The Zero.
A visit to the yard.
As I was emailing with the Zero yard about the new start of the production of the Zero they invited me over for a look. Being a guy of low cash I first declined, till I found out that it was possible to fly there for less then 150 Euro. So the decision was made soon then. That is half the price to go to La
Rochelle, and I never had been to Mallorca. The yard: You never will know what you will see when you go to a yard, is it the shed behind the house or a decent construction site? As it turned out it was a decent
construction site. They are building more then the Zero alone, and have been building for decades as the business went on from father to son. I did see the production of a Wally type 56ft powerboat to a canoe of less then 14
-ft in carbon. Apparently they like special products. That is the way the acquired the molds of the Zero, being something new and exciting to produce. It takes courage to produce a production mini in a land without a Class organization or an established field of racing solo sailors. And they have to take away the negative news that is there because of the behaving of the yard that build the first one, and did want to sell the molds for a big price.The construction;
The opinion of the owner of the yard is that the Zero should be strong in every aspect, not taking risks in building to gain a few ponds. This does not count for the
lamination schedule (as they follow Lombard's opinion in this) but you can see it on the fittings. The pintles for the rudder are a bit heavier, the new designed pole rotating part looks serious and how the keel is attached to the boat. For towing the boat behind your car, the keel slide inside the boat, making it possible to cant the boat on the trailer to be in the 250 width limit of many countries like Spain, France and Italy, to drive around without spe cial permissions. Another aspect is that the boat sits much lower on the trailer. And the system is easy for fairing during the season, you only have to fair the gap between foil and hull, instead of the whole keel plate found on other Mini's. Lombard did draw a very strong system. When you look at the keel you see a thin foil, but if you look inside it, it is a wide
steel plate with reinforcements going all the way down, with the keel bolted to it. The keel to hull construction is a box type, topped with a metal plate, so do not be afraid if you hit something. The cockpit; It is a deeper styled cockpit, large and with good seating and bracing. Smaller guys
could install foot braces, but luckily the taller guys can be seated good to. Working the runners, tiller, halyards, sheets etc. went without trouble. Sliding down to the lower side to adjust the genua car it occurred to me that I still had to feeling to be inside the boat rather then on top of it.
And even with my 192 cm I can find a comfortable sleeping position in the cockpit. All the gear seems to be sufficient and easy to operate. From Anderson winches to Harken tracks.
The rudders are connected to one central tiller, this gives more space in the cockpit to move around for sail handling and finding a comfortable place to "sleep" and sit outside. And there is a slight overhang of the cabin into the cockpit. On the Zero the tiller is mounted high on the emergency escape box, which is higher then on other boats, so it is stronger and it gives more feet space to brace yourself.
Unlike other boats where the tiller is mounted in the sole, where you have to stay away with your feet from almost the whole arc of the rudder, while on the Zero it will go over it. And it gives a good angle for your tiller extension as well. The Zero has its NKE placed inside like the Pogo2, but it is connected to a "quadrant" that is copied above deck. This way you can engage and disengage it from outside by just
dropping a pin through tiller and "quadrant". A simple, smart, straightforward, watertight solution.
The stanchions around the cockpit are well placed, and the stern stanchions are far aft and aside, giving you a launch platform to jump onshore, handy for Mediterranean mooring style.
Deck layout: As said, good stuff on deck, the mast is deck stepped, with a strong section laminated in the hull. An advantage with a keel stepped mast is the trim function,
but with a fully battened mainsail and the wide groove the solo sailors wants to sail with a keel stepped mast is fine too as proved on the proto class, and it makes using the trailer easier because the mast is shorter. (By the way, the 260 of Lombard had a collision at the start of the Transat650 in 2003, and without the top shroud the mast stayed on the boat, so he returned, put on a new mast to be safe and smart and started to race again with a very good pace and worked his way up
into the fleet... determination of the guy...) But in case of a dismasting, the whole section will be lost, while a keel stepped mast will most of the time have a stump  still standing. But the deckstep mast is cheaper, more watertight and could be lighter if the strut is lighter then the section of the mast.The mast is Italian rigged, so it has a wide spreader, good for the stiffness of the mast, but still you can use the genua on the right angle. This is a difference from the Pogo1 and 2. They have a smaller spreader base. The articulating bowsprit is revised and Lombard drew a new plan for it. In the discussion between the yard
and Lombard about material thickness the yard decided to go a bit thicker then Lombard advised. For me an example that the yard wants to produce quality and not go under the specifications of the designer. It took away the fear I had that the yard could be taking the risk of Mini sailing not serious enough. Oh and the deck, good bracing, felt good, never hit a
toe against anything, tracks placed near the cabin edge etc.
So no trouble here. Oh yeah if the lower shroud gets slacker, you have the checkmate on to much. So by every bigger course change you have to adjust the check stay and put a mild tension on it. They are stabilizers, not a trimming feature. The chainplates etc all looks good. The inside: As every production design, not having the cantingkeel makes it very specious. The zero is no difference. The keelbox is a sitting place, and the storage place of the batteries, away from the entrance. Wiring is led through special ducting, glassed into the structure, a neat solution. Protective for the cables and you can
not get your stuff tangled in them if you are stacking… and still easy to replace.
The seating to the left and right of the entrance are very good placed, with the windows (the Zero trademark) above them you can rest and see the weather and the sails, very neat. It is more costly to produce, but me I like it :)
There are large berths in the back, and in the forepeak. The owners can improve the cabin with some netting for stacking, as of yet there is not much for it, but it
can be improved with some imagination. Everything looks and feels strong enough inside to withstand a sailor that likes to throw around stuff as a stacking style, or for a wipe out. Sailing: My favorite part. We left the harbor of Sante Ponsa Mallorca for a delivery trip to
the mean port. It was choppy and the wind fluky and gusting at around 25 knots. We had a double reef and the solent. The boat handled well, those minis are really like dinghies, and always fun to sail in restricted areas when you do not have a  cantingkeel The Zero took all the
waves, be they square or rounded with ease. Only slamming twice on very steep ones. But this you would expect from this design as the lines are designed for upwind sailing too. So I was happily sailing around, short tacking out of the harbor.
Outside we could ease of and the Zero handled well, but the wind stayed very fluky and dropped in strength. So that was the time to see how easy it is
to get the reefs out…. But the sail was pleasant and fast in bursts. Give the boat the right waves and wind and it will take off. As always I am impressed by the amount of boat there is cramped in 21 ft. Having sailed a lot of small boats, minis are different animals.
It did not long to get the feeling: please, load some food and water onboard and let me sail to Brazil. That is not a thought you will have on the average 21ft-er. Sailing around in pleasant warm weather I was
reminded again how much fun it is to take a Mini out for a fun few hours of sailing on open water. No trouble to find crew, having the big boat blasts and away in minutes. Try that with your Swan 45.
But I will stick to racing, the Zero is light on the tiller, trimming is easy. The Zero I sailed on was being used for a while and was put through the paces, it still looked good and ready for more action. So give the Zero a good sailor, a good set of sails
and a skipper that takes care of maintenance and it will perform.
While the wind piped down we had to change course what was perfect so we could use the Code Zero. Again easy to trim, good on the tiller and the boat did sing.
With the articulating bowsprit without jockeypoles you can experience slip on the sidestays when sailing the CodeZero, but nothing to worry about. On the Pogo2 page the solution is given… About the speed potential, I have to explain a few things. First I never trust the log on any boat to give an accurate speed, as you can play with the settings. And the current affects a GPS, and I am not equipped with my own calibration set. And I am not the best sailor on the world, or Europe or maybe even on Mallorca to judge a Mini for speed potential. Only if you invite the top sailors and let them sail together
you will really have a good knowledge about the potential. So I never said anything really detailed about the speed of the Pogo or a Proto. But more the general feeling. And I will do the same for the Zero. I can say: it feels alive and fast, Lombard is know for good rudders and keel design and has experience in solo sailed boats, the 240 and 260 are fast boats, etc etc. This is in my opinion a boat that you get used to quickly, so you can make more serious training hours earlier
In the Mini world it is, get a boat, and sail as much as possible. You always see that in the results, experienced guys or girls in the top. Will it become a Production Class ? There are now 8 sold, and a couple of those 8 really are focused on the Transat
2005, so we will see them on the racecourse soon. Other people have bought the Zero for fast cruising or just having fun with a small boat or with 2007 in their mind. It is remarkable that only around 25% of the Production boats show up at the races. A prove that there is interest in fast sailing small offshore capable boats. A market neglected by most of the boat builders by now. Out of the numbers sold between January and now it shows that by 2005 it should be an approved
Production Class, even if the first Zero is not counted as build by the Zero yard as the rumors go. So it would be surprising if they can not make it in 2005 as a Production Classe. (NOte Leo, they made it) Afterthoughts: To lightly build ?
So my only worry about the Zero was be that the yard could not take it seriously and builds to light. The build quality shows that this is not the case. Or to heavy ?
The other problem could be that they could build them to heavy, as they are slightly heavier then the Pogo2 is said to be. But be care full with statements
about weight, I heard figures about the P1 that not are near to what the yard announces. The figures I got from the yard where very acceptable and expectable.
Where a Zero is heavier is only a few very small parts, and the molding process (no contramould but directly to the hull, saves the weight of the glue joint) makes it lighter then other boats. And the Zero is build with Biaxial and Uni Directionals,
not Mat and Rovings like on some other production boats. So Lombard is convinced that there is no weight issue and is a bit tired of this discussion. There is just no rule that describes how to decide the weight the boat, not only in Mini world, and the measurement for the Classe Mini does not check this. So there is a huge freedom here to say what you want the boat to weigh. I am only getting more serious in a real showing between the different boats, big smile.
The other thing to say about speed that the Pogo2 and the Zero have a bit different hull shape, the P2 more for planing and the Zero for more course stability, bit better upwind and control of steering. But both try to compensate the total package that you will never have a dog on any course. So you will see that on some courses the Zero should be faster and on some the Pogo2. It is now up to the
sailors to explore the differences and try to make the performance gap smaller in the area they are a little less speedy and to improve to the good qualities… that will come in the future as that is a matter of the experience of the sailor. And the 240 showed its transom in the last Transat to the protos with the hull designed for planing. So the truth is somewhere out there, I hope it will be soon to be seen for everyone ;) As I have a yacht design interest, for me it is fun to see the development in shapes. And for solo sailing it is always the case of designing a fast hull but can be handled by the autopilot. And do not forget the sailor, is he a chicken or does he dare to take a calculated risk too keep the bigger sails up. And then it is the case if the sailor is good in calculating risks. A wipe down can cost you a lot of time. My
prediction is that you will see them mix up in the results. As that is the case with the open60's from Lombard and the other designers. It is not the case that one designer has all the answers to the question of the best shape, they all have a portion of it…. So is there anything I do not like on the boat?
Not really as I know designs are compromises, but another production boat has a better antislip on the deck. And there must be a solution created for stacking your stuff properly. This counts too for the "kitchen". www.clasezero.com for more information. A PERSONAL NOTE:
For the gossip corner :)
Why does now the Zero gets publicity on my website and what about the story that I will work for the Zero yard ? Is there a connection ?
Why they appear now ? Just because the FastZero yard is now finally in control of the Zero and is putting energy in it to get it in the market. There was discussion
about who owned the rights, the guy who started it, but failed to build a decent set of moulds, then fastzero came in, rebuild the moulds, build the first boat, and did not get paid properly, wnet into artnership with the guy, who dropped out but started a fight about who ownes what, the normal stuff that happens in boatbuilding :). They have now the full rights. And yes, there is talking going on that I am going to work for the Zero yard. But no
papers signed yet, but it is likely that I will go work there.
The reason I went to Mallorca was first and for all to check the Zero as I have a special relation with the design, I like the 240… Anyway, any time a yard invites me I would go there, and not even for Mini's alone.
So has the decision to go to work there influenced this article ? Absolutely, I did far more research to find out if the Zero has the possibility to
became a production class or not. Because now my future could be tied to it. But to be part of making the Zero a production design and establish a boat with a good reputation is a challenge I am very likely to take.
Anyway, my articles in the past shows I am not unfair to boats or yards, if they send me information when I ask for it, it will get published.
. Cheers LeoV. |
