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Top NZ dinghy sailor Andrew "Lighting" Philips, on the Uno:
A great boat for learning to sail in with the option to upgrade. Having a battenless mainsail and minimalist rigging allows for quick ‘plug ‘n’ play’ sailing with the ability to upgrade the rig whilst keeping the same hull.
"A great versatile first boat for all ages and sizes."
Greg Burns: Commodore of Point Chevalier Sailing Club in Auckland:
Topaz Uno:
As with the TAZ we tested 2 weeks earlier, this boat is simple to rig, utilizing similar mast clamp technology to make stepping the mast and sail easy for everyone. No more balancing acts like with the Laser rig, especially for people of smaller stature. The gooseneck clamp allows the boom to pivot 360 degrees once the mainsheet is unclipped. This also means you are not trying to undo someone’s fancy mainsheet knot with the boom stuck in the mud.
There is a lot of clearance between the boom and the deck providing plenty of headroom for those taller and larger sailors. Once we were rigged and ready to launch, the rudder was set up on the rudder stock to clear the ground, and it stays there, unlike dinghies that use a friction device to hold the rudder in position, this rudder has defined notches in the tiller arm to hold it up. The tiller handle is held in the down position with the assistance of a small bungee loop. This is important as there is often a tendency to lift the tiller when out on the water and it provides enough resistance to stop the rudder kicking up accidentally.
There is still sufficient freedom for the rudder to kick out of the way in the event of striking an under water obstacle; like the ramp! There is a high boom clearance; the boom will swing right over the top of the centerboard when it is in the fully up position. This is a great feature for both pre-launching as well as on the water, gybing at the wing and bottom marks. You can leave the beach with the wind changing directions and not get the boom caught up on the centerboard causing that embarrassing inshore capsize.
Topaz Uno Plus:
I swapped over to the Uno Plus for the second race to try this boat out in a single handed race. I have sailed a Sunburst for a number of years and finding crew has always been a challenge. My Sunburst requires that extra pair of hands for setting the jib while tacking. I was very impressed with the ease of tacking and adjusting the jib on the Uno Plus. The boat handles very well and was nicely balanced with the small jib.
In Summary, I would recommend the Uno Plus for any dinghy training organization catering to the larger student and adult sailors, particularly running the YNZ NCEA courses. This is a very flexible, adaptable and forgiving sailing platform with lots of upgrade options and should last many years, given the quality of the materials used and accessories.
Topaz Uno Race X:
I really enjoyed sailing the Uno Race X version in our club’s annual Cup Day racing. The Race X’s large and fully battened mainsail generated lots of power and would reliably re-shape while tacking, without the need to ‘shake’ the battens out. I found the gennaker system very simple to use in the lighter winds and single-handed. I was a bit nervous about unleashing all that extra power when I first tried it, but the sail was very manageable and provided a thrilling ride in the couple of gusts that swept through. The gennaker performed brilliantly and was very easy to gybe in the lighter airs.
My only comment on the Race X was that I want one! I found it easy and exciting to sail single handed compared to similar boats. The sail controls were in good accessible positions.
Personally, I really enjoyed the opportunity to try out the Race X and the Uno Plus in our racing event and would throw away my Sunburst in favour of it. My wife would leave me, so it won’t happen until I win Lotto!
Email from new Race X (with race & standard main sail) Owner/Club member in Gisborne to a fellow sailor, cc’d to me:
My new "Uno" arrived on top of Hugh's surf on Saturday avo and immediately my nephew Corey (my 11 year old number "1" crewman), his mum and even granddad were very excited to see such a fantastic innovative wee rocket machine and we are all looking forward to trying it out on the water soon! I'm looking forward to introducing my new Uno to the local yacht club guys and girls (probably a few shocked looks or resentment on the faces of the old hard core diehard clubbies) but hopefully the excitement and potential of the Topaz will appeal to a few of the other more adventurous members who are looking for an upgrade boat for their whole family.
The idea is to spark interest and get a few more members interested in investing in the future of "FUN SAILING " and hopefully start to revitalize sailing locally as our sailing scene in Gisborne has been rather stagnated/boring the last ten years or so!!
Email from new Uno owner, who has just taken up sailing:
Had a great time and its true rigging is very easy!
Found the boat very forgiving, it was surprising how much I improved even in one session, looking forward to getting out again this weekend.
Quote from ex Greek Island Sunsail instructor, now living in New Zealand:
“The Uno is a truly fantastic boat and loved by all that sail them. It is so fast to rig and de-rig, after a day of our clients sailing the Uno fleet, myself and another instructor would furl the main/jib around the two piece mast, store it, the hull and fittings on racks in 45 seconds and the same time to rig up, now that is fast. The Uno would be a great Sailing Club boat for all ages, with the advantages of low maintenance, strength of fittings, longevity of hull, up-grade potential, high fun factor and because of the fast rigging the ability to attract members to the Club during the week for an evening sail after work.”
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