Tasar Sailing ...10 Years Out and More....

Well I haven't set a neoprene clad foot in a tasar in over a deceade now, and I was looking at the boat of late.

What do I think now?

I see a couple of things right away- down wind running pedestrianism and twitchyness up wind.

I have to balance this with other experiences, like starting in an RS400 fleet one time at the pin end and being almost half way to the mark infront of their entire fleet before realising that they were OD and my start was in 2 minutes!  And blasting round for a test sail with a guy at the same club, DBSC on the Forth, in I guess top of 5 gusting 6, going round like a scaletrix car , planing upwind 160kg all up crew weight! And pulling away from all and sundry on tight reaches.

Would I recommend one now? Well only if you can sail OD really at your club or regional travellers.

So In Scotland I would say take a look, or the Thames or Cornwall at least.

However I think assymetric spinnies are so darn easy that at any club where there is an OD fleet suitable or even just a couple of other say RS200s or 400s, then I would buy one of them.

The Tasar is a kind of space-age boat: and now we are long passed the space age, it seems locked in time in terms of deck design. The new mylars look fantastic and I think they probably add a lot to the joy of sailing one.

In light to medium winds, the boat is a joy to sail. You feel you are gliding over the water, and not ploughing into the water as in say a Laser 4000 tonner, or an RS400 or any old tubs out there. The sail controls are actually highly advanced- the wing mast and curved traveller - these add to the pleasure and indeed uniqueness of being a Tasar sailor.

In HC fleets you want to be sailing against flying fifteens, merlin rockets, RS200s, 470s and some other older boats. You should be getting ahead of the lasers and enterprises etc, but lagging behind most of the assy spinnie crowd so therefore if you have choice of club for sailing a Tasar, then opt for one with this spread of boat. I enjoyed pretty immensely that type of fleet, but did not like being stuck in between faster boats and lasers etc.

The boat is like bass guitar- easy in appearance and to get going when things are in your favour, but when it gets tougher then you discover it is a deception- there is a lot of finesse and technique to make the boat sing on all points of sail.

It can be a new beginners boat but it is only when you have other owners at your club I would recommend it so.

 Otherwise it remains a perfect husband and wife boat, where they are experienced , especially when the crew can be involved with tactics and strategy or it is them whom focuses on boat speed, whipping then the helms-person on either point respectively. Also in the boat's favour is that the new cost, used cost and running costs are a lot lower than assy' spinnaker Smods and the boat is easier to handle in and out the water.

As I say about the space age, the tasar spans the gap from the old ply boats and early carvel fibreglass boats of the 1960s into the boats which would come infront of it. A mere one evolutionary step away and you are onto hard chine 18ft skiffs and the B14, and really the same core with a bit of carbon continues in todays 9er and RS800 etc.