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Check out all the minis in North America! Let me know if there is anything to add or correct.
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Looking for the old Hobie33 website? That website is still online, but is has been moved here and is no longer maintained.
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There are two general types of Minis: the “protos” and the “series” designs. The “protos” are all out carbon wonders with canting keels, water ballast, and just about any other tweak or innovation you can imagine. The “series” designs are production runs and are made from glass-fiber (no carbon allowed), have aluminum masts, fixed keels, and no water ballast.
USA 702 is TipTop which is a Manuard designed “series” mini. Manuard is know for designing very powerful prototypes and has himself competed very successfully in the Minitransat several times. The Picking A Boat page has info on why I choose the Tiptop.
As far as I know the TipTop is Manuard’s first series design. It is a relatively new design with about 30 boats build so far. The builder of the TipTop design is Voiliers Bepox which is located in La Rochelle, France. If your French is better than mine then you can read all about them on their website.
The basic boat spec (as taken from the builder’s website):
Boat Sails
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Length: 6.50 m (21.32') Main: 26 sqm (280 sqf)
Width: 3.00 m (9.84') Genoa: 22 sqm (237 sqf)
Draft: 1.60 m (5.25') Jib: 14 sqm (150 sqf)
Weight: *1,050 kg (2,315 lbs) Spinnaker 1: 75 sqm (807 sqf)
Spinnaker 2: 40 sqm (430 sqf)
(*) +/- 5% Code Zero: 28 sqm (301 sqf)
The minis are quite small (hence the name Mini .. duh!) but they are designed to sail across the Atlantic in fairly severe conditions. Because of this they have a number of safety features such as an escape hatch, dedicated area for the life raft, they must remain floating event when filled with water.
One of the sights that are associated with Minis is the stability test, where the boat is healed 90o and a weight is suspended from the mast. Under these conditions the boat must right itself. Below are two images from http://mini650.de from his stability test.
Also take note of the orange foils (keel & rudders). The rules specify that these must be painted fluo orange .. but of course we all know that the real reason to do this is that orange is fast!