Read Jenő’s experience with the Viola 14 sailing canoe which is Michael Storer’s latest design – the second and the third boats were built in Hungary by two members of the Hungarian Amateur Boatbuilding community (hajoepitok.hu).
‘There is no such animal” (as the giraffe was once described)…
With its 4,3 m length with 6,5 sqm sail area and just 29 kgs weight Viola can be described similarly..’
Viola 14 Hull Shell built in 3 days at Budapest Boat Show
Jenő’s hull was build in 3 days during the Budapest Boat Show in February.
He finished the build in his living room. The boat was tested in very different conditions and waters (choppy, windy, light breeze, big waves, etc.) with different sails and settings.
Canoe Portability with Dinghy Performance
Jenő writes: ‘This boat is the credible combination of the portability and high performance. It is called canoe although I would stick to call it a sailing boat, however, it can be easily moved by a paddle being a very narrow yet stable canoe-dinghy hybrid. The width of the hull is only 1,1 m and it has the same stability as a Laser. Its performance is similar too.
It is a sporty boat not exactly for beginners, however, a certain amount of enthusiasm and some wind-surf and OZ Racer experience helped me a lot even if I was a rookie.
Responsive sailing canoe but forgiving.
Despite its length it is easy to manoeuvre, it reacts on every small steering movement due to its small weight. Because of its flat bottom it planes quickly and not sensitive of longitudinal movement of the weight (it does not matter where the sailor sits).
It is recommended to build a small removable seat (0,4 m behind the centercase) especially for longer (light breeze) expeditions – it protects your knee and back from the effects of sitting long in uncomfortable positions.
Due to its small weight the boat shows further advantages:
- it picks up speed in light breeze easily
- In sudden puffs it speeds up quickly instead of leaning aside
Some sailing suggestions for the Viola 14 sailing canoe.
While sailing with backwind the centreboard needs to be pulled up to avoid instability (up to 35-40 km/h wind speed it is tolerable – above that very tricky – similarly to Laser)
The 6,5 sqm sail is OK for one person (of 80-90 kgs). I added a 3 sqm foresail which worked very well (in moderate winds).
It is also recommended to make the sail reefable. The boat can only be reefed ashore (not on the water). (unless the lug rig is chosen as one of the rig options)
Video image can take a moment to load.
Being a boat with traditional sail it is also important to make the downhaul (cunningham) and the alba (goose neck) adjustable while on the water.
Venturi Bailer for Rougher water.
The open fore and aft decks are very cool, and they do not cause any problem even in choppy water. In strong wind and very choppy conditions there is some water coming into the cockpit (from the aft) and it is not easy to get it out with hands therefore I built in an automatic valve (venturi bailer) behind the centrecase to get rid of the water.
The open front deck can only cause some difficulties when you capsize. Standing on the centreboard it is easy to right the boat, but the front of the hull can easily scoop in a few hundred litres of water. In stormy conditions it is difficult to handle this and the ventil cannot do its job due to lack of speed. It needs some practice or stormy weather shall be avoided.
We were trying to use temporary front-decks made of sticky transparent plastic (to keep the beautiful design of the boat) – it worked well. (note: Jenő used the boat in very stormy conditions)
The centreboard could be 0,3 m shorter without any loss of performance, but it would make the righting more difficult when capsized).
Video image can take a moment to load.
In summary it is a true love to sail Viola, it is beautiful and very specially designed. I wish more of such boats ran in Hungary in the future.’
Viola 14 Sailing Canoe Design Information
Original Article in Magyar (Hungarian) is here.
“Ilyen állat nincs is! (Mondják a zsiráfra…) 4,3m hosszú, 6.5m2 vitorla és a hajótest összesen csak 29 kg!”
A következőkben olvassuk Juhász Jenő Viola 14 vitorláshajóval szerzett tapasztalatairól szóló írását. Ez a vitorlás kenu-dingi hibrid Michael Storer egyik legújabb vitorlás-koncepciója, amelynek második és harmadik példánya hazánkban épült meg.
A hajót a februári Boat Shown kezdtük építeni, Jenő pedig otthon a nappalijában fejezte be. Az egész 2019-es szezonban tesztelte a hajót, sokszor a határokig. Erős szélben, gyenge szélben, hullámos vízben, a Balatonon, a Velencei és a Tisza tavon, különböző vitorlákkal, és beállításokkal.
