News in Series Production boats. IT IS MANUARD TIME.
Yep there is a newborn boat, now by the designer Manuard. He is known for powerful
designs in the ProtoClass. His boats ranks normally high on the lists. The designer has saile d two Mini Transats. In 2001 he placed a respectful 5th place, the best French rookie of that year. His boat looked a bit rough. But budget was low. In 2003 he was leading the Mini Transat when close to the Brazil coast his mast broke. This was in an un forecasted
small area storm.
His boats starts to look better, and his newest protos are very good looking (509 and 510).
(comment of Sam: check out the new ones!!!)
So now some 3d's of his
design. What is striking is the one tiller in a cockpit that has no bulge for the liferaft. This makes the cockpit floor same level, and will improve the sail handling with 3 a 4 crew. Why you want to race a Mini with 4 man is beyond my imagination, but maybe there will be fleet races with this kind of boats as strict one design so it fits in the existing fleets ?
I do not think that the ClasseMini will start doing MT's with 4 person crews :)
 The Pogo2 made some same claims about being able to sail with more people due to their cockpit design. But they have the "box". and two short tillers. But I think to let 3 a 4 sailors do something useful in a mini while racing is hard. Because all the gear has to be placed so you can sail single-handed, for example, the runner stoppers are looking forward on the floor.
If you want to speed up your tack in fleet racing who is going to grab it ? And how easy is it to get there. I found that with a double handed crew on a P1 the skipper did everything except the jib. And even when I was doing the jib I was kind of in the way :) So it will be hard to for fill the both goals in regards handling the boat.Sams comment on my thinking :) :
Actually this boat has a double program: it is meant to race Mini events with 1 or 2 crew but also to cruise with up to 4 people. It is not meant to race efficiently with 4, even if some guys on the rail would give a hell of a thrust upwind! I insist on the fact that this boat has a double program racing but also cruising. It will be used for
cruising or sunday afternoon sails with 4 people. The deck layout is not optimised only for short handed crew only like on a Pogo1 for instance. Is that make more sense for you now? :) And, don't forget that only a mild portion of the Pogo2 owners are doing races.
(Yep only around 25 % of the Pogos show up on the races... you see i am Singlehanded minded, my problem :) Leov) Mast and rigging looks like most production designs and is a safe choice.
Interior is like the Mistral, SuperCalin and Zero, unlike the more Spartan P2 and Ginto.
The bowsprit setup is with the jockey poles, but remember this is a 3d thinking/evolution drawing. Much can change.
 I understand that the plug is being built, then they have to make the molds and they say the first boat will be in the water in November, a very ambitious timeline.
But with all the new designs popping up, being quick is almost needed. The Ginto has ten sold, P2 and SuperCalin too off course, the Zero has sold ten. So it is now the question is their enough market for the Mistral, Dingo and the TipTop (I even hear rumors about another
serie boat being under construction and another is for sale after having built one). I think the Mini market will amaze us and they will be both series before 2007. Getting ten orders should be easy if your design is liked by the general public. If your design is something people do not appreciate generally, even then there is a market :) See the Naus, a design for people that care about looks (and that is up to taste and that is not discussible :)
A problem would be more; how to make money. With the plugs, molds, tools, getting personnel, etc. the investment is huge, around ten times one boat will cost at the end. You have to built at least 20 to get all that investment back. Bepox has experience for four years in building, that is a plus point from a new startup. And I like that they are honest in the pricelist. They do not hide costs... My conclusion, and the yards statement, "TipTop should be a successful alternative to Pogo2'" Manuard looked at the Series now existing and comes with a mix of Ginto and P2 with added Manuard flavor, the normal way a designer works anyway. And Finot looked at Manuards work, you can be sure of that.
NOW I WANT TO SAIL IT... Now we have in the Serie Production Class almost every option available in different configurations... Double tillers or single, lifting keel or fixed, closed cockpit in the back or open, deck stepped mast or keel stepped, minimal interior or basic interior (waiting for a luxurious one), wood or polyester, easy access to the cabin or not (I mean the way P2 and Zero have it, SuperCalin is a midway solution and Pogo1, Ginto
and TipTop have the easy to built but harder to get into hatch solution. Naus is hard to enter and difficult to built, but you have two entrances:). Masts are without runner or with runner. With big windows, or small portholes. But all have double rudders except the Coco.... For you to choose your options :) It almost looks like there are more designers active in the Serie Class then in the
ProtoClass. Almost :) For more information:
www.voiliersbepox.com
Sam Manuard
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