RS600FF - why float when you can fly?

by Media PR on 3 Mar 2007 The RS600FF takes a great boat – the popular RS600 singlehander – and with the addition of some carbon/epoxy hydrofoils turns it into a flying machine capable of travelling at twice the speed of the wind.

After two years of development, drawing on his extensive experience building foiling International Moths, Weymouth hi-tech boatbuilder L Jenkins and his company Full Force Boats have produced a set of foils designed specifically for the RS600.

The result is one of the most radical – and yet very sailable – boats in the world.

'The idea for developing the RS600FF came out of speaking to all the sailors who rang me up about buying an International Moth but who were just too heavy for the boat,' explains Jenkins. 'If you weigh much more than 75kg then you’re going to be too heavy to be competitive in the Moth. So this left a lot of disappointed people who wanted to go foiling but didn’t have anywhere to go.'

'So we started developing the RS600 and seeing how it would convert to being used for foils, and I have to say Clive Everest [the original designer of the RS600] designed virtually the perfect boat for foiling, although he probably didn’t realise it at the time!'

'Now with the RS600FF, we have a foiling boat that works for people weighing between 70 to 95kg.

It’s one-design, and with the original RS600 reefable rig you can sail the boat a long way up the wind range.'

With around 350 RS600s in existence throughout the UK, Linton expects most sailors will probably want to buy a secondhand hull and convert it for hydrofoiling.

This offers a very cost-effective option which will appeal to most people.

However, boats can be supplied brand new from LDC Racing Sailboats and fitted with the RS600FF package.

Purchase of a RS600FF foiling package (£2,500 inc VAT) will get you a carbon/epoxy centreboard, rudderblade, twist-grip tiller, rudder gantry and bow-wand mechanism.

The package is designed to be easily self-fitted, and comes with printed instructions and a DVD explaining how the foiling mechanism works.

Also included is a compulsory lesson in how to sail the boat. This will take place at Weymouth under the instruction of 2006 International Moth British Champion Sam Pascoe who has been the RS600FF test pilot during the boat’s development.

Facts about the RS600FF . . .

* Current top speed of 23.4 knots set by Sam Pascoe in Feb 2007. Sam’s speed record in the Moth is 26 knots, but he says: 'I think the RS600FF will be faster.'

* Strict one-design. The RS600FF abides by the existing rules of the RS600 class – with the obvious exception of the hydrofoil package. When the racing circuit gets underway, sailors will not be allowed to customise their boats. The RS600FF is all about cost-effective foiling.

* Ease of launching. Liftable foils make the RS600FF the most user - friendly ‘foiler’ on the market.

* Quick conversion. In just a few hours you can convert your RS600 so it’s ready for RS600FF foiling. Want to switch back to the RS600 for some conventional sailing? No problem, the RS600FF foiling package has been designed as a ‘bolt-on, bolt-off’ package which means you still have your standard RS600 any time you want it.

* The cheapest way to experience the thrill of ‘foiling’. A good second hand RS600 costs around £2,500. Add another £2,500 for the RS600FF conversion package, and for £5k you have a boat capable of sailing at twice the speed of the wind.

For further information visit the RS600FF website at www.RS600FF.com

To purchase a foil kit for the RS600FF, call Linton on +44 (0)1305 826555

What the sailors have to say about the RS600FF :

Paul Bayliss, 4-time RS600 National Champion, 4-time RS700 National Champion, on why he is buying the RS600FF:

'When the RS600 was launched in 1994 it was a ground breaking boat, and I was one of the first people on the phone to RS to place my order. Now, Full Force are moving the game on again, and I just have to be part of it. Foiling is perhaps the greatest advance in sailing since the trapeze was invented, certainly since the asymmetric revolution.

The challenge of learning to sail foil boats seems to leave all the Moth sailors with huge grins on their faces... and now with the RS600FF, there is a boat for the bigger guys. I'm just worried that it will make conventional high performance sailing seem mundane!'

Peter Barton, multiple championship winner in Laser 4000, Laser 5000, RS800 and 18-foot Skiff, on why he is sailing the RS600FF:

'After three years of 18-foot Skiff racing I needed something to fill that void. I had been monitoring the Moths keenly but the RS600FF appeared more suitable as it is designed to carry more weight, and as I have other sailing interests the lower budget was a factor. Being in at the leading edge of its development has been very exciting.

‘Will it fly?' - it certainly does! I also wanted a quick-to-rig singlehander to sail from Lymington when I have no crew, and this will entertain me whether I race in the fast handicap fleet or go out playing on my own. I believe the overall capital outlay and depreciation is low enough that this toy will score highly in ‘bangs for bucks'.'

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