Dart 15 Forums

Kevin wrote:

Am looking for a used 15 with trapeze, keep looking at web site but must get rid of Laser first (Wife insists!!!)
Do all boats come with jib? Are sprint kits trapeze and jib or what. If I buy a boat without trapeze what sort of price to get sprint kit new/used if possible (ie cheapest way!) Thanks for anticipated help.

Dartful Codger 3 replied:

Hi Kevin
All boats are initially sold as 'Sprints' which means they come with jib and all trapeze kit (less harness).
Trapezing by definition means sailing solo but with main, jib and trapeze, which then also requires longer tiller extension.
Clearly, any older boats for sale may for a variety of reasons no longer have 'Sprint' equipment, but since the 'new' cost of purchasing these elements is likely to be in the region of ?400+, it is worth checking whether the price of the boat includes them.
The Dart 15 can be sailed 1-up/1 sail or 2-up 2 sails to PY handicap 916, or 1-up with 2 sails & trapeze to PY 882.
Generally speaking, when racing , then 'Sprinting' only tends to be quicker on the larger courses, or when the wind is above F5, or when sailing on the sea, so if you will be considering racing when you get your Dart 15, these facts need to be considered. Even better, check out the club you are likely to be sailing at to see what goes best there.
If you are still keen to 'Sprint' after all that, I have 2 un-used kits, and would be prepared to sell one of them if necessary, so don't be too concerned if your proposed purchase doesn't have one.
Happy hunting. Paul Smith 1961 (Beaver S.C.)

George (Stephen) replied:

I'm not an expert on this, but the Dart 15 was originally marketed as the Spark and was UNARIG. Later someone had the bright idea of adding the jib and trapeze, and remarketing the cat as the Dart 15/Dart 15 Sprint. No guarantees on this, but I think the divide was Sail No 1200?????? But note that many earlier cats will have been converted.

So some early boats may not have all the Sprint gear (jib, jib sheets (including the rope and carbine hook - or whatever the owner may have updated to following the Class Rules changes made at the last AGM) and 2 sets of blocks, a shorter forestay and a short strop, a top swivel and a lower furling drum, a jib halyard (wire, with appropriate shackles)and a length of cord as dummy halyard, a length of cord for the furling system and the beam fittings for it - a jamming cleat with fairlead, hull fittings to which to attach jib blocks, trapeze wires and adjustable fittings, some shock cord (about 8 feet/2.4 metres) and the hull fittings (fairleads for the shock cord), a longer tiller extension, and possibly more.

In total all this would be expensive and those taking this route should think of obtaining a lot of this gear from sources other than Laser Centre, after getting a price quote from Laser Centre. Note that Class Rules have to be observed, but some things are not set in stone - certainly avoid the standard Laser Centre hull fittings for attaching the jib blocks. Unless you can obtain all the parts needed at sensible prices, a better route might be to buy a more modern Dart 15 or an already converted Spark, as Paul suggests.

Further, I think that some early conversions and possibly some early Dart 15 Sprints may have different hull fitted jib blocks, and I'm not impressed with them either.

Whatever, Sprinting can be a lot more enjoyable than Standard, if only because of the use of the trapeze. Note that the moment you use the trapeze you automatically are Sprinting, regardless of whether you are sailing 1 up, 2 up or more (but everyone Sprints 1 up unless its blowing really hard to counter the extra weight).

But you do lose out on ability to tack quickly from "wire to wire" when Sprinting. It's not so much getting in and out but having to handle so many sheets means an octopus would do better - 2 limbs to stand on, 1 for the tiller extension, 1 for the traveller, 1 for the main sheet, 1 for the jib sheet, 1 for the downhaul (if you are taking advantage of the Rules changes), 1 for the trapeze wire handle, 1 for adjusting the trapeze length, etc. So what Paul says really boils down to "expect to lose out to a Standard D15 on short courses" and "expect to lose out in light winds".

Good luck

George