 | |
| Development | |
|---|---|
| Designer | Robert Perry |
| Location | China |
| Year | 2005 |
| No. built | 110 |
| Builder | Hansheng Yachtbuilding |
| Role | Racer |
| Name | Flying Tiger 10 M |
| Boat | |
| Displacement | 4,374 lb (1,984 kg) |
| Draft | 7.62 ft (2.32 m) with keel down |
| Hull | |
| Type | monohull |
| Construction | fiberglass |
| LOA | 32.66 ft (9.95 m) |
| LWL | 30.31 ft (9.24 m) |
| Beam | 9.15 ft (2.79 m) |
| Engine type | outboard motor |
| Hull appendages | |
| Keel/board type | lifting keel with weighted bulb |
| Ballast | 1,918 lb (870 kg) |
| Rudder | transom-mountedrudder |
| Rig | |
| Rig type | Bermuda rig |
| I foretriangle height | 39.25 ft (11.96 m) |
| J foretriangle base | 12.12 ft (3.69 m) |
| P mainsail luff | 40.16 ft (12.24 m) |
| E mainsail foot | 14.89 ft (4.54 m) |
| Sails | |
| Sailplan | fractional riggedsloop |
| Mainsail area | 298.99 sq ft (27.777 m2) |
| Jib/genoa area | 237.86 sq ft (22.098 m2) |
| Total sail area | 536.85 sq ft (49.875 m2) |
| Racing | |
| PHRF | 42-57 |
TheFlying Tiger 10 M is a Chinesetrailerablesailboat that was designed by AmericanRobert Perry as aone designracer and first built in 2005.[1][2][3][4][5][6]
A smaller and lighter derivative is the Perry-designedFlying Tiger 7.5.[7][8]
The design was built byHansheng Yachtbuilding inXiamen, China, starting in 2005, with 110 boats completed, but it is now out of production.[1][2][9][10]
Early production was marred by quality control issues, but these were later resolved with modifications and production line updates.[5][6]
The boat's concept was created by Bill Steven, an American racing sailor and boatbuilder from the west coast, who had boats built in China in the past. He commissioned Perry to do a preliminary design for a simple and inexpensivesportboat that would fit in a 40 ft (12 m)shipping container. Perry's design was then circulated though sailinginternet forums for feedback and then orders. The concept was well received and Steven was able to collect 50US$1000 deposits and that enabled production to begin in China.[5][6]
It was specifically designed to be ground transported on aboat trailer and therefore uses alifting keel, an easily removable rudder andcarbon fiber spars for lightness.[5][6]
The Flying Tiger 10 M is a racingkeelboat, built predominantly of vinylester resinfiberglass over a foam core. It has afractionalsloop rig, with a deck-stepped mast, two sets of sweptspreaders and carbon fiber spars. The hull has aplumb stem with a retractablebowsprit, a slightlyreverse transom, a removable transom-hungrudder controlled by atiller and alifting keel with bulb weight. It displaces 4,374 lb (1,984 kg) and carries 1,918 lb (870 kg) of ballast.[1][2][5][6]
The boat has a draft of 7.62 ft (2.32 m) with the keel extended and 3.28 ft (1.00 m) with it retracted, allowing operation in shallow water or ground transportation on atrailer.[1][2]
The boat is normally fitted with a smalloutboard motor for docking and maneuvering, mounted in a cockpit well just aft of the bridgedeck and enclosed by doors.[1][2][5][6]
The design has an unfinished interior, but does have sleeping accommodation under the cockpit and two straight settees in the main cabin.[5][6]
For sailing downwind the design may be equipped with an asymmetricalspinnaker flown from the bowsprit. Class rules specify a maximum crew weight of 1,050 lb (476 kg).[1][2][5]
The design is capable ofplaning and one reviewer noted it achieving 16 kn (30 km/h). It has a displacementhull speed of 7.38 kn (13.67 km/h) and aPHRF handicap of 42 to 57.[2][5][6][11]
The first boat imported into the US was shown at the US Sailboat Show inAnnapolis, Maryland in 2007. The first competition was the Sperry Top-Sider NOOD in San Diego in March 2007, with Scot Tempesta winning.[5]
The boat is supported by an active class club that organizes racing events, theFlying Tiger 10M International Class Association.[12][13]
In a 2007 review forSailing World, Tom Bessinger wrote, "building boats at a factory halfway around the world with unskilled (at least initially) labor can be difficult, and there are usually a few missteps. The Flying Tiger 10-Meter is no exception. The first few boats came with under-specced tillers, transoms that were underbuilt, and rudder hardware that wasn’t up to the task of handling the loads of the boat's outboard-hung rudder. Poorly designed and built class sails didn't help its debut either. But-and this is important-we saw enough good things to figure out that Steven, Perry, and the denizens of sailinganarchy.com, have delivered exactly what was ordered-an inexpensive sportboat with good performance characteristics."[5]
Media related toFlying Tiger 10 M at Wikimedia Commons