about to purchase DF 800 SW

For all those DF800 issues which do not fit into any of the categories below.
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Paul
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about to purchase DF 800 SW

Post by Paul »

I am about to do a sea trial and inspection of DF 800 SW with a view to purchase. Are there any things I should be looking for, in a 1995 boat, other than the obvious condition of the hull, rig, trailer, sails etc. What should I inspect in the Swing Wing system? Any advice greatly appreciated.
Oscar
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Post by Oscar »

Hello Paul,

I am not, by any stretch of the imagination, an authority. But I have spent quite a few hours restoring a 1992 DF25 now, and that is the American/Canadian version of the 800.

These boats were built to be fast, and weight saving was the name of the game. Not all of it is built as heavy as one would wish for durability, that said the critical pieces are done well.

Laminate. Some parts are solid fiberglass, some are foam core sandwich, some are balsa sandwich. The outer glass layer on the floats is thin. Any kind of "dock rash" will crack it, and then the balsa gets wet, if not properly repaired. Check for moisture, everywhere.

You will find a lot of gelcoat cracks. They are not necessarily all bad. Gelcoat flexes less than FRP, and when it does flex the gelcoat cracks, the FRP doesn't. Look at the underlying laminate from behid if possible to determine what's going on.

Deck compression. From what I've seen the "compression post" is not all that beefy. Check around the center board box, mast foot etc for signs of structural damage. (Again, not all gelcoat cracks are a sign of impending doom.

Repairs are not that hard to make. It's all pretty accessible.
And again, check for damage from the boat hitting things.

The rest is pretty much the same as any other boat.......

Hope this helps.
1990 Dragonfly 25 USA-54
Paul
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Post by Paul »

Thank you Oscar, I will most certainly check the areas you listed very carefully. After the sea trial I will most probably have a marine surveyor look at the boat as well, that will be a requirement for insurance anyway.
Oscar
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Post by Oscar »

After re-reading my post I need to reiterate that different boats were built differently. My floats are balsa, others are foam, same with the hull. Some parts solid, some boats balsa, some boats foam. Hard to tell what you have without drilling a hole. Find a surveyor that REALLY knows what he/she is doing.
1990 Dragonfly 25 USA-54
Paul
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Df 800 SW considering purchase

Post by Paul »

You are right Oscar, every boat is going to be different. There are 2 boats for sale here in Australia one a Danish built 800 listed as being built with GRP and foam core, the other a Canadian version by PC Mouldings. The Canadian version is listed as being built with GRP, foam core using vinyl ester resin. I thought I read that all the PC Moulding built boats had balsa core?
I will have an experienced multihull surveyor take a look (with me present) when the survey is required. When you replaced the rotten balsa on your boat why did you not use a different core material to balsa? just wondering. I would have thought a composite material would be a better option?
Vagabond
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Post by Vagabond »

This answers my questions as well.

There is one over here in New Zealand but it’s a bit tired and the amas and akas have been painted – with a brush!

One of the ones in Aus has been fitted with wheel steering!
:shock:
Paul
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Post by Paul »

I have friend looking at the DF800 in Oz today, yes it does have hydraulic wheel steering but the ram can be lifted off the tiller and so revert to "normal" tiller steer. Don't know why the owner did this.
Vagabond
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Post by Vagabond »

It looks like a good one and if the wheel can be removed easily then thats good.
Oscar
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Post by Oscar »

When you replaced the rotten balsa on your boat why did you not use a different core material to balsa? just wondering. I would have thought a composite material would be a better option?
I went back and forth on that a few times. In the end I went with the balsa because it's stronger, and because it's a lot less money. The glass layers in the laminate are thin..... I would have had to build them up considerably if I went with foam, more money. I will be dry sailing the boat, and the insides are now well sealed. The balsa should last a long time.
1990 Dragonfly 25 USA-54
Paul
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Post by Paul »

Yes I can understand the money angle, whoever said that yachting was akin to standing under a cold shower beating yourself on the head with a piece of 4 X 2 whilst tearing up 50 dollar bills had it right! My current boat is a Crowther 10 catamaran, a great boat but sucks up money on maintenance, marina fees, etc. It's getting on at 22 years and my wife is "over" long distance sailing, hence the interest in the Dragonfly. The balsa will be fine and you have done a very neat job of glassing it into the amas. My friend looked at a DF800 in Brisbane yesterday - he is boat knowledgeable and said it is near mint condition, with near new rig, bimini, squabs, sails motor. I really should'nt be falling in love with a new boat till the Crowther sells, don't want to be a fleet owner, BUT they are rare in this part of the world. Have to talk to the 1ST mate about it--- maybe some flowers and champagne will do the trick!
Oscar
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Post by Oscar »

Champagne, flowers? Oooh.....good luck with that...... :shock:
1990 Dragonfly 25 USA-54
tpaliwoda
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Post by tpaliwoda »

Paul, Welcome to the forum.
One thing to keep in mind is the age of the boat. Like any vessel that is approaching 20 years old, like many of these are, you will be able to get a fairly good deal on them, but be prepared to fix many years of repairs to get in a condition that is acceptable to you.
Oscar is to say at a minimum a "craftsman". His work and eye to detail is far from what the normal user has. He has all the "bells and whistles" required to restore his boat, even an indoor workshop.
He is in the process, I think going on two years, of rebuilding a 25. He didn't spend a lot of cash on it to purchase it, but he certainly spent a lot of time in labor on it.
He is wealth of knowledge when it comes to restoring the boat.
Best of luck
Ted
Ted Paliwoda
D'Fly 1000 ; HN #1
Nice Tri
Raritan YC, Perth Amboy, NJ, USA
Oscar
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Post by Oscar »

:oops:

Ted, you got me blushing.

So, I may have fixed up a boat or two, but this is my first encounter with a Dragonfly....... any advice from me is worth what you paid for it.....
:wink:
1990 Dragonfly 25 USA-54
Paul
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Post by Paul »

Thank you Ted and Oscar for your input. The flowers and champagne didn't work so I am not a fleet owner, however the DF is still for sale and there is still a chance of selling my Crowther in the next few week. My Crowther 10 is a 1988 built boat and needed a lot of work to get it to a state where I was happy to do an ocean passage in her, so I know the pitfalls but have the experience to do most repairs. The boat was a day sailer when we bought her and she required a complete refit: electrics, plumbing, solar panels, wind generator, water maker, electric windlass, headsail furler, davits, fibreglass repair work -- the list goes on! I would, however, rather be sailing than restoring a boat so will be very diligent if I get to the point of doing an inspection of the DF. My only real concerns with trailable tris are with the folding systems. I have read everything I can find comparing the Farrier folding system and DF SW system. In a nutshell it seems to me that:
1. The Farrier system is a neater engineering solution better suited to trailering.
2. The Df system is more complicated but a better solution for keeping the boat in a mono hull marina berth.
3. The DF swing wing system's achilles heel seems to be the water stays,
however if they are checked regularly and replaced every 4 - 5 years I think the risk is acceptable. Ian Farrier has quite a lot to say about water stays, citing the possibility of the boat breaking up IF the rig is lost and the floats encounter reverse loading. I guess I am still going through the process of convincing myself that the system is strong enough to handle the kind of conditions that mother nature can throw at you. Where I live in North Queensland Australia our typical conditions are 15 - 20 knots with a 2 -3 metre swell and short choppy waves to 1 metre inshore. I would appreciate any thoughts from the forum on the merits or otherwise of the SW system and reassurance from DF owners who sail in similar conditions would be great.
Double Horizon
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Post by Double Horizon »

Paul wrote:snip
... I have read everything I can find comparing the Farrier folding system and DF SW system. In a nutshell it seems to me that:
1. The Farrier system is a neater engineering solution better suited to trailering.
2. The Df system is more complicated but a better solution for keeping the boat in a mono hull marina berth.
3. The DF swing wing system's achilles heel seems to be the water stays,
however if they are checked regularly and replaced every 4 - 5 years I think the risk is acceptable. Ian Farrier has quite a lot to say about water stays, citing the possibility of the boat breaking up IF the rig is lost and the floats encounter reverse loading. I guess I am still going through the process of convincing myself that the system is strong enough to handle the kind of conditions that mother nature can throw at you. Where I live in North Queensland Australia our typical conditions are 15 - 20 knots with a 2 -3 metre swell and short choppy waves to 1 metre inshore. I would appreciate any thoughts from the forum on the merits or otherwise of the SW system and reassurance from DF owners who sail in similar conditions would be great.
Ian Farrier is a very talented designer. In online discussions he tends to focus blame on another party (usually the builder) when something goes wrong with his boats. I don't think he has ever made a mistake. :wink:

Mr. Farrier is right that the Dragonfly water stay system does not protect against inverse loading. Given that the 800 you are considering is a near-shore boat, some perspective is required that is different than you would have if crossing an ocean.

Thinking in terms of the larger Dragonfly boats that might be sailed far from land I have considered the following: In an upright boat with rig intact this should never be an issue, but if the rig is lost or the boat is inverted this reverse loading is a potential problem in big waves. Regardless, the hulls will float.

For a lost rig emergency I carry truckers heavy-duty load straps with ratcheting clasps, rated at 2000 lbs. These could be attached at beam ends, stretched across the cabin top and cockpit combings (across aft cabin on the 1200) and tightened thereby preventing downward movement of the crossbeams.

For a capsize emergency I carry an insurance policy and a checkbook, and an EPIRB, waterproof hand-held VHF, SOLAS rocket flares, SOLAS orange smoke, PFDs, etc. Hopefully that will cover it, but hopefully those things will never be needed. Just remember: Reef early, reef for the gusts.
Last edited by Double Horizon on Wed 24 Feb 10, 4:33, edited 1 time in total.
Larry - Former Owner DF-1200
Oscar
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Post by Oscar »

Mr Farriers folding mechanism is an exquisite piece of engineering. For the monies required to obtain four one can buy an old DF25.....

It's all compromise.
1990 Dragonfly 25 USA-54
Paul
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Post by Paul »

Oscar you are right, everything is a compromise. Ian Farrier's folding mechanism IS a lovely piece of engineering and I'm sure I read somewhere that the cost of 4 beams is around $10,000.00 -- beams only! The DF for sale here is over $20k less than an equivalent sized Farrier boat of similar age - the beam costs maybe?
Double Horizon, I carry similar equipment on the Crowther for offshore passages, but leave the cheque book and insurance policy at home! Good idea the truckers' load straps, and the safety line from forward beams to rear of the floats talked about elsewhere in the forum seems good insurance.
Would like to here comments on DF's behaviour in the wind range of 15 - 25 kts in about a 6 foot swell. I'm a firm believer in reefing when you first think about it. For me on the Crowther that is generally at about 18 knots. Again thank you for the comments.
Oscar
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Post by Oscar »

Would like to here comments on DF's behaviour in the wind range of 15 - 25 kts in about a 6 foot swell.
As would I. Conditions I have frequently sailed in on the Chesapeake Bay, in fact a few knots more maybe. I am concerned about how much stress the floats/beams will take, I am anticipating powering down considerably for that reason.
1990 Dragonfly 25 USA-54
Paul
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Post by Paul »

Are there any Df 800 SW owners who have sailed in 15 - 25 knot range who can comment on the boats behaviour in these conditions?

I have asked Bo to upload 2 pics of the starboard beam folding mechanism on the DF that I am looking at. It appears that there has been some repair work done on both the forward and rear beams where they pivot. I would be grateful for any opinions from the forum about this repair. Even though I shall have the boat surveyed (for insurance as much as anything else), the DF owners out there are the most knowledgeable people when it comes to ascertaining if there is likely to be a problem in this critical area of the boat.
Any comments are appreciated.
Please click on any of the photos to see them enlarged!

Image Image
Christian
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Post by Christian »

Hi Paul

Sailing a DF 800 in 15 knots, well it is special feeling. First of all, when my boat passes 8 knots there is a vibration in the rudder. Usually lift increases and the felling of force when the speed increases. The regular case is to pass an island that blocks waves, then the boat lift decreases and speed increases. It is a solid feeling, and the spray from two sterns is like a fountain. The boat feels like a train – like a javelin - extraordinary stable, no force on the rudder. It goes flat – no tendency for going on one ama. Top speed for me so far is 15 knots with this boat. Made 17 with another several years ago. In this mode I hardly dares to use the rudder. Usually I ease the mainsheet before turning the boat. Never been tacking in this speed.

So my experience is balance and a stable boat – but I have not been in the higher end of your question.

Christian
Paul
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Post by Paul »

Hi Christian,

Thanks for your comments, I look forward to the "special feeling" soon! I have just returned from inspecting the boat and having it surveyed, met the current owner and had a lot of discussion about the way it sails etc. He has raced it for the past 7 years and has been very successful on the racing circuit. I will be using it for social racing, coastal cruising and WAGS (Wednesday Afternoon Gentlemans Sailing) so it will have an easier life with me. The boat is to be delivered next week from Brisbane to Cairns and then we will put the mast up and rig the boat and take the first sail, which I very much look forward to. I will let you know how it goes.
Oscar
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Post by Oscar »

Sorry, I had a cookie dump and didn't realize I wasn't logged in for a while, thinking there was no action here..... anyway.

Paul, those beam attachments definitely show some deterioration. But, from the pictures it is hard to tell whether it's cosmetic or structural. But, it's not rocket science. Any good surveyor can get in there and tell you yea or nea.
1990 Dragonfly 25 USA-54
Paul
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Post by Paul »

Hello Oscar, wondered where you were!
I have done the deal and bought the boat. Did not want to be a "fleet owner" but also did not want to miss the opportunity to buy it.
I flew to Brisbane last weekend and had the boat surveyed, checked it thoroughly myself and lowered the mast with the owner. Unfortunately we could not do a sea trial as the weather was terrible with cyclone Ului off the Queensland coast.
The surveyor knows the boat well, has raced against it and done some minor repairs on it over the past few years. He is a shipwright as well as a surveyor. The boat has been raced hard the past 7 years-- even losing the rig 18 months ago.
That said, the previous owner was quite fastidious with maintenance and repairs and the survey report reflects that. There are a few stress cracks in the gelcoat around the hull deck join on the floats the usual gelcoat chips from dropping winch handles and the like, but nothing serious. There is a crack in the gelcoat of the starboard forward beam near the pivot point which will require reglassing, but that's the only major repair required, and even that will take just a few hours to fix. The cause of the crack is probably a screw head which had backed out of the circular strips of "plastic(?)" where the beam pivots. It had also worn a groove in the under side of the beam. I will remove the beam next week, have a good look at it and repair it. The surveyor said that the crack was cosmetic, not structural.
So, overall the boat stacked up well, and it will have a much easier life with me. I intend to do some social fun racing and coastal cruising with it. The rig, stainless stays, sails, bimini, covers, squabs and outboard are all new, so for me it was a pretty good deal. I will let you know the "feeling" when I get the boat rigged and get out for my first sail. Can't wait!
Paul
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Post by Paul »

Forgot to mention that the boat has hydraulic wheel steering. The tiller can be reinstalled easily if required. I asked the owner why he installed the hydraulic steering system, he sailed single handed a lot, and said the boat was better balanced with him midships (he is a big guy) and all halyards and sheets were to hand with him steering from midships. Makes sense I guess. I have an old Navico wheel pilot which I may install as my autopilot.
Oscar
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Post by Oscar »

Congratulations!

Gelcoat cracks are not the end of the world. The fiberglass is much more flexible than the gelcoat. Those areas that have high loads will develop gelcoat cracks as the laminate flexes under it. The only way to stop it is to make the laminate heavy enough to not flex, but that adds weight and weight was the enemy in this design...... It's all compromise.

A hydraulic wheel? Lol. I'd be e-baying that in a hurry to help fund other bits.
Would take up too much space for me, plus on a lively boat like this nothing beats the feedback of a tiller.
1990 Dragonfly 25 USA-54
Paul
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Post by Paul »

I have only motored the boat using the wheel steering so far, and I really don't like it, agree there is no "feedback" so will probably sell the hydraulic system and revert to tiller steer soon. Spring is nigh in the northern hemisphere Oscar, are you going to have your boat in the water before summer? We may experience that "special feeling " that Christian spoke of at the same time!
Oscar
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Post by Oscar »

Today I am putting paint on the amas. Then I have to put the hardware back on, strip the bottom paint off the center hull, in progress, and put it all back together, including the mast raising system. Early May is the target.....
1990 Dragonfly 25 USA-54
Paul
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Post by Paul »

Sounds like you are on track for a launch date early summer. My preparations are going well, I need to antifoul as I will be keeping the boat on a pontoon, cost of lifting the boat using a travel lift is excessive, so am thinking of beaching it and putting some lengths of 4 X 2 under the main hull so I can access it with a brush or roller. The keel area seems to be solid grp, and the boat is light so should be ok to do this. Bet you are happy to see the light at the end of the tunnel, having read your posts this has been a a major rebuild.
Ken
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800's in strong winds

Post by Ken »

Congratulations on the new boat Paul. I have a Dragonfly 800 MKII (fixed wing) "Vamos" that was made in South Africa in 2002. I sail it out of Bunbury in Western Australia. I regularly sail it in 20 to 30 knot winds. Yesterday I returned from Quindalup in 25 knot winds gusting 35 and a 2m swell with the normal jib and the full main. It was an exhilarating sail surfing down the swells but my son still had an hours sleep! The dragonfly fixed wind is a great boat and even though it is light it can take some rough conditions. I should imagine the swing wing is as good. If you are sailing near shore they are so fast that you can usually get to a safe anchorage quickly.
My only advice is double check anything on the boat that is a join or a hinge. My only problem was the recent failure of the bracket at the end of the Aka which I was able to wedge with wood and a ratchet strap. Last year midway through a race one of the bolts that holds an aka to the hulll worked loose which was disturbing. Both these incidents showed me that maintenance is essential and checking the fittings is doubly so.

The Dragonfly should be so light on the helm that the hydraulic steering is superfluous. I have a ST1000 tiller pilot that is excellent.

Happy sailing.
Paul wrote:Sounds like you are on track for a launch date early summer. My preparations are going well, I need to antifoul as I will be keeping the boat on a pontoon, cost of lifting the boat using a travel lift is excessive, so am thinking of beaching it and putting some lengths of 4 X 2 under the main hull so I can access it with a brush or roller. The keel area seems to be solid grp, and the boat is light so should be ok to do this. Bet you are happy to see the light at the end of the tunnel, having read your posts this has been a a major rebuild.
DF800 MkII Vamos
Paul
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Post by Paul »

Thanks for the reply Ken, I will take your advice and check all fastenings, nuts and bolts etc, also intend to replace the lines that operate the swing wing system. The previous owner raced the boat pretty hard but was also a fastidious guy so the boat is generally in excellent condition considering its age. We will be stepping the mast and rigging the boat next weekend, so I am looking forward to my first sail. A couple of questions. Is Vamos antifouled, and if so how did you get at the bottom of the hull? Where did you mount your ST 1000? I don't like the hydraulic system no feedback at all. The tiller is onboard and it is an easy job to change it back. I have a Navico TP 10 which I intend to use as an autopilot. Look forward to hearing back from you. I guess there are 3 DF 800's in the country? There is a Canadian built one in Brisbane for sale.

Paul
Ken
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Post by Ken »

Paul
Vamos is anti fouled as it is on a swing mooring for 6 months of the year. I anti fouled it on the trailer. I pulled it partly off to help with access but it still was a horror job as I had to sand back to the hull because of a problem with last years paint. I will try to make up an effective simple cradle this winter ( said the same last year!).

The support for the tillerpilot is a a simple wooden bracket that I made. It clamps on the pushpit. It doesn't have to be too massive as there is very little force needed to operate the tiller on my boat which has the early counterbalanced rudder which is very very light. I will take a photo and send it to you for reference. The pin is in the tiller about 700mm from the rudder axis. I may get a stainless steel support made this year.

I think you are correct in saying there are 3 800's in Australia. I met the owner of the Canadian version who had spent a lot of time and money on it to bring it up to excellent condition. By the photos it has some design features which look better than the standard mainly the drop centerboard which gives a lot more cabin room. the DF800 is very cramped.

There are photos of my boat competing in last years Geographe Bay Race week on Flickr at http://www.flickr.com/photos/geographe_ ... 592683830/
I don't have a bowsprit with screecher or assymetrical but just run an old S80 kite which is not ideal.

Regards Ken
Paul wrote:Thanks for the reply Ken, I will take your advice and check all fastenings, nuts and bolts etc, also intend to replace the lines that operate the swing wing system. The previous owner raced the boat pretty hard but was also a fastidious guy so the boat is generally in excellent condition considering its age. We will be stepping the mast and rigging the boat next weekend, so I am looking forward to my first sail. A couple of questions. Is Vamos antifouled, and if so how did you get at the bottom of the hull? Where did you mount your ST 1000? I don't like the hydraulic system no feedback at all. The tiller is onboard and it is an easy job to change it back. I have a Navico TP 10 which I intend to use as an autopilot. Look forward to hearing back from you. I guess there are 3 DF 800's in the country? There is a Canadian built one in Brisbane for sale.

Paul
DF800 MkII Vamos
Paul
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Post by Paul »

Ken,

Vamos looks a very tidy boat, would appreciate seeing a photo of your tillerpilot set up.
Will have to give the method of antifouling the main hull some more thought, trying to avoid expensive travel lift fees. I will check out hiring some large jacks, maybe the boat can be jacked up for a day to get at the bottom. The stub "wings" where the beams pivot would be strong points to lift under I think. The DF in Brisbane looks very nice, but they are asking a lot of money for it. The dagger board gives more room in the hull but is prone to major problems if it hits something, I prefer the kick up centreboard. Will probably sleep on the nets anyway as we are in the tropics. Will keep in touch and await the pic of your tillerpilot mount.

cheers, Paul
Gundie
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DF 800 purchase

Post by Gundie »

Hi Paul,
I am also considering a DF 800 purchase, having downgraded from a live aboard windsped 32 some years ago.

Do you have the contact details for the owner of the other one that you were looking at? Is it the one that is at Raby Bay?

I looked at the boat that you bought and was interested, but the timing wasn't right. How is the sailing going.

Do you have a ph number that I could call you on to have a chat about how you are finding her and any special points to look for.

My other option is waitin for the new Farrier F22 to be released in kit form. It will be a more modern design (& beter beam connections) but not as much room.
Ken
Posts: 36
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DF 800 Purchase

Post by Ken »

Hello Gundie

I have a fixed wing DF800 MkII (built 2002) here in Bunbury WA which I am very happy with but if I had the extra cash I would like to upgrade to a Farrier F22. I raced against a F22 this year at Geographe Race Week and was very impressed with it. They are very fast and well designed. For my purposes they would be a much better boat as the are easy to put on and off the trailer and I would not have to have a mooring and dinghy and the boat would not deteriorate so much. The F22 has more usable space in the cabin too but less in the cockpit. I think that they would be less seaworthy than the DF800. The F22 I raced against was a new one from Melvest Marine in the Philippines and seemed very well made.

Regards

Ken
DF800 MkII Vamos
Paul
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Post by Paul »

Ken,
shame there aren't more DF 800 's about as the swing wing system solves the problem of trailering, and they are a lot cheaper than a new F22. I race against a Corsair 750 here, both our boats are on trailers and we both launch at the same time. The time to prepare the boats is the same from launch to ready to sail, about 30 minutes in all. I don't know about the F 22 but the 750 interior I saw is all flowcoated fibreglass, not nearly as nice or "weekend away friendly" as the DF's, inside or out. Just my opinion.
Gundie,
Welcome to the forum, I, like Ken, am very happy with the DF, having now owned and sailed it for 8 months, I find it is easy to sail, FAST, stable, loads of fun and versatile, in that I race it and also use it for weekends away. It's a bit like camping on water, but for 2 or 3 people it's ok for a short time. The other DF 800 is still listed on the multihulls website in Brisbane, it is a PC Mouldings made boat, I have read that some boats were foam cored and some balsa cored . I would check which it is. I did not look at the other boat, it was out of my price range and I don't like the daggerboard system, am happier with a centreboard that has some give if it strikes something hard. I am in Cairns, if you are up this way am happy to go for a sail.

cheers, Paul
Gundie
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Post by Gundie »

Hi Paul,
Thanks for your comments and the offer of a sail. I am an engineer and currently working in PNG. We transit back into Cairns from Port Morseby on the way back to Brisbane. If I could delay my Bne leg to the next day we might be able to get together.
I have been following the F22's release on the Farrier website. Its going to be released (soon)? in a kitset for for builder assembly. Price is meant to be around the $50K mark so when you do a fitout and add a trailer it would be not much more than the DF.
When I retire we want to use the boat to trail/sail the east coast. We have previously done Bne to port douglas in our windspeed 32, but the leg home can be a slog if the northerlies don't cooperate. However with the trailer its 90kph dead to windward and and easy 2 days.
Would like to stay out for up to 10 days at a time on the DF. My other boats are a 5m sea kayak and hobie adventure island tri. From these I have learnt to pack small & lean. A Group of us had 7 days whale watching on Fraser Island from the sea kayaks so its very doable. Might need a small hand desalinator as water would be the limiting supply.
The cosair 750 is more of a race boat and the F22 could be fitted out how ever one wanted.
Cheers, Gundie
Paul
Posts: 93
Joined: Thu 28 Jan 10, 7:46
Your Country: Australia, Cairns

Post by Paul »

If you get a chance to stop off in Cairns give me a call on 40 930188. Agree with your comments on trailering the boat south, banging into southeasterlies for weeks at a time is no fun. The Corsairs, Farriers and the DF's are all quite capable of coastal cruising with proper preparation, the DF800 has a built in water tank of around 35 litres which is enough for 2 people for 3-4 days, a small hand desalinator would keep you going (and fit). I work on 5 litres per day per person when planning a voyage. Hope we can get together some time and take a sail.

cheers, Paul
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