Ep66 | Sailing a Kraken 50
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- Опубліковано 24 тра 2022
- We gave you a got of a tour of a new Kraken 50 in last weeks episode, well this week we get to sail one!
We also have Kraken CEO Dick Beaumont to give us the low down and a fabulous sunny day with a good sailing breeze to put the 4th Kraken 50 to be made through her paces... and they're pretty impressive paces!
Kraken are just in the process of moving their opperation to an impressive new yard in Bodrum which is an historic place with a history of boat building. It's also one of the best cruising grounds in the world, not a bad place to be!
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Love the little sneaky shots of the misses , still loving the curves 💙
I must say that if I had the money there is no sailboat finer than a kracken. And Dick is a superb individual. I trust him absolutely. He epitomises a boat that will save someone’s live as apposed to say depending your life on a beneteau. They said . The interior of your hand Christian is my dream boat. I can’t imagine having such a magnificent place to live
Love the discussion and feedback on your channel. How passionate people can be about their favourite hull , sailplan etc etc but full of admiration for Dick. He builds Krakens from what his experience has taught him and as he’s not “ selling “ 50 /75 boats a year he only needs to find 10 people that agree with his vision , he doesn’t have to “ sell “ the latest items in boat fashion , he’s just catering to people who agree with his sailing ethos and that must be a great way to build boats .
Yes it’s nice to see
Dick is a great guy with an attention to detail like no other. I enjoyed sailing with Kraken last year, glad you did also!
Lovely Vid. Thank You.
Fabulous tour off the Kraken and of Bodrum!
Thank you Fair Isle, Always a treat...
Great episode! I'm getting very homesick :) Great fan of Kraken and I've been following their journey for a while. Looking forward to the next episode.
Thank you for introducing us this interesting brand and the enchanting beauty of Turkish coast
Hi,another interesting video,it is one thing to look at different boats from afar as I do on UA-cam,but boats are touchy-feely things that need to be explored and evaluated.thank you,cheersRoly🇬🇧
For me it's really simple....Integrated hull and protected rudder..either full keel or fin keel and skeg hung rudder..for passage making...bolt on keels and blade runners for coasdtal cruisng...it's that simple!
Dick Kraken and his Kraken 50 are amazing! My fave gulet charter can been seen in your Bodrum shots at 8:32 and 22:37, her name is Cparicorn 1, navy with black masts. You make me long to visit Turkey again. Thank you for this beautiful episode.
Love from Oyster Bay, NY!
Judy and Steve, we all agree that it's time for you to take the dive and move up to a Kraken 50. We know you want to. Please don't disappoint us!
Ha! Fair Isle is the only boat for us.
I have mixed opinions on this topic. Having owned both fin and modified full keel I prefer the second choice. I have thousands of miles under my belt and will give you a quick example. I was a caretaker on a very new Beneteau 38.1 Oceanis with twin rudders. Wonderful sailing vessel until the winds and seas come up and you are beating into them. You can feel the whole boat reverberate. Twin rudders make it track well, but gosh darn it, I really felt every wave as we were beating. Give me my Union Sailboat double ender. The best guy I can think of to answer this question is John Kretschmer who has over 130 Atlantic crossings on a wide variety of vessels.
Yes we will try and get an interview with John at some point.
Awesome
I'm addicted to Kraken!
The Kraken is a carefully designed boat. I would question one feature, that is, the exposed prop. Beaumont says that a line cutter device is installed but I wonder if that is adequate.l Floating line in my experience is a major hazard. In the Fla Keys my rudder was snagged by lines to a carb trap, so heavyily weighted it anchored the boat; it too some doing to free. Another time floating line wrapped a prop so much as to immobilize the shaft; it had to go into the yeard for correction. Sailing in Maine lobster pots so crowd the channels in places theuy are inescapable. Hence I would like a well protected prop. One other suggestion: As you may know, the Deefoot sailboats were specifically designed for management by a couple such as yourselves on long passages.l You might find some useful design features in such boats. Cheers
I’ve no experience to share on other boat designs, but legendary boat designer Bob Perry has been pretty vocal in his later-life preference for spare riders, even for ocean-crossing. Lots of public comments in print and UA-cam videos, and Bob is engaged with the sailing community through FaceBook and other channels.
Yes Bob certainly has his opinions!
I am in Kefalos, Kos and have been hoping that Sailing Fair Isle shall com here before I go home end of June.. But they have gone right past! Still, another great episode and loving the history.
We are looking forward to coming back through Greece, it would have been lovely to flit between the two as we sail but sadly world politics makes that a real hassle. Depending on where we decide to be next winter we maybe crossing to Greece before the end of June.
Liked the dramatic music 😊
Gordana and I are enjoying the good weather... and building a terrasse, outside shower in the shed, isolating the mobile home part of the house and.... building a garage. It's great fun to be active again and using the hands helping out the workers. Tiled the whole bathroom for 600 euros... just mind boggling..
When will you be coming our way again?
Well funny you should say that! We are looking at where we can spend next winter, our last in the Med. And at the moment Montenegro is at the top of our list. You better hope we get a washing machine on Fair Isle before then or we might be seeing a lot of your terrace!
@@svfairisle Well, funny you should say that - we are going out tomorrow to buy a new washing machine, as the one we have is to small. :) So there will be plenty of machines to wash with 😁 It would be great if you could spend your winter here -I'm sure we can find you a spot somewhere in the Boka Bay area. We plan to spend a good amount of time here, but will probably take of to Tenerife for the coldest/wettest months. Let's keep in touch.
We have actually talked about renting a boat in Turkey this year and sail a bit around ... not quite decided yet, but will give you a shout out if we do...
Know nothing about sailing, but Kraken do a great dark rum. 🥃👍
I'm not sure how to say either your lady or the kraken is better than each other asthetic there are different but modern verses old really I love them both absolutely stunning creations that move the water seamlessly and glide into the deep blue very jealous of both
Careful Steve! I'd guess you already caught your error. The watermaker was making 30 Liters per hour, or about 8 gallons. Still, a very nice day on the water, and another great video, thank you!
Yes I caught it in the edit you must have missed the text I put up as it went through. It's a nice thought though 30 Gallons per hour!
The kraken is certainly an impressive yacht with true offshore capability with comfort ,safety , and performance at the top of most cruiser’s desires…now that you’ve spent time aboard, and had the opportunity to sail her, do you think she would hit all of the buttons as a new boat for you?…I owned a completely refitted 42 vagabond that had many of the characteristics of the hans Christian…I would literally spend hours walking her decks and below admiring her lines and beauty. The fine mill work and beefy bronze fittings were all part of the reason why I fell in love with my yacht..sure she wasn’t the fastest, especially in light air, but I wasn’t in a hurry to arrive at my destination, because I was so content at the helm…im certain that you appreciate the same with your old
Girl …she is quite special…could you fall in love with the Kraken?….
That's a very good point, as Dick says himself 'you've got to love your boat' And I have to say I'm with you, unsurprisingly I suppose as i picked a Hans Christian. It's all a question of taste though and as modern boats go I do like the lines of the Kraken but for me the Vagabond & HC are far easier to love... until it's time to varnish!!!
Dick is a very interesting man…I think he’s hit on a nice niche in the market , and hope he does well…
Obviously, he is more interested in building fine yachts than his bottom line profits…his passion for doing this shines through in his product…very tempting to a cruiser who has found love in the traditional yacht, but has an eye for modern design and quality…
I’ll admire from a distance, but stick with the old girl who still looks great even without makeup…
Having owned and extensively sailed offshore in both traditional heavy displacement long keel, and light displacement fin keel boats, I continue to be amused at how strong of opinions so many people have about boats they have little or no experience with sailing long offshore passages. In my experience, around 90 percent of the time a well designed and built light displacement boat *that is well sailed* will be more comfortable offshore. In particularly rough going, some may consider the livelier motion of a light displacement boat to be less pleasant. But in those conditions, the ride in a heavy displacement boat will not exactly be pleasant either and will probably be wetter and more rolly. And a heavier boat will usually be significantly slower for most of a passage and likely to spend more time in bad weather, and less able to maneuver to avoid it. Lighter boats tend to sail over waves and remain drier on deck, whereas heavy boats tend to sail through waves meaning more green water washing over the deck. Regarding bolt on keels, the problem with many modern production boats is that the keel bolts do not properly tie together the internal structure. Instead a grid structure is separately and marginally bonded to the hull, usually without robust tabbing, and around but not directly tied to the the keel bolts. However, when the keel bolts actually pass through and tie together robust floor timbers or a grid structure and the hull, problems are rare. Furthermore, many modern production boats with spade rudders do not have rudders adequately engineered and built for offshore use. So the problems with many bolt on keels and spade rudders is with the engineering and production quality not the design concept. A well engineered and built fin keel and spade rudder boat that is well sailed can be remarkable pleasant to sail offshore in typical weather conditions, spend far less time motoring in light air, make faster passages and are better at avoiding and spend less time in unpleasant weather, and don't need to load up the rigging as much as a heavy boat to maintain good speeds. All that said, I have no problem if people want to sail in more traditional heavy displacement boats. My point is that well designed and built light displacement and better performing boats have many virtues offshore that must be experienced to fully appreciate. I have noticed that many people's taste in boat design and construction quality rapidly evolves as they gain more experience. And learning to sail really well in a wide range of conditions generally makes passagemaking much more enjoyable, particularly in performance oriented designs. One other point, many modern designs with wide, flat stern underbodies have a terrible problem with wave slapping when anchored, which is how most cruising boats seem to spend most of their time. But, a modest V shape in the stern underbody will do wonders to eliminate the wave slapping when anchored, and is also a fast shape when sailing that tracks well in following seas. It's surprising more designers do not take this important issue into account with modern designs.
You make a very good point about the wave slapping at anchor. I actually filmed it in a video, it's marked up here... ua-cam.com/video/v83opWkT6U0/v-deo.html so if anyone's in any doubt how bad this is, this should show you, and thats in a calm marina!
What you don't mention though is the other most annoying thing that I find with modern lightweight bolt on keeled hull with their associated flat bottoms is the slamming you get going to weather. I actually feel unsafe in most modern yachts going into any sort of sea, i know they are not going to break in half but they often seem like they are, the sound can be truly awful, is this something you get used to?
@@svfairisle surely UA-cam sailors don't sail to weather 😮.
@@Lightw81 Ha! It’s ‘gentlemen’ that don’t sail to weather I thought. Which probably means most UA-camrs do!
Yes, beamy hull forms with flat bow underbodies tend to pound more sailing close hauled compared to more narrow hulls with more deadrise. A good driver can steer a path through the waves to avoid most of the pounding, but that's not the case for self-steering systems. If we are talking about passagemaking for typical cruising routes, not much time is usually spent in full close hauled mode. Footing off even 10 to 20 degrees usually dramatically reduces or eliminates any bow slamming. Even fully close hauled, slowing down to 4 kts or less instead of sailing at 6+ kts usually eliminates bow slamming, which is still better progress to weather than many heavy, full keeled boats can manage. That said, I try to pick weather windows and routing to avoid sailing above close reaching for long distances offshore in more then 15 kts true wind speed. But, I feel safer to have the ability to claw off a leeshore in a big blow, even if experiencing engine failure. I also feel safer knowing that I can sail the boat away from danger in light wind, even if experiencing engine failure. For example, sadly a heavy displacement, full keel boat was recently lost on a reef in American Somoa because it was out of fuel and incapable of sailing away from the reef in light air. I personally don't feel safer if something goes wrong or breaks offshore and I have to go deal with heavily loaded or bigger, heavier broken parts that are wildly flaying around. Another point to consider, ever spent a night or two offshore in a long keel boat hove-to in a strong gale and being keel tripped and knocked down by big breaking waves once or twice an hour? Think that feels very safe? Fin keel boats do not keel trip so badly. Full keel boats are also known to have more difficulty extracting themselves from a grounding because it is usually more difficult to pivot them and head to deeper water. So it is a myth, often perpetuated by those with little offshore experience, that full keel boats are inherently safer. In my view, the quality of the design, build, and maintenance, and the experience and capability of the crew are the more important factors for safety.
@@svfairisle UA-cam sailors don't know how to tack apparently. The motor gets turned on as soon as they have to point close to the wind.
Spotted a Quantum main!
Greetings Steve and Judy.
The Bodrum, Marmaris, Gocek, Fethiye area looks brilliant for spending some time exploring when we charter next year in Fethiye.
I’ve been following the Kraken and Distant Shores story for some time now. Dick Beaumont has created a Kraker - pun intended. I still think Fair Isle has more character.
Why would you not be able to sail Fair Isle wing on wing downwind given that she is a cutter? The Solent rig on the Kraken made this look like a breeze .
The Orion 49 that will replace Distant Shores 3 looks super capable and classic at the same time. It seems to me like they needed a new project as they have been pretty much everywhere else other than the Arctic and Antarctic.
Really enjoyed the film!
With a cutter the staysail is too small an area to really be of any use down-wind so if going dead down-wind we use the main with a preventer and the yankee on the opposite side so it is a form of wing on wing just not the 'butterfly' configuration you can do with the solent rig. I'll talk about it more in the tech video there lots of things to consider with different sail plans.
I'm looking forward to talking to Distant Shores, we will have an interview with them in the tech video and probably put out and extended stand alone interview as well, after all those years I think they'll have a lot to say!
After 55 years of sailing , Racing , Cruising & Delivering ,A Semi full keel , Skeg hung rudder , Med to heavy displacement , Cutter rigged , Boom furled main & electric winches , Well protected cockpit & a good beer fridge . They are out there But dont come on the market to often .
Interesting you like the boom furling, Dick fitted it to White Dragon and says it was a mistake. The problem he has is you always need someone on deck watching the as it’s easy for the luff of the sail to slip forward and get gouged around the goose neck
Yeah I have one and love it. No boom furling , traditional main for me . We do have Hydraulic winches, vang ,backstay. and a below decks captive winch for the main halyard , makes hoisting and reffing the main effortless .
I have an Ex-BOC single-handed 15-meter masthead cutter, with a displacement of 8.5 tons built-in 1986 by the Gonçalves brothers in France from Aluminum. It is unique because it has a delta keel, 3.5 Tons, running from the back of the keel to the front of the rudders keg it has a V-shaped fence giving the boat directional stability in all weather. The same almost the same effect as a full keel without all the mass. Under sail, it likes to sit at 9,10, 11 knots under lightweight spinnaker we have it does 15 to 17 knots. It is a fast passage maker. I would never own a 15-meter boat that displaces more than 13 tons. otherwise, it is too hard on running blocks and equipment and a small crew, the Kraken is very nice but too heavy for me. liking you need electrical power to run the winches, this means more weight including the need for a generator more weight again.. there is a lot more to tell if it is of interest. SV Skoiern IV
Wow! That’s a real sailing machine. Must be a hoot to sail. I have to say I would want the opposite of that for cruising though, I wouldn’t want to step on a boat with less than 20 tons to go voyaging, just call me old and boring!
I guess you haven't lived yet till you experience sailing this kind of boat, I have had it for now 34 years I rebuild it 3 times that is how much I love sailing it - it's a great safe cruising boat now it is retired as a race boat. Fast, no boobing around, shorter passage times-don't let the displacement weight fool you, it's fully fitted out 2 x 1.5 berths and 2 single ones in lightweight materials. Sailboats are all a compromise, the problem is some cruisers can't draw the line on what comforts are required in a boat to cruise and what comforts should be left at home.
Really intersting episode, I've been following Kraken for a while, lovely designs with lots of great features for a proper seaworthy boat. One thing I noticed was that shes still wide at the stern which normally is the reason given for needing double rudders but obviously she doesn't. How was that achieved?
She doesn’t carry the beam that far back if you really look at it, but the key is actually the underwater shape. The stern is really tapered in under water and up to the transom, which is actually quite small.
Lekker man lekker 🇿🇦
Baie lekker 😁
Knidos is one of my favorite places along he Turkish coast. The archeology is amazing. But of course the biggest treasure found there, the Knidos Lion, is in the British Museum in London… sad.
A hard dodger on the Kraken would be nice.
Yes that’s the route I would go, but this boat has bigger energy needs than solar, it’s a different philosophy, we’ll go into it on the tech episode.
As a registered nurse I will never make enough money to own a Kraken, I hope I do get to see one up close one day. Just Lovely.
Haven’t you heard? All nurses are to be given a new Kraken on retirement! ( I might have made that up, but it should be true)
Don’t speak that. Save and invest in 2 or 3 blue chip stocks buy and hold and do not stare at your portfolio every day. After 20 years you will be able to afford a nice sailing yacht. Get outside the box!
The Kraken is a "cracker" of a yacht. In answer to your comment - having recently sold my yacht, I have now taken up cycling as a hobby. So, what bike do I purchase ? Road Bike or Mountain Bike ? I can ride "fast" and safe and "semi-comfortably" on a paved road with a road bike. I can ride "no-so-fast", comfortably (mountain bike has suspension) and safe on an unpaved road on a mountain bike. BUT, I can also ride "not-so-fast", safely and in comfort on a paved road riding a mountain bike, unlike a road bike on an unpaved road. SO, instead of limiting myself, I have the best of both worlds on my new mountain bike. Thus, if I'm looking to "sail the planet", Kraken (or similar) before a "plastic fantastic" for me. PS, my Mountain Bike is also an e-Bike - fast(er) and easy to go the distance - just like a Kraken (White Witch is a beaut !!!!)
Yes, bolted keels can fall off but that's very rare. The positive about twin rudders is that steering doesn't take much force and if one falls off you've one working. I saw a production cruiser from a wellknown brand losing their single rudder in open ocean, that Swedish couple had to make another and hand-steer. The negative is what happens if you run aground. The plastic hull of a Kraken will not survive a collision with a reef or a container. Aluminium or composite are preferable.
I’ll go into all this in the tech video, I think the Kraken would fair just as well with a collision at sea as a steel or aluminium boat to be honest but of course none of this has been tested on either side. I would be interest to know how many twin ruddered boats will still steer when you’ve bashed one rudder. I’ve personally helped out two twin keeled yachts that banged a rudder and it jammed the whole system so they had no steering.
@@svfairisle Good to know, thanks. Most boats have twin rudders nowadays. So older boats may be safer. As a Swede, I'd prefer a used HR or Najad, but they're very expensive.
Dick hit a whale, I think off the coast of Africa, and the boat survived with minor damage to the skeg. This is a seriously built vessel!
@@7drobin I heard it was a Rhinoceros. The story keeps changing 🤣🤣🤣. JK
If you guys are anywhere near Fethiye 11th June my partner and I would happily buy you a beer for the good videos. We are on a Flotilla for a week so not there for long 😢
Never knowingly turned down a beer and we should definitely be around Fethiye in June, working up a thirst already!
At 15:08 you read the gauge as 30 GPH. It was actually showing 30 l/h (just over 8 GPH). Easy enough mis-read unless you were actually counting on getting 30 GPH.
Ha! yes, you're the second person to mention that, just as slip of the tongue, i'm not up to Judys standard speaking to camera yet. I did actually put up a caption (*litres) to correct myself in the edit though. I should have left it up longer.
@@svfairisle No worries, mate. Just proof that some of us are actually paying attention and hanging on every word. Fabulous vlog.
Could you guys do a review of the Turkish gulet yachts? Would they be able to do a world circumnavigation?
Yes we’d love to do that but I’ve yet to find one out here that actually gets sailed! They tend to motor everywhere. We’re on the look out though & if anyone out there know someone with a Gullet that sails & we can film let us know.
After two years I finally saw one - only time ever with any sails up - with all her sails up. Can not comment on how she sailed.
Not all bolt on keels are the same. My racer/cruiser has a deep bilge and the mounting platform being below the hull shape is especially strong where the keel at almost half the weight of the boat is bolted on and then wrapped and fiberglassed over so she is not moving. The entire mast keel grid rigging and chain plates are all tied in together to form one continuous structure. I like a lot of the Kraken philosophy which I know comes from years of experience and they understand certain things that one would never want on a boat. Now if they would make one a little smaller for single handlers...
Dick says it’s the most often asked thing, can he make a smaller version. He says he won’t because he doesn’t want Kraken to be a mass produced boat, he wants to produce the best cruising boat he can and believes 50 foot and above is the right size for that.
Thanks. Understandable. Any smaller cuts out a lot of stuff that make it what it is. Cheers.
Hi Guy's a few thoughts... Love the space that you get with these big boats, hate the cost of wintering and maintenance. All boat go well down wind or on a broad reach just check the polars. Yes, soft and kindly in bigger seas and ocean passages. But, how many days in a year are you needing those characteristics? 22 Days across the Atlantic, 25 days the Pacific and 10 the Indian? Give or take good \ bad wind or current. That's 308 days where you want a boat that does not roll at anchor, is fast and easy handle and is open and light inside and not like falling into a rabbit hole decorated in the style of a 1920's gentleman's club. A cockpit that is away from the breaking seas over the bow is just a must and this type of design while soft take a lot of sea over the bow. Bolt on keels are fine if looked after and treated correctly. The 3 boats that have lost their keels at sea in the last 20 years that made the head lines due to bad design, bad design and bad maitainance following multiple groundings. Balanced single rudders are again perfectly safe given the correct maintenance and inspection (and the fact they are behind the keel). The problems arise with the huge volume of production boat especially ex-charter boats that have not been looked after, abused, grounded, poorly patched up, or covered in a thick cover of anti foul. The volume is higher and the prices lower which leads to a bias in the market of world circumnavigation capable production boats. Then there are the Inspectors: (We have met a few). Assessors and Surveyors who have an interest in recommending, all types of work, from canvas to osmosis treatment. (With their old school mate or golf partner) and taking 10% !! We would all love a Range Rover, I know, I have had a few. However, the practicalities for the both the pocket and cost per mile are 98% will own something less glamourous, faster, cheaper to run. That will point upwind and are capable of world cruising from the ARC to Cape town given the right nut behind the wheel. 😉. 😁. Sail Safe Guys, Ant & Cid.
Yes I agree with almost all of that, I do rather like living in a 1920 gentleman’s club though! Cost is a big issue of course and in the Med when you’re in a marina for winter overall length is a killer. The kraken doesn’t do to bad compared with us there being a bigger boat to live in but 2 meters shorter in overall length because we have the bow sprit. The Kraken will go downwind better than any boat I know without resorting to a coloured sail, having said that I would still go for a cutter rather than a Solent rig, but I hold out the reservation to change my mind after years of trade wind sailing which is something we haven’t done yet in Fair Isle. Bolt on keels are an issue that will only get worse as time goes on and boats age and fail. Yes proper maintenance will mitigate that a lot and eliminate the risk if inspected to the degree I know you do. But it still leaves the situation as Dick experienced with a hard grounding where you need to lift and inspect and you may be in a place where that’s just not possible. We had an occasion in France where the girl on the VHF instructed us where to go & it happen to be right over the sill which was just under 2 meters covered (she was new!) we hit at at 3 knots. If that had been a bolt on keel we would have been lifting the boat the next day not sailing back across the channel as we did after diving and finding a small scratch! Balanced single rudders are obviously much better protected than twin out of line ones and it’s nice to sail with a balanced rudder but again there are situations where you’ve added risk, I’ve actually got a very good example that happened in Bodrum marina as we left, it’ll be in the tech episode, have a look and tell me what you think would have happened if it were a spade rudder I’d be interested in your opinion. I agree with the badly maintained and often abused charter boats giving some perfectly good production boats a bad name, but I do wish boat designers would turn away from making increasingly badly designed boats for sailing and just concentrating on how many cabins they can fit in and how many they can seat for cocktails. That’s why I applaud Dick for reining things back. Oh and by the way he’s managed to crack upwind sailing with that boat too. Our sheeting angles & full keel on Fair Isle mean we struggle to tack through 110 degrees but the blade jib on that thing is amazing I’m not sure there are many light weight production boats that could do better. It’s all interesting stuff!
@@svfairisle Yes I would like a cutter rig as well , I have no problem with running back stays . As for a balanced rudder our Bristol has a partial skeg with a portion of the rudder ahead of the pivot point , hence a balanced rudder with a skeg . My last boat had a full skeg and it was a bear sometimes . I love Dick , bring back sensible engineering in sailboats ! I work in the automotive world and see most new cars being built like cell phones , meant to last 5 years and thats it . Modern boat builders seem to be following the same business model . Now if Dick could put more wood in that Kraken (not crazy about vinyl linings in a boat) with a keyhole galley , not that walk through thing it would be truly amazing .
How does this compare to Roberts 45. Love that bimini on the Kraken
I'd forgotten all about the Roberts boats, thanks for reminding me. Am I right in saying you can buy the plans for them? Does someone still make the hulls? I think they came out of SA originally but I'm sure I once saw one that was built in Europe. The 45 Offshore had the long keel I think & they look like strong boats, very utilitarian compared to a Kraken though! But I'm sure with a price tag that reflect that. I'd love to here from anyone who has one.
Yes the strong bimini with an extra ss bar as a grab rail all the way around is genius, I meant to point that out in the video but forgot. What I would like to see is instead of a sunbrella covering some sort of high tech semi rigid covering incorporating solar and windows to see the sails, maybe the whole thing could be a flexable bifacial solar panel in future, im sure that sort of thing is coming. There's one for their head of design who is a very smart young chap that you will see in the tech special.
I've owned a few modern fin keeled performance yachts, a long keeled traditional yacht and a lifting keel yacht. Happy to admit mainly coastal sailing though although I was part owner of a company that imported modern yachts for a while.
I think overall I agree with those who prefer the modern yachts. The motion is less rolly, the boats are significantly faster and sail out of trouble more easily. I think the incidence of keel issues with the main brands bolt on keels is vanishingly rare, or explained through unusual circumstances. I think as you mentioned in your video the bulk of people setting off on travels via the ARC or just on their own choose modern spacious yachts and seem fine. There must be a reason why the Kracken is such a niche product. If you really wanted an indestructible boat you would get a steel one and be done with it.
I think the majority of people have spacious yachts with massive cockpits because that’s what designers are making now because they are easy to sell. If you are new to sailing you’ld look around a boat show and think that’s how boats should be made. We go into this much more in the tech video coming out this week, I for one are really glad Kraken has come along to try and turn the tide away from boats that are fine for marina hopping but nothing else. All boats are a compromise and there’s no such thing as the perfect boat. By the way my father had a steel yacht and it might have been indestructible in terms of hitting things in the short term, but in the long term it was constantly in self destruct mode trying to rust itself from the inside out so it’s about as far away as possible from being done with it I’m afraid. Most people will only ever coastal sail, they can regularly haul the boat and have things checked, if they have a hard grounding that may have compromised the keel boats you’ll lift the boat and check. That’s not always possible when cruising. And we haven’t even mentioned rudders yet. Really it’s just a case of picking a boat that’s fit for purpose and being honest with yourself as the buyer to what that purpose is.
Stevo and Judy; Fair Isle looked sad in that evening shot because you all were out being flirtatious on another girl.
I have been looking at krakens online. Just interested. Sailboat data doesn’t have anything yet. Did he say what the capsize screening formula was?
I see if i can get some stats for the tech video.
Awesome. Thank you. Love the channel. Ur on my dream boat. Love the Hans.
Hello Judy and Steve, I actually have 2 questions: why did Dick name them Kraken yachts? And second what was the fish tally?
All the best Richard
You know I didn’t ask how Dick came to call the Kraken, you get to realise quite quickly with Dick he’s so passionate about the whole thing that every question you give him will have a 5 minute answer, so you have to limit your questions if you ever want to get to bed! On the fish tally, I lost count…. Or didn’t start counting, I can’t remember which! ;)
Why don't you look at other sailors who use cheaper production boats to cross the Atlantic etc. Jambo is a UA-cam sailor who has a Bavaria 34 and is on his second Atlantic circuit. Last week I met a couple of guys who live aboard a big jeanneau and have been twice around the world with no problems. A couple of friends have an ex-sunsail boat they've sailed to French Polynesia. Then you have the mini transat boats or the Jpk 1010 that did very well in the RORC transatlantic race recently. Finally you have Shane Acton who circumnavigated in an 18 ft Caprice. These aren't stunts. All this "probably good enough for island hopping in the med" is in danger of producing a generation of UA-cam -inspired sailors who won't leave harbour without a sat phone, AIS and a watermaker (my phone wanted me to put watermelon - obviously old school), preferably donated by besotted acolytes who've never been on a boat.
I don’t really know what that’s supposed to mean. People cross the Atlantic in row boats, hell someone did it on a paddle board. Pick whatever boat you want & do what you want, it’s all good. This doesn’t mean we should not have a discussion of the safest and most comfortable way to go about something.
@@svfairislerow boats and paddle boards ARE stunts. My examples are of people choosing affordable (relatively), widely available boats with fin keels and spade rudders. ok, bit of a ramble but you did say that "production" boats are probably fine for island hopping (roughly) and you also asked about others' experience so for starters I'd point you towards M Jambo's videos. ua-cam.com/video/HVHUX76Xv6c/v-deo.html
Fine..... it might.. just might be better than Amel! I want one!!
Doesn’t have the cool floating dipsticks!
Hi, I’m new here and confused. Why were you looking at Kracken and what exactly Allred you sailing now. ? The interior of your vessel is much superior to me than the kraken although I understand Kracken is more frozen sailing please tell us about your beautiful sailboat thank you kindly I love your show
We featured the Kraken because it’s one of the very few proper blue water boats being made now. We have no intention of ever selling Fair Isle though.
The Kraken in Greek mythology was a gigantic sea monster, killed by Perseus I think
Kraken 50. i think for a true blue water yacht you want more helm protetion, a solid bimini not canvas that only last until the first real storm, a pilot house where all can sit in comfort with fiull view of the outside at anchor or on passage. is it shaft drive? i like aluminium, the best overall material. i do commend him for making a nice boat and being a shit load better than most boats. fair isle will still look good, ( yes a lot of maintenance) long after a craken is tatty. distant shores are onto it, finally, with aluminium, pilothouse, swing keel, but still a mono. aluminium cat is really the ultimate.
Well each to his own, we’ll go into all of that in the tech special I’m working on. I’ve actually got Distance Shores scheduled for a Zoom chat on that one as I agree it’s interesting what they are doing. Not what I would pick, but I’m want to hear there story, they’re very experienced.
It does have a pilot house and it's shaft drive. It's not aluminium but the GRP lay up is thicker and stronger than 5mm of aluminium (deliberately). Not to say that there's anything wrong with aluminium but you do have the risk of corrosion and need to be really careful with your electrics. Pretty sure Kraken will do a solid bimini for you if you want it, although the rigid fabric one has been through several storms (listening to Dick's chats)
Thats only half a boat! Where's the other hull lol.
I'd love to know how a Kraken would fair against a Sirius 40DS if anyone has experience of said boat.
I love the little workshop -cave in the Sirius, they have some really nice touch’s like the Kraken has, but you can’t really compare them. The DS has bolt on keel/keels (the twin & swing keel ideas are interesting and the coming through to a frame might be easier to inspect? Not sure, but the rudder is not fully skewed which for me is a miss.
@@svfairisle Yes I agree however I would still like to see the two compared as Kraken seems to major heavily on the engine room to the detriment of cabin's
Seeing it for real the engine room didn’t seem to take up a lot of room, but I agree the saloon layout is strange, maybe it’s because it’s deep with the big chair on one side but it seems a bit empty, maybe once it’s lived in that will change?
Shouldn't a discussion about cruising boats, especially living aboard for extended periods, include load capacity? I thought lighter displacement boats didn't have the same load capacity. On a percentage of displacement basis I can put more into a 40' boat that displaces 20T than one that displaces 10T right? Then there is the effect of the added weight on performance. Are those sailing light displacement boats off shore as cruisers having to make harder choices about what they take with them?
Yes absolutely, I talked about that in the ‘Choosing a boat for cruising’ video… ua-cam.com/video/WeBGJsfrWg0/v-deo.html
@ Brad Green
A 10 ton, 40' boat that has 2 tons of cruising gear added has to push aside the same 2 additional tons of displaced water that a 20 ton, 40' boat with 2 tons of gear added. But keep in mind, that a performance oriented 40' boat would typically be designed to race with 10+ crew onboard, plus gear and provisions to support them and a usually a larger sail inventory than most cruisers would carry. So in cruising mode, typically sailed by a couple, with maybe one or two extra crew, that alone results in substantial weight savings to offset cruising gear. Where the weight is stowed and how much windage is added can have a big effect on performance. Storing lots of heavy gear in the ends and on deck, adding lots of windage such as mast steps, a large dodger and bimini, a large stern arch, etc. all affect performance and can be death by a thousand cuts. But carefully stowed, the cruising gear weight can actually help dampen the more lively motion of a light displacement boat. In the end, in practice I've found more performance oriented boats with a higher sail area to displacement ratios usually have plenty of extra sail area in reserve for sailing loaded in cruising mode and will still easily out perform most heavy displacement boats that generally tend to have lower sail area to displacement ratios.
I think there’s some truth in what you say with yachts from a decade or so ago compared with old style cruisers & if you want a more modern design there maybe some good options from boat say in the 2000 - 2010 era. But from what I see nowadays a lot of production boats have no storage below the water line so everything you bring on board is a negative to performance, even the tanks are under the seats, they’re small tanks too which is why you see boats with dozens of Jerry cans strapped to the guard rails. You probably couldn’t overload then too much though as there is often nowhere to store anything, just big open saloons to make everything look spacious. You are of course right with the importance of weight distribution. I recently changed my second bow anchor from full chain to mainly rode as having 200metres of 10mm chain in the fore peak was affecting performance for us. If we were a lightweight boat then even having one good 100metre anchor chain would almost certainly make a lot of these boats sail like shit, so you’re left with not having full chain or your bower anchor. Not something I would like in a live-aboard cruising boat.
@@svfairisle It's been nearly a decade since I've attended a boatshow and viewed new production boat offerings. When I last attended, I agree the typical new monohull production boats had interiors that gave little consideration to offshore passagemaking, even lacking decent sea berths. They were really designed for day sailing and dock cruising. To be clear, when I mention performance oriented boats, it's really custom or semi custom performance boats I have in mind that are designed and built to a higher standard than run of the mill production boats. FWIW, I carry 40 meters of chain for my primary anchor spliced to 80 meters of nylon. I've spent thousands of nights anchored in the Atlantic, Caribbean and Pacific cruising grounds. I've rarely needed to use much of the nylon and never dragged. The deepest anchorage I recall was about 24 meters at Isla de la Plata off the coast of Ecuador. But that was very unusual. For peace of mind and a decent night sleep, I usually set a second anchor if winds in the anchorage exceed 25 kts. Most of the time these days, in all but the most remote areas there is barely room to set 5:1 scope given the crowded anchorages. I carry 3 additional anchors and shorter lengths of chain and varying lenghts of nylon that can be mixed and matched as needed all strapped securely down in a locker just forward of my keel stepped carbon mast. For lengthy offshore passages, I drop my primary anchor down in the locker, securely strap it down, and seal the windlass hawse hole with a silicone plug. So this weight essentially functions as internal ballast when offshore.
@@flyinggybe2113 You’ll be shocked the next time you go to a boat show, & not in a good way! We are currently anchored with 80 metres of chain out stern tied to a shore that’s almost close enough to jump too with the anchor in 25 metres of water, anchorages are deep here in Turkey!
Have you thought of Amel?
In what respect?
🤔 Dick, did you, or have you ever considered publishing your notebooks of improvements or good ideas?
I agree with your philosophy that there is no such thing as a universally perfect boat, however, by defining what is the purpose of the boat, one may approach perfection for that purpose. The devil and excellence will always be found in the summation of the details.
Well i hope that the helmpost stops shaking when it becomes really ruff......
?
@@svfairisle
Well at 9.20 in the film you are at the helm,while mister kraken holds the post with one hand,it seems to me that its moving a little bit......maybe i drunk a little much?? ....than i rest my case,but what causes this probably visual flaw?maybe its the cam wich moved but than the question remains on wich vibration?
@@guidouytterhaegen oh I see, no I can assure you it’s rock solid.
@@svfairisle
Sorry,than its the cam who is dancing in the wind.....( as you now the name of my boat is “ naughty ghost” .....
Yes the camera was clipped to the bimini, it was quite windy!
From the get go ? Did you mean From the start ! or are you American, I thought you were from England
Love the way language evolves
I have to say it - if you contribute on Patreon, you're just a patron. No 'e' in the middle. A lot of people seem to get caught by this but it's just like being a regular non-Patreon patron of the arts etc
Yes I know, but for whatever reason the people who came up with the app called it Patreon with an e. Very annoying, but hey with the percentage they take from every creator they are very rich so I'm sure they don't care what I think!
@@svfairisle the site, sure but even in their own docs they describe individual contributors as patrons
@@scotty6435 Yes which means when we say patron in the videos people message and say ‘hey do you mean Patreon?!’ And get confused as to where they’re supposed to sign up! Can’t win!!
An Amel/Oyster/HR rival ????
Well have a look at the tech special on the Kraken when it comes out and see what you think. In my opinion a lot of these ‘top end’ yachts are trading off their names long after they have lost their way and joined the cheaper production boats in attracting buyers with multiple cabins and large cockpits, some don’t even put a picture in the brochure of what’s below the water-line they give so little importance to it! Some were over-rated in the first place in many ways. What’s true is the Kraken is a very welcome addition to ‘blue water’ yachts and hopefully will drag some of the designers out of building yachts that resembles condos and focus more on what matters.
Hi Steve,
Easy to see why you like the Kraken - I wonder what the price point is.
However, Kraken are NOT the only manufacturers of modern dedicated 'Blue Water' boats out there currently. I'd suggest a look at Outbounds - a smaller platform - 46' but with very similar objectives. Granted she has a spade rudder which I know is a no-no for you - though the benefits of such are to be experienced to be believed. (Example we don't have a bow thruster and really don't feel we need one...)
We have a 15 year old Outbound 44 (smaller swim platform only) that we've owned for 10 years. We've been living aboard 6 years now and have done 2 Atlantic crossings, into Scotland, Norway, the Baltic and are now in the Med. We've also spent 2 winters in the Caribbean and a summer in Newfoundland.
I wouldn't trade Toodle-oo! for any other boat - though if I won the lottery, maybe I'd buy a new one as Phil Lambert (original owner of Outbound Yachts) incorporated so many suggestions by owners, that no two Outbounds are actually the same. (Much like Dick's philosophy). The newer ones have definite improvements!
Maybe as we head into the Med and you start coming out, we can meet and you can have a view of an Outbound.
Enjoy your cruising - hopefully we'll catch you along the way.
Cheers!
Bill
toodleoo.com
Hi Bill, well i hope we can meet up, i'd very much like to see your Outbound. I am familiar with them, they are a favourite of John Harris who's opinion I trust in most things & Carl Schumacher was a great designer. Do they still make them with an integral keel? & do you have the 2 meter draft version or the shoal draft one?
@@svfairisle Yes, still the encapsulated keel. We have the 2 meter draft. We've done about 40,000 miles in her and the previous owners brought her across the Atlantic to Turkey - so she's don't 'it' the difficult direction 3 times now!
@@svfairisle I should add, Outbound are under new ownership now and sadly Phil Lambert is contractually out of the picture - a great shame. However, they seem to be continuing in the same vain... One problem for them now is that the benefit of manufacturing in China got whittled away by Trump so Americans now have to pay more! Good news for me as it means the value of Toodle-oo! remains high! :-)
@@billbalme2035 yes China is becoming more of a problem to work in as a foreigner. Dick moved Kraken from their to Turkey a few years ago because they were making thing too difficult.
@@billbalme2035 there's a tech talk subject then, Dick's opinion on integral and encapsuated keels..
Island packet 439, better!
It’s certainly a nice boat, would like so see one for real. Sad they’ve gone the same way as Kraken with the rig though. I still think boats of this size should be cutters
There doesn't look anywhere for a decent solar system, especially with the soft biminy. The deck looks clean and it has lovely lines but it doesn't really look to support "off-grid" too much
Yes they’ve gone a different way. We will talk about it in the tech special.
@@svfairisle will be interested to see the tech episode, I'd have thought you could put solar on the bimini and if necessary build an arch over the back (although you'd need to fit it around the backstays, no running backstays though so that shouldn't be too hard.
Yes it could be done and there’s the davits that could hold a big panel too. But the power needs of this yacht are beyond what you can cater for with solar alone. We are attempting to power Fair Isle that way now, not having a generator any more and it’s just about possible for us with our much lower power needs. It still makes sense to have some solar though and I know the owner John is looking into this.
@@svfairisle could you make up some of the shortfall with regen while you're sailing? The work you guys have done with fair isle has been great
@@ianwilliams7740 Regen isn’t really suited to a boat like Fair Isle, to a fast cat yes, but not worth the expense and difficulty of installing for us thats for sure. More solar is the answer I think.
the man who says sailing the world is attainable by everyone sells a boat with a sticker price of more than a million dollars US
Dick would be the first to tell you you can buy a boat that will do the job for a fraction of that budget, the point is to pick a good seaworthy boat, which there are many older examples of, but not many new models that could claim to be.
Dick is doing his bit to rectify that, so I think that needs to be applauded. The price tag represents good value I think for what you are getting and it means in years to come there might be affordable second hand true blue water yachts on the market less than 30 years old!
i would like him to give me one ane see how a compleat novice gos with it around the wourld would be a good test if i can do it any one could ?
come on dick theres a test for your brand i will utube it all