This is, and isn't about our Vegas. My parents had a sailng sharpy
so I started young. The truth was my father was less intersted in
sailing than Getting out into the Chesapeake bay to fish. It was during
the Depression so complimenting our diet with sea food was well worth
doing. Our boat 40ft long and the same width of our Vegas at 8ft were
very fas in sail, often sailing 13 or 14knots. Dad could not afford an
engine but with a fast boat he didn't need one.. The narrow hull gave
her a much faster hull speed than our modern boats. Because the boats
of that time had cotton sails we kept them moored out so we could dry
the sails. With the foot of the sails hanging free and swinging in the
wind there was no chance the boat would turn and try to sail downwind in
a thunder storm. When I got a little older it was my job to drop the
sails when dry or run them back up after a rain shower. About 1940 my
father got an old cement mixer Gasoline engine that we called old"Make
and break". Single cylinder she sounded like bump around, around, bump
around, around open the throttle and we went down the creek bump bump
bump at about 4 knots. No reverse.
The difference between a Marine engine and a tractor engine back
then was that the Marine engine could be Saltwater cooled other engine
would rust out so were fresh water cooled. Most here in the states
were gasoline engines and set out in the cockpit with an engine box over
it. You took the box off when running the engine to prevent a possible
explosion. Our MD6 was design in the 1920's or earlier as industrial
engines. An old German ,now passed on, told me his Dad maintained a
bunch of these little engines where the pumped waste water through to
the sea. He said the ran 24 hours a day seven days a week often for
twenty years when the were rebuilt to run anther 20 years. The cast iron
blocks are high nickel castings that are saltwater resistant. Most
modern engines are thin walled allowing them to be light have no nickel
in them and will rust out quickly if salt water is used in them. Iam not
finding fault with these new light engines I think are good ones. They
get a lot of their power by running faster which modern oils and engine
material allow without damage. I don't like the the higher pitched
sound the make but that is just my preference.
Around the turn of the century and into the 1930's men were
sailing racing canoes all over the world and in some places they sailed
sharpes. Most modern Cruser racers evoved from the canoes. I think the
vega came from some of both types. If you look at her bottom amidships
she is a bit "v' bottomed with a straight run in the middle. Most
sailboats to day have a length to with racio of 3 to 1 that works with
the hull speed formula we all use to predict the hull speed of a boat.
Because the Vega has a 3 1/2 to one it has a slighty higher hull speed
than most racer crusiers while maintaing directional stability and good
righting capabilities. I think her designer hit it just right. Her
somewhat shallow draft makes her perfect for along the shallows of our
East coast here in the states as well as at her ocean home a thousnad
miles off shore. All things conciderd for me she is the finest little
boat I have ever sailed. From the point of view of looks I wish she did
not have a flat shear, but if I had to look over a taller cabin from
the helm I would wish back the flat shear I think. Doug
so I started young. The truth was my father was less intersted in
sailing than Getting out into the Chesapeake bay to fish. It was during
the Depression so complimenting our diet with sea food was well worth
doing. Our boat 40ft long and the same width of our Vegas at 8ft were
very fas in sail, often sailing 13 or 14knots. Dad could not afford an
engine but with a fast boat he didn't need one.. The narrow hull gave
her a much faster hull speed than our modern boats. Because the boats
of that time had cotton sails we kept them moored out so we could dry
the sails. With the foot of the sails hanging free and swinging in the
wind there was no chance the boat would turn and try to sail downwind in
a thunder storm. When I got a little older it was my job to drop the
sails when dry or run them back up after a rain shower. About 1940 my
father got an old cement mixer Gasoline engine that we called old"Make
and break". Single cylinder she sounded like bump around, around, bump
around, around open the throttle and we went down the creek bump bump
bump at about 4 knots. No reverse.
The difference between a Marine engine and a tractor engine back
then was that the Marine engine could be Saltwater cooled other engine
would rust out so were fresh water cooled. Most here in the states
were gasoline engines and set out in the cockpit with an engine box over
it. You took the box off when running the engine to prevent a possible
explosion. Our MD6 was design in the 1920's or earlier as industrial
engines. An old German ,now passed on, told me his Dad maintained a
bunch of these little engines where the pumped waste water through to
the sea. He said the ran 24 hours a day seven days a week often for
twenty years when the were rebuilt to run anther 20 years. The cast iron
blocks are high nickel castings that are saltwater resistant. Most
modern engines are thin walled allowing them to be light have no nickel
in them and will rust out quickly if salt water is used in them. Iam not
finding fault with these new light engines I think are good ones. They
get a lot of their power by running faster which modern oils and engine
material allow without damage. I don't like the the higher pitched
sound the make but that is just my preference.
Around the turn of the century and into the 1930's men were
sailing racing canoes all over the world and in some places they sailed
sharpes. Most modern Cruser racers evoved from the canoes. I think the
vega came from some of both types. If you look at her bottom amidships
she is a bit "v' bottomed with a straight run in the middle. Most
sailboats to day have a length to with racio of 3 to 1 that works with
the hull speed formula we all use to predict the hull speed of a boat.
Because the Vega has a 3 1/2 to one it has a slighty higher hull speed
than most racer crusiers while maintaing directional stability and good
righting capabilities. I think her designer hit it just right. Her
somewhat shallow draft makes her perfect for along the shallows of our
East coast here in the states as well as at her ocean home a thousnad
miles off shore. All things conciderd for me she is the finest little
boat I have ever sailed. From the point of view of looks I wish she did
not have a flat shear, but if I had to look over a taller cabin from
the helm I would wish back the flat shear I think. Doug
Doug