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Randy’s Thistle
Resources
You don't have to own a boat to race in
the Thistle class, seriously! You can crew for someone and learn more about the
boat. You will have hours of fun on the
water.
However, buying a new or used Thistle is a
good way to get into the class. Here is some information on what types of
Thistle are available.
The most important thing
to consider is how competitive you want to be. If you are determined to be
among the top teams, and you are going to put the time and/or money into doing
so, you need to buy equipment that will not hold you back. Your equipment
should be just a little better than you are.
If you don't lie awake at night plotting
how you are going to win the Nationals (evidently you are a normal, well
balanced, well adjusted person – but we can fix that!) and don't intend to be
in the top five of your fleet, you do not need the best and most expensive equipment.
A used boat in which you can be competitive in your local fleet may be your
best choice.
Apart from buying a new Greater Midwest or
Northwest One Design boat (approximately $16,000), there are (arbitrarily)
three quality levels of Thistle available used.
They are:
There may be quite a range within each
level, and some used boats will need a lot more TLC than others. In some
cases, with work and investment, it will be possible to upgrade a boat from
classic level to decent used racing level.
Used
Superboats
This category of boats includes both the NWOD and the GMW boats.
Both these builders have refined the art of Thistle building to its
current state. Their boats are light, fast,
rigid, and can be rigged to suit your preferences. To mount a campaign against the best Thistlers in the nation (Dave Dellenbaugh of America’s Cup
fame, Greg Fisher, Tom Hubbell,
Charlie Kreitler and others), you will need equipment that is competitive. Assuming you can’t afford a new superboat,
consider buying one of these used. This
article wil give you some details to look for in your selection.
Some of the older woodies also fall into
the superboat category, being light and rigid, even though they are older. Among these, my understanding is that
D&M and Clark boats are particularly desired.
This category would encompass early
fiberglass boats and most woodies. Some
of these have wooden masts, and original hardware. Although beautiful or desirable, it may be more work than you
want to do to make them ready to race.
It is not impossible, though.
Kris Klotz races Thistle 1 and has done very well with it. The strict adherence to the one-design
concept in the class ensures that all boats can be competitive.
Beautiful boats of this type can be had,
ready to sail - for as little as $250. I believe that some of these boats could
be upgraded to the Decent Used Racing Boat category by doing this work,
though by the time you have replaced all the lines and fittings, bought a
better centerboard and so on, you may have spent your way into the decent
racing boat category.
In all three categories, the boats can be
improved significantly by upgrading foils, replacing older type masts with a
current one, and improving the control systems. Thistles have three basic masts. The wooden one is beautiful, but not usable for racing. There is an older aluminum mast that is gold
in color which is too stiff to use for competitive racing. A subset of the gold mast is a silver
aluminum mast with handcranks on it similar to the gold mast. Both are too stiff for racing, and are
referred to as “telephone poles”.
Modern aluminum masts are the desired type.
If you are getting into the Thistle class,
you should try to stay in the mainstream of what top Thistle sailors are doing.
You will find it much easier to figure out your Thistle, if you can talk with
the fast guys in your fleet about how to set it up. Once you have figured the boat out, and are on the pace, then you
can consider experimenting and trying something new. If you are experimenting
when you start, you will never know if you are off the pace because of the
differences in rig, or because of something else.
In North America ALL top Thistles use the
modern aluminum mast. Buy a boat with a competitive mast if you can, otherwise
plan on buying a new or used one to replace what you have. All serious racing
Thistles use stiff booms, either the aluminum one, or the older wooden one
which is allowed to be reinforced with fiberglass.
Most East Coast Thistles use North
(Proctor) sails, while most West Coast and Mid West Thistles use North (Fisher)
sails. Some Thistlers are moving to Gus sails, which did very well at last
year’s nationals. Stay with the
mainstream! Get a set of what the top Thistles you race against are using, and
learn how to set up the boat for speed from them. You will waste a lot of time
figuring out something different on your own. If the boat comes with a suit of other
sails, use them for practice but buy a new or used set of competitive sails for
speed work and racing.
Probably the single biggest improvement
you can make to an older boat is to put in a high-quality board. You can buy
them from the builders, or redo yours (within class specifications).
Decide how competitive you
want to be, and buy an appropriate boat from one of the three categories. You
can save a lot of money by buying a boat that needs TLC or upgrades; however,
are you going to be able to fix it and upgrade it yourself?
Stay in the mainstream in terms of
equipment and rig settings.
For further discussion of this point, see
the sailmaker’s tuning
sheets or Tom Hubbell’s book with
Greg Fisher.
Lasting stiffness and strength is
paramount in the rig tension areas, which are the forward end of the boat, the area around the forward end of the
seats, and the crews 'landing
areas'. NO SOFT SPOTS! Generally, if the boat has been looked
after, a Thistle will maintain its rigidity and strength for a very long time
and a good second-hand boat is an ideal introduction to the class.
Helm and crew positions
take most of the body impacts. Any softness can mean that stress has occurred
in the 'shock' areas, and that the hull or tank is damaged.
Cracks where the seat
tanks join the floor or bulkhead, or around the front tank bulkhead, could
compromise the boat’s buoyancy and may be symptomatic of very heavy use. Check
for cracks and the joint between the seat tanks and the hull. (i.e. where the
two pieces meet under the gunwale and along the floor).
Cracks at the base of the
case imply that the case is moving. It
may leak as well.
Check for hairline cracks
around sheaves, spreader brackets, etc. and make sure that the mast tube is not
compressed at deck level. The mast should be straight in lateral profile, and
have no permanent kinks or bends in the fore-and-aft direction. All fittings
should be free of corrosion, discoloration, and missing pieces.
Look for any bubbling or
swelling in the gel coat blow the waterline. This is very rare with our class
builders’ quality of workmanship, but it is possible if the boat has not been
looked after.
Check cleats, blocks etc.
If you have to replace many it soon adds up. Check that the centerboard is
straight.
None of the above are the end of the world
because most of them can be put right but, obviously, any problems should be
reflected in the price you pay. Osmosis however can be quite serious.
Within the Association there is all the
help and advice you need to take the first step. We often know of boats for
sale before they are advertised. There
is also a “for sale” section on the class
website.
email me for more info….
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