YOUR MBY
HAVE YOUR SAY IN PRINT AND ONLINE
FOLLOW THE NORD STAR
I am currently looking to buy a boat and from experience have narrowed the search to walkaround wheelhouse boats, as they are easy to manage singlehanded and are great sea boats.
The three boats that stand out from the crowd are all Finnish; Botnia Targa, Sargo and Nord Star. On my last visit to the boat show, and before I was in a position to buy, I went aboard the Targa 27.1 and a Sargo 28, but have yet to see a Nord Star 28 or find a review in MBY.
I see that you have reviewed the Sargo 28 and the Targa 27.1 and I wondered if you have any plans to review the Nord Star 28 to draw a comparison, as this would complete the trio and prove most interesting to me and no doubt others in my position looking at these boats. Chris Hamilton We don’t currently have any plans to test the Nord Star 28 but I have contacted one of MBY’S contributors, who has driven a number of Nord Stars back-to-back with both Botnia Targas and Sargos in Finland over the last 15 years.
In his opinion Sargo and Botnia still have the edge over all the obvious competition, albeit at a price. Provided you can afford them, he reckons both the Sargo 28 and Targa 27.1 would make an excellent choice of boat, although it might be worth hanging on for our forthcoming test of the new 27.2 in one of the next few issues. Hugo
I TA L I A N S E A START
I’m relocating my Fairline Squadron 42 to the west coast of Italy, and am trying to find an operation like Sea Start. There is a French company called Marine Assistance, but they only provide cover in French waters. There’s an Italian firm, Sailornet, but they only operate a ‘schedule of charges’ type service if you breakdown and they can get to you. Can you recommend anyone? Tony Waghorn I don’t know of a company in Italy that operates a marine breakdown and recovery service based on an annual premium, rather than pay as you go, but our Italian-based readers might. Please email us on mby@ti-media.com Hugo
YOUR PHOTO OF THE MONTH Wins a handheld Icom IC-M25 Euro VHF Marine Transceiver worth £169! Send your best photo to us at mby@ti-media.com
A L L I N THE NAME
Your leader about the new generation of pilothouse sportsfishers being the SUVS of the seas ( MBY August 2018) makes good sense. After all, on land SUV is an acronym for Sport Utility Vehicle, on water it applies equally well to Sport Utility Vessel. Edward Johnston I wish I could claim the credit for that! But thanks for providing the justification I need to keep referring to them as SUVS. Hugo
QUEST I O N O F S P E E D
Congratulations to Peter Dredge and the Jaguar Vector Racing’s V20E for breaking the world record for electric boats with a speed of 88.61mph ( MBY September 2018).
But I have also seen a Youtube video of an electric craft that claims to be doing 98mph.
So who is the real record holder of the world record for electric boats? Robert Kay Good question and one which the record holder himself is best placed to answer. Here’s his response:
“You are correct that there is an electric record that was set some 10 years ago, after the UIM outright record that we broke was set. However, the UIM has very clear rules on all its records, especially the outright one.
“These outright records are not ones that can be frozen as and when class rules change so must be able to stand the test of time. As such, they require relevant levels of safety.
“The record shown in the video was made using a super-lightweight liedown hydroplane and is undoubtedly a fantastic technical achievement. However, we had to ensure that our boat met the requirements asked of us for this type of record.
“When I first met with the RYA and discussed the attempt, after they had discussed it with the UIM, we were told what exactly was required.
“We had to have a full UIM homologated 3000N safety cell, driver restraints, driver’s air system, safety automatic airbag systems and so on.
“All this adds massively to the boat’s weight and hence compromises the acceleration and speed.
“But it means in years to come, as battery technology and motor power increases, and therefore the speeds increase, the boats will have a level of safety similar to that seen in a top end Formula boats. I hope this clarifies the matter.” Peter Dredge