Mudbox
Picking A Boat

The arguments below are based on my uneducated, not-based-on-facts, subjective opinions – I encourage you to disagree.

How I decided on which boat to get, ordered it, and got it shipped to the US.

Which Type Of Boat

Deciding to get a new boat was the easy part. Deciding which boat to get … that was
a whole different issue. I briefly considered two boat types in addition to the mini. The first was the Holby Quest 33 which Iʼve always though was a great boat. But it is expensive .. quite expensive. The other boat was the Annapolis 30. This looked like an interesting design and a boat what I would be able to take other people out on. But it was not designed for singlehanded sailing and I really did not want to get into another situation where I was buying a boat from a yard that was trying to start up. Good thing too .. as of this writing, the first A30 has still not been built. So I went with the Mini. I have been looking at minis since I lived back in Europe and was actually considering buying USA 175 back when it was for sale.

Which Type Of Mini

Deciding which type of mini to buy.

Proto or Series?

For me this was clear .. I wanted a production (series) boat. The prototypes are a bit faster but also a lot more expensive and complex. The series design gives you 90% of the performance with 10% of the cost/maintenance/complexity (depending on who you ask the numbers will change a little .. but the general consensus is clear).

The TamTam

The TamTam is (was?) a new design by Magnen. It is an aggressive design striving for lots of power and low weight. The boat was supposed to be build in Canada which seemed like a big plus since I am located in New York.

Things were looking good for the build. They had the first boat built, the had the designer working there as well as other noted mini sailors.

Images of the TamTam

I signed a contract for the TamTam back in 2006 – even met with the owner of the yard in Newport to go over the details – but the yard shut down before any boats were delivered. To this day the status of the project remains unclear, but I don’t think they will ever go into production. They missed their chance.

The money were eventually returned but it was a bad experience and set me back over a year in terms of getting my boat.

Other Designs

I once again took stock of the series minis designs that I liked. The boats I seriously looked at where (in no particular order): TipTop, Ginto, Zero, and Pogo2. All of these boats are build in Europe (in France except the Zero which is build in Spain) so there would be logistics problem with shipping the boat and a language barrier to overcome.

Images of the Ginto and the Zero

The Pogo2 is a Finot design and is considered by many people to be the de-facto series design. There are lots of Pogos sailing around in Europe, and most of the top sailors pick the Pogo2. Lots of time has been put into fine tuning the Pogo2 sails and there are training camps in Europe where the top sails get their Pogo2s up to speed.

Images of the Pogo2

As a result – the Pogo2 typically wins the series class in major regattas.

TipTop vs Pogo2

Deciding between the two designs.

In the end I narrowed it down to either the TipTop or the Pogo2. The following are the criteria I used to decide between the two boats. Be aware that these are my uneducated, not-based-on-facts, subjective opinions – I encourage you to disagree.

Images of the TipTop

Track Record


I don’t think the Pogo2 is an inherently faster boat, but the record clearly shows that the Pogo2 wins more than any other series design. Personaly I think this is a result of the sailors that are sailing the Pogos and the training programs/camps set up. Never the less, it is difficult to argue against the record and it clearly states that the Pogo2 wins more than the TipTop.
Winner: Pogo2

Cockpit

The Pogo2 has a very shallow cockpit and rounded sides. I did not like this. The TipTop’s cockpit is a bit deeper and the side are vertical. The cockpit floor is also flatter as there is no box in the back of the boat.
Winner: TipTop

Cabin Entrance

A lot of people like the Pogo2 entrance and say it is easier to get in and out (which I am sure it is), but I think the TipTop entrance provides better protection (less rain in the boat) and also provides protection for instruments mounted on the bulkhead. Note: the rules regarding the cabin entrance were changed in late 2007 after I made my decision regrading this. As a result the TipTop cabin entrance had to be modified. I don’t know if the Pogo2 entrance was modified.
Winner: TipTop

Tillers

I have yet to hear from a single person who does not think the Pogo2 two-tiller setup is uncomfortable.
Winner: TipTop

Hull

Actually I think the Pogo2 and the TipTop have a lot of similarities, but the TipTop is a bit more powerful and a bit more like the TamTam.
Winner: TipTop

Auto Pilot

The TipTop has a below deck autopilot hookup that can be engaged and disengaged from the cockpit (other series designs have the same thing). The Pogo2 does not. The pilot ram is either permanently attached or mounted in the cockpit.
Winner: TipTop

Sails

Much more development has gone into the Pogo2 sails than the TipTop. I am sure I could go to any of the major lofts in Europe and get excellent Pogo2 sails .. not so with the TipTop.
Winner: Pogo2

Interior

I like the “pantry” and “navigation station” setup in the TipTop. I don’t really know why I like it. The Pogo2 has a similar – but removable – setup that I don’t like. Crazy? Maybe … I also figured it would be easier to create stacking racks inside the TipTop than in the Pogo2.
Winner: TipTop

Rig

The rig is very similar on the two boats and I don’t think one is better than the other.
Winner: Its a tie.

Responsiveness & Communications

The TipTop sales manager speaks and writes excellent English and has been prompt when responding to emails. The Structures yard? I have never gotten a reply from them …
Winner: TipTop

Conclusion?

In the end I decided to get the TipTop.

Logistics

Getting the boat to the US.

I had previously been in contact with Adrian from North American Mini Transat (NAMT) about possibly buying a Zero and having it shipped to Rhode Island. I contacted Adrian once more to find out if he could be talked into arranging the purchase and shipping of the boat to the US. I figured he was already importing Zeros so he was already juggling Container.

As it turned out, Adrian did not need much encouragement to pick up the TipTop ball and run with it. Within a few weeks I was signing a contract and he started the process of getting two new TipTop’s sent to the US. Now it was just a matter of waiting.

To be continued …

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