Viper in Everglades Challenge ?

[Bill Vickers]

    Reading back thru posts on here and talking with designers, the Viper with a non bulb daggerboard (custom or just cut off the bulb) with a trapeze seems like something fun to try.   (with a mast float on the top of the mast).      Anyhow, I am wondering if any of the tinkers have thought about this.    Need the ability to change rudder to kick up for shallows and raise the daggerboard to very shallow water (no bulb) but then sail offshore with a deep daggerboard.   Add a roller furler to the jib     Rig a few carbon oars to paddle when wind dies.   A trapeze with a likely a reinforced carbon layup at the spreaders for an extra tang to support a trap.    Anyhow, it seems like the Viper could be a boat that could easily dominate the Challenge in a 2 person setup.   Especially if getting rid of the bulb,  so it can go in the shallows.  (understanding it needs the ability to reduce sail area if windier).     There is enough room for a 2nd person to take naps and somewhat sheltered.    Anyone out there thought about escalating the Viper to an adventure boat for such a task ?  Or perhaps having 2-3 Vipers enter.           Bill

[Justin S]

The Burd crew from Viper Mambo Kings won the R2AK on a chartered tri.  They are "hard" sailors.

The EC is up there. I have rigged one of my former Vipers with a Trapeze. It was reasonably straightforward and sailed pretty good.  The very first Viper test boat was a centerboard boat and that board is still around somewhere Jonesy sold it to someone before I could snag it. I would think Rondar could make one without a bulb using the foil mold.  The limitation would be the boom.
A kick up rudder is also doable ....but big breeze would be challenging for a kick up rudder.  I think a cassette rudder would be stronger.

[Eddie Wolfe]

This thread should be deleted. The Viper is a one-design with closed class rules. Anything other than that is simply not a Viper.

Some owners also sail their boats in PHRF events. (It's really fun) For those that do that, our PHRF numbers are widely published and should be non-negotiable (They are slightly favorable anyway).

This past fall I found myself unable to obtain a PHRF-NB certificate for an around Jamestown Island race because the rating officers were somehow convinced I had manipulated the boat with trap wires, and other rediculous things that aparently others have done. They couldn't understand the concept that my boat was a One-Design with published ratings and nothing outside of that scope.

You're entitled to do anything you want to your boat, but if it's outside of class rules It's no longer a Viper and the discussion should be taken somewhere else. Thanks.

[Peter Beardsley]

Everglades Challenge boats are usually very heavily modified from the original OD configuration - I think that is well understood in that event.

Jamestown Challenge stuff is another issue.  It's very possible that the VX guys ruined it for everyone by going out there with stock VX ratings with traps and dominating that race for a few years - that was actual cheating.  Long history of Vipers otherwise competing in that race and other Narragansett Bay PHRF races.