has a spacious and functional
cockpit with a
simple-to-sail deck layout
- There are no winches and no backstay
- The deck layout draws on the latest dinghy
technology to
make sail handling easy and quick
- There are hiking pads
and a center-line foot chock that make for a comfortable ride when
fully heeled
- Hydrodynamic efficient high-lift, laminar flow
keel and
rudder foils
Structural Features
- Lightweight composite laminate includes epoxy,
e-glass and foam sandwich construction
- The
lifting carbon fiber keel fin and lead T-bulb
firmly
locks in place on a bearing saddle connecting the internal structure of
the
boat to the keel fin
- The high aspect ratio rudder is completely
demountable with just one pin to pull
- The boat will be virtually unsinkable with
floatation compartments built into the structure
Rig
& Sails
- The mast and boom are lightweight Southern Spar
aluminum
sections
- The mast is a diamond rig system with an
adjustable-while-sailing cap shroud tensioner
- A Harken & Boom Kicker vang system come as
part as the
basic package
- The roller furling jib has an integrated
headstay system
for easy sail removal and hoisting
- The retractable bow sprit is all carbon fiber
- The XS-Spider can be quickly rigged and
de-rigged and
stowed away with the minimum of fuss and space
Pricing
The
preliminary costs from the builder for the XS-Spider are as
follows:
- Hull
& deck
USD8500 (e-glass, foam
core & epoxy
resin)
- Deck
hardware
package
USD2250
- Sails
& rig
USD8250 (training sail package, aluminum
spars)
- Carbon
fiber lifting keel fin with lead T-bulb USD3500
- Carbon
fiber
rudder USD1500
- Carbon
fiber bow
pole
USD1000
- Miscellaneous USD2500
- TOTAL
USD27,500 EX FACTORY
NOTE: This
price is based on multiples of four boats, as that is the number
of
units that can be packed into a 40 foot shipping container (VAT and
shipping/handling charges are additional). Options include racing sials
(main, jib & kite), outboard and
outboard bracket.
Contact VGYD or Blue Galaxy for more details.
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