New foiling dinghy designed for lighter weight and female sailors
by Ian Ward 17 Sep 2019 01:50 PDT
17 September 2019
Nikki 6.5 Low level flying © Ian Ward
Nikki is the very latest high-performance one-design foiling dinghy which is both stable and safe, while being easy to rig, launch and sail, suited to young, light weight and female sailors of a wide range of ages and abilities.
It is is now available from Glide Free Design
Nikki is also highly versatile, able to be sailed in displacement, planing or gliding modes. This means Nikki can be sailed in any wind strength to suit your skill level. Even without lifting foils Nikki easily planes upwind and down, making it an all-round fun boat to sail.
The highly developed 'scow' hull shape is very stable & comfortable, making Nikki fast and easy to sail in all conditions. Launching from the trolley and sailing away in knee deep water is easy.
Ride height control is fully adjustable with the unique retractable wand providing safe foiling in all conditions without crashes. The patented Glide Free foiling system used on Nikki greatly simplifies foil control, eliminating the need for complexities such as adjustable tiller, gain adjustment or rake control and also prevents pitchpole.
Nikki lifts off easily in light winds so you can experience the very best foiling can offer. You can even gybe and tack on the foils which up till now has only been possible on the Moth and AC/GP50! The wide 'wings' effortlessly power the boat upwind, especially when foiling and the foil controls are extremely simple.
Launching is greatly simplified as the centreboard and rudder are inserted from above and lifting foils clip on and off and can be held in position with a brake to improve handling. The boat can be easily launched and retrieved by one person from the beach trolley provided, even in shallow water.
The light weight hull is production moulded of high-quality glass epoxy & foam, making it rugged, robust and reliable while also being durable, affordable and unsinkable.
The rig consists of a full carbon, two-piece mast with sail track, making raising the mast and hoisting of the sail easy on-shore with a halyard and the sail can also be lowered on the water for safety.
The wide wings which provide the power necessary for foiling are easily clipped on to the hull in seconds. No need to lace up trampolines and the boat can be easily stored in standard racks. Foils are inserted from above and lifting foils clipped in place, making Nikki easy to transport, store, rig and launch.
Nikki can be supplied as a high performance, winged, non-foiling 'displacement' dinghy 'Nikki D' or as the fully foiling version 'Nikki F'. Both versions come with a choice of two rigs 5.5 and 6.5 sqm, to suit your body weight, skill level and local sailing conditions.
Dimensions - Nikki is 2.9m long, 1.8m wide and the hull weighs in at just 25Kg. The two rigs available are 5.5sqm and 6.5 sqm.
Nikki is designed and produced by Skeeta Foiling Craft and distributed by Glide Free Design
Pricing:
Nikki D5.5 (displacement) $7,000 RRP
Nikki D6.5 $7,250 RRP
Nikki F5.5 (foiling) $11,250 RRP
Nikki F6.5 $11,500 RRP
Prices are in Australian Dollars (AUD), for the complete boat, excluding delivery & local duties and taxes.
A dealer fitted foiling kit will be available to transform all displacement Nikkis into foiling Nikkis for $4750 which includes new vertical and horizontal foils, all foiling hardware & wand.
Glide Free Design www.glidefree.com.au