Hello Rob I was wondering if you would compare the pluses and minuses of your Michalac Philsboat and The Paradox and choose to go with the Paradox after having a Philsboat. I am on the fence choosing my next build. Thanks, Tom
Hi Tom, They're quite different boats. Build - Philsboat is fast, Paradox is slow. Comfort - Philsboat is draughty, Paradox is warm and dry. Space - Philsboat has plenty, Paradox is almost too small. Performance - Philsboat is a dinghy (light), Paradox is a miniature keeler (heavy). OB motor - Philsboat needs one, Paradox is designed to avoid using one. Market - Philsboat is perfect for mucking about in with friends, Paradox is designed for solo shallow draft cruising.
The biggest thing I wanted from my Paradox was the comfortable cabin, warm and dry even in bad conditions. It delivers in spades on this front. The only thing that is a minus is the size of the cabin. It's just a little too small to be comfortable in. If you're over six foot tall don't build a Paradox. It's ideally suited to someone between 5'6" and 5'9" and of moderate to light build. If you're overweight, clambering in and out of the cabin is going to be a nightmare.
@@time2goisnow you can increase the Paradox' dimensions by 20 per cent. that is multiplying the dimensions by 1.2 on the plans. this will allow more cabin room.
Hello Rob! I have been enjoying your videos. My paradox is half complete and would like the opportunity to ask you some questions about your findings with your sail arragements. Thanks again for the great videos!
Fire away. Before the detailed questions start. The sprit rig isn't a one way trip. Apart from cutting the new sail and making the spars, everything else about the rig is using (or ignoring) the existing standing lug fittings. The only true change that I've made to accomodate the sprit rig is the tiny hole in the rear cabin window to enable over deck sheeting rather than under deck.
@@creditscorenz 1) How many sqft is the sprit sail and was the size determined by your existing mast? 2) you answered about modifications and how to keep them minimal, I would like to have the ability to go to the tried and true lug if extended touring became a thing for me. 3) What would the largest sprit you would recommend that you feel the paradox could handle? Thanks for your time.
@@delliverance The standing lug is 100 sq ft. The sprit sail is 102 sq ft. The only way to go larger would be to increase the mast height to maintain the correct CoE and then you've lost all the benefits of storing the mast and the spars inside the boat. Both spars and the mast are 4m long. The sprit rig as configured is very high peaked for a 4 sided sprit sail (which is why I need a peak halyard), so the rig is significantly taller than the standing lug (Lug - peak above foot 3.36m Sprit - peak above foot 4.75m The lug's peak above horizontal will be about 3.87m as it is rigged with the upper luff in front of the mast), with the sprit sail approaching 1m taller over all. Any higher and I doubt the boat would be able to stand up to it and you'd be sailing on your ear in any significant breeze. However, it is this high aspect ratio for the sprit rig which gives it much better performance than the lug, particularly to windward. It would be an interesting exercise to go head to head against another Paradox with the standard rig, but based on my own experiences, I think my boat would take them apart, particularly in light air. Even scandalised, she's a weapon to windward in heavy air, because the luff is attached to the mast, whereas the roller furled lug doesn't have enough tension to maintain it's luff shape and bows terribly on starboard tack (on port tack the mast supports the sail, so the luff triangle can be maintained by the roller furler).
Hello Rob
I was wondering if you would compare the pluses and minuses of your Michalac Philsboat and The Paradox and choose to go with the Paradox after having a Philsboat. I am on the fence choosing my next build. Thanks, Tom
Hi Tom,
They're quite different boats.
Build - Philsboat is fast, Paradox is slow.
Comfort - Philsboat is draughty, Paradox is warm and dry.
Space - Philsboat has plenty, Paradox is almost too small.
Performance - Philsboat is a dinghy (light), Paradox is a miniature keeler (heavy).
OB motor - Philsboat needs one, Paradox is designed to avoid using one.
Market - Philsboat is perfect for mucking about in with friends, Paradox is designed for solo shallow draft cruising.
The biggest thing I wanted from my Paradox was the comfortable cabin, warm and dry even in bad conditions. It delivers in spades on this front. The only thing that is a minus is the size of the cabin. It's just a little too small to be comfortable in. If you're over six foot tall don't build a Paradox. It's ideally suited to someone between 5'6" and 5'9" and of moderate to light build. If you're overweight, clambering in and out of the cabin is going to be a nightmare.
@@creditscorenz
Thank you, That's a good point about not being suited for someone over 6 foot.
I am 6'2", 230 lbs old and stiff
@@time2goisnow you can increase the Paradox' dimensions by 20 per cent. that is multiplying the dimensions by 1.2 on the plans.
this will allow more cabin room.
Eric Mee built a Paradox 20% bigger.
He wrote a blog of the building process and has several UA-cam videos.
Hello Rob! I have been enjoying your videos. My paradox is half complete and would like the opportunity to ask you some questions about your findings with your sail arragements. Thanks again for the great videos!
Fire away. Before the detailed questions start. The sprit rig isn't a one way trip. Apart from cutting the new sail and making the spars, everything else about the rig is using (or ignoring) the existing standing lug fittings. The only true change that I've made to accomodate the sprit rig is the tiny hole in the rear cabin window to enable over deck sheeting rather than under deck.
@@creditscorenz 1) How many sqft is the sprit sail and was the size determined by your existing mast?
2) you answered about modifications and how to keep them minimal, I would like to have the ability to go to the tried and true lug if extended touring became a thing for me.
3) What would the largest sprit you would recommend that you feel the paradox could handle?
Thanks for your time.
@@delliverance The standing lug is 100 sq ft. The sprit sail is 102 sq ft. The only way to go larger would be to increase the mast height to maintain the correct CoE and then you've lost all the benefits of storing the mast and the spars inside the boat. Both spars and the mast are 4m long. The sprit rig as configured is very high peaked for a 4 sided sprit sail (which is why I need a peak halyard), so the rig is significantly taller than the standing lug (Lug - peak above foot 3.36m Sprit - peak above foot 4.75m The lug's peak above horizontal will be about 3.87m as it is rigged with the upper luff in front of the mast), with the sprit sail approaching 1m taller over all. Any higher and I doubt the boat would be able to stand up to it and you'd be sailing on your ear in any significant breeze. However, it is this high aspect ratio for the sprit rig which gives it much better performance than the lug, particularly to windward. It would be an interesting exercise to go head to head against another Paradox with the standard rig, but based on my own experiences, I think my boat would take them apart, particularly in light air. Even scandalised, she's a weapon to windward in heavy air, because the luff is attached to the mast, whereas the roller furled lug doesn't have enough tension to maintain it's luff shape and bows terribly on starboard tack (on port tack the mast supports the sail, so the luff triangle can be maintained by the roller furler).
Thank you for the information and sharing your experience with different rigs for the paradox! I look forward to more of your adventures!