By John Hartley

Very fast, monohull single-hander

The MX-Ray sailboat is one of those sailboats that lots of dinghy sailors want to know about, but evidently not enough wanted to buy, as it is no longer made. With a top speed of 20 knots, the ability to plane in winds as low as 6 knots, this tiny sailboat or sailing dinghy is truly amazing.

How come it is so fast? Well, it is similar in concept to the Moth sailboats, which have been used in international sailboat racing for years. Like the Moth, the e MX-Ray sailboat has a very narrow hull, giving a small wetted area, but widens out above the waterline so the crew can sit out to counterbalance the force on the sail.

In the Moth, which was normally wooden, a trampoline was mounted on the hull, but the MX-Ray sailboat is plastic, so it is molded to provide the space for the sailor to sit out. This is how it gets the name – well the Ray part. Looked on from above, the MX-Ray sailboat looks like a stingray.

Unlike most single-handers, the e MX-Ray sailboat has a lot of sail. Like many modern high-speed sailboats, it has a bowsprit so that a large foresail can be carried despite the short length of the hull.

Not only is there a mainsail with a deep roach, but also a jib, genoa, with stowing tube and a spinnaker. With this much sail, it is no surprise that the e MX-Ray sailboat is very fast, and can leave Lasers well behind.

The MX-Ray sailboat is made from advanced materials, with a carbon fiber mast and bowsprit and daggerboard. This is fine with a new boat, but now that you cannot buy a new one, getting a replacement for a broken mast could be a problem these days. Of course, these carbon fiber parts are expensive.

The basic specification of the MX-Ray sailboat is: LOA: 12 feet 11 inches Beam: 8 feet, 2 feet 6 inches at the waterline Draft: 2 feet 8 inches Weight: 175 lb.

The MX-Ray sailboat was a remarkable design, able to give plenty of excitement to those that want to go really fast but have a small budget.

About the Author: John Hartley, who runs

sailboatsyachts

, started sailing sailing dinghies, but after a day in a keelboat decided that was his type of sailing boat. He has been sailing cruising sailboats for 16 years, first a Bermudan ketch and latterly a junk rig schooner

Source:

isnare.com

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