| I'm
wondering if the irony is not lost on Dave Edson. He managed
to just land First 235 Hull #235, which should be something a bit
special in an of itself. But who knew that the fabled hull
#235 also happened to hold the OTHER Lead Keel refit. This
is not a Beiley fin, as seen on the only other lead keel First 235,
sailing on the West coast under Jeff Burne's care. This earlier
Mars lead fin doesn't have as high an aspect ratio and is a bit
more conventional in design(especially compared to Beiley's latest
MkIII design). Still, my bet is it's a beast and looks to
be a total first class install (see Dave's explanation below).
Dave has not had her on the water yet and is obviously hankering
to take her out. He is currently in the process of a total
bottom job including barrier coat. And from the looks of it,
Sparrow is a very fine F235. Unfortunately, the latest news
has Dave heading overseas for awhile so Sparrow may be on jack stands
a while longer. Cant wait to hear how she does.
See Dave's comments below, including some of the previous owner's
impressions. - we are looking at a 4'3" draft with this Mars
Lead fin - Kelly Holsten
•
•
Forgot to take a picture of the
keel attachment method as viewed in the bilge which is very impressive
- the keel is cast lead with integrated stainless steel keel bolts;
in the bilge there is a rectangular stainless steel backing plate
through which the keel bolts protrude and over which the keel nuts
are fastened. It appears to be a first class set up.
Talked with the previous owner who had the keel installed. Hull
#235 was originally configured with a wing keel. Owner very much
disliked the slight lee helm that resulted from that design, coupled
with his desire to race the boat motivated the design, purchase,
and installation of the aftermarket fin.
As reported by the previous owner (it may be a while before I can
confirm by sailing the boat myself) the keel made a drastic improvement
to the overall performance of the boat, particularly its upwind
performance.
- Dave Edson
|
