{"id":66073,"date":"2017-12-19T20:58:00","date_gmt":"2017-12-20T01:58:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/?p=66073"},"modified":"2023-05-26T08:47:02","modified_gmt":"2023-05-26T12:47:02","slug":"best-dinghy-ufo-foiler","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/sailboats\/best-dinghy-ufo-foiler\/","title":{"rendered":"Best Dinghy: UFO Foiler"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\"\" <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n
\n Best Dinghy: UFO Foiler<\/span>\n <\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t <\/figcaption>\n <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n

As a unique foiling object, indeed the UFO\u2019s most appealing aspect is the ability to sail it in conditions that have other foilers on the beach. Sailors new to foiling will be quickly rewarded with minimal effort.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dave Clark is the UFO\u2019s co-creator, builder, tweaker and apostle. When he explains the construction of his 10-foot catamaran contraption (\u201cwe use this apocalyptically thick triaxial fiberglass layup\u201d) and its handling (\u201cas you ask the boat to challenge you, it will continue to challenge you, but only when it\u2019s asked\u201d), his enthusiasm is as animated as the UFO\u2019s behavior on the water, especially in flight. The UFO is otherworldly, the judges agree, with the potential to disrupt the dinghy-sailing scene as an all-access low-cost foiler.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\"UFO\" <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n
\n As a unique foiling object, indeed the UFO\u2019s most appealing aspect is the ability to sail it in conditions that have other foilers on the beach.<\/span>\n Walter Cooper<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t <\/figcaption>\n <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n

Nowadays at Clark\u2019s Fulcrum Speedworks factory in Bristol, Rhode Island, he\u2019s cranking out these pint-size craft, shipping batches in cardboard boxes and containers with international shipping manifests. He\u2019s taking orders over the phone, on credit cards, from impulse buyers dropping $7,600 for an \u201call-inclusive\u201d sailing experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How\u2019s the UFO built? It\u2019s vacuum-infused, with carbon-reinforced vinylester for an all-up weight of 110 pounds. The wishbone spar assembly is a mix of carbon and fiberglass components; the foil struts are extruded aluminum; and the elevators are a mix of carbon, glass, foam core and stainless-steel parts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cComplexity is the enemy,\u201d says Clark, who developed the UFO with his father, Steve Clark. \u201cI need it to be robust, and I can\u2019t have parts go missing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That might be true of the UFO\u2019s big pieces, says Allen, but there are still quite a few little pins and parts required for assembly and flight. \u201cYou\u2019ll have to take good care of it, especially if you\u2019re in and out of the water, and moving it around all the time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\"UFO\" <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n
\n Sailors new to foiling will be quickly rewarded with minimal effort.<\/span>\n Walter Cooper<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t <\/figcaption>\n <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n

The carbon windsurfing mast tube that Clark uses is bendy, so he added a jumper strut system to stiffen it. The wishbone arrangement is then the most effective way to provide high leech tension and power in the sail, which is essential to the entire rig package.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The judges\u2019 testing session in sub-8-knot conditions doesn\u2019t allow flight for Tom Rich nor Greg Stewart, both of whom exceed 200 pounds. But Clark, at 170 pounds and with two years in the boat, has it foiling in a heartbeat, using an explosive kinetic technique he\u2019s perfected to get liftoff. Allen is initially unable to get it foil-borne, but 2 knots more of windspeed and a little extra effort on the mainsheet is all it takes to get him flying.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The UFO\u2019s tunnel hull is a simple and defining platform that allows it to be sailed home when the breeze gets to be too little or too much. Its T-Foils lift nearly flush with the bottom of the boat, for launching it from a shoreline or a dock. The ride-height wand is easily adjustable to the desired challenge of the day. \u201cLow to start and learn,\u201d says Clark. \u201cHigher as you get better and faster.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n