Hi :)

[Chilli]

Hi  
I'm totally new to N12's having sailing only briefly in a Feeling Foolish this is about to totally change after the N!2 community on facebook told me to contact Tom Stewart  and what ensued was prolly the most expensive 15minutes that i've had in a long time LoL
So a Dead Cat Bounce is being ordered really soon -- the two problems that i initially had with it were how good is it ? i mean is it really as good as the reports (Tom Stewart says it's better when you know what you're doing ) and the pricetag - that was an owwwwwch moment cos i paid similar money for my Winder Fireball.  My current ride is a Rondar 420 which me and crew only like sailing when the wind is howling - the hull of the 420 creates so much drag at low wind speeds that it's hard to know sometimes if it's actually moving whereas the full on planing hull and full aft sections provide prolly the most stable planing platform that i've ever sailed - put her out in a F6/F7 + and she just flies  whereas at anything less than F4 you might as well just pack up and go home.
so i ended up in N12 cos someone offered me ride and it was quick upwind and it was reasonably stable too which surprised me in terms of updates there's a few things that i can think of to change to give it a better ride and lose some of it's tippy nature but that's for another time
so yup come novermber 2015 with a bit of luck and a following wind me and my crew will be out n about in dead cat bounce prolly irish sea to start with cos few people go there so we can make a hash of it and not get noticed

[edwillett]

Excellent News! Welcome Aboard! You wont regret it!
Cheers
Ed

[Chadders]

Hi.
Welcome to the Class and a confession!  Twas me who suggested you ring Tom so I will hold my hand up and stand 100% behind my comment without hiding as just N12.  Look forward to seeing you on the circuit although from behind in my trusty Design 8 (my new boat at only 25 years old) or more likely even further behind in my Starfish which is fifty years old.  Be aware when the bug gets you it stays with you they are great fun to sail and a great crowd to sail with.  Just wish I was still young enough to do justice to a DCB.   Enjoy 

[Chilli]

thank you Ed   am looking forward to meeting new people and sailing new places although where i live in the northwest there are soooo few N12's around that it's gunna be like it is now with my 420 -- no one to race against apart from the clock love teasing hte fireballs in decent conditions
 
so hoping that the N12 will trash a few fireballs upwind maybe a bit of an ask but hell it's gotta be tried
 
the first task will be to sort out the centreboard cos there really is far too much weight up top -- my old Int14 (had a bieker 3) ended up getting a dagger board with a lead core in the bottom of it -- thinking that this set up will go well in a 12 cos the lower centre of gravity will create more righting moment which should give an upwind advantage plus cos of the way the rules are regarding weights - it'll comply

[andymck]

You will find the DCB much more stable and forgiving than a foolish. They are rocket quick. We are already regretting selling ours, but kids are coming first and are not big enough. Will be back though at Mrs Mckees request  
 
Andy
ex 3529

[Chilli]

So Chadders it was you that gave the "green light" to a ridiculous spending spree that saw me fork out for all sorts of stuff that i thought "might" be important
plus the N12 club has got one outstanding salesman of a chairman -- took Tom quite a bit of effort to sell her to me to be honest cos there's a Feeling Foolish up for sale about 80 miles away in yorkshire but the new boat means that i put the control lines and cleats and toe straps and other goodeis where i want them instead of where someone else wants them
so it's looking like being a winter in the irish sea off blackpool somewhere not totally sure yet but given that i always take my 420 up there ready for the winter gales to start rolling along blackpools south shore it's gunna be interesting
 
was also thinking of getting a secong hull and putting a scaled down Int14 rig on it --- but hey that's just me - i made a full carbon 12ft skiff about 14years ago and that trashed by a sealion in the Dee estuary off Hilbre island

[Chilli]

thank you andymck   that's pretty much what Tom said but with me being a serious lightweight at ish 10stone and 11stone wet through and crew being roughly the same.
 
the leaded centreboard gives a bigger wind range that you can sail in or at least that's what i found last time so if the dead cat bounce goes like stink now then it should be troubling my gps some more
 
my gps gets really worried when the wind picks up --- i've seen it registering over 30knots without crashing and burning