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RS Feva Owner in Indiana, USA

Posted: Fri Aug 08, 2008 4:57 pm
by asdf2006
I am an RS Feva owner in Indiana, USA, and I am interested in a Musto. I find myself wanting to increase the performance of my Feva. I am 41 yeas old, and I grew up sailing Lasers and Lightnings. The videos I have seen of the Musto look very fun, but I have a few questions and concerns.

1) Is a Musto able to be sailed by mere mortals, or is it too difficult to learn? Also, I sail on a small, inland lake where the wind is shifty and patchy.

2) Is a Musto sometimes suitable for two adults, or one adult and small children for recreational sailing, or is it just not a good idea? My Feva is good for this, and I really enjoy taking my six-year-old daughter with me, and she is learning to sail very well. I wouldn't want the Musto to exclude her.

Re: RS Feva Owner in Indiana, USA

Posted: Fri Aug 08, 2008 6:32 pm
by ronrad
Hi,

I'm the dealer for the US and Canada, so please feel free to contact me at

425 445 2843 or ron_radko@comcast.net

As for taking kids, it will depend on the child. I have carried 2 adults on a Musto numerous times, and do it quite routinely as part of the training out here. It is sailable by mere mortals, although there is a learning curve. Basically, the boat is all about timing and finesse rather than anything else, and if you get it right, it is quite reasonable. You will be swimming a bit as you start out, although once you have the techniques down, righting the boat is quite easy and you can have the second person sit in the rack as you bring the boat up, and you both will end up in the boat when it comes up.

As to learning, my focus for the North America fleet is to provide training at any of the events that we arrange and to group things together to make it easier for people to get to the events. Also, as part of my delivery, I include some training to get up to speed. Stens DVD is also an amazing resource to really help the training. We end up with several non racers at the events just for the training.

The biggest ingredient in success for learning the boat is consistent practice. Getting out at least once a week for the starting time and preferably twice will really go a long way. The second key factor is the ability to be analytical about your practice, and look at what you are doing, and break it down so you can work on the timing / footwork etc.

In < 12 knots of wind the boat is actually quite forgiving, and also she does not have a lot of the nasty habits that some other skiffs have (the bow is quite forgiving, so pitchpoling is relatively rare compared to other skiffs, and the bear away is quite a bit easier as a result)

The second person must be adventurous, and you would want them to be comfortable in the water when the boat goes over. The learning curve really depends on your natural ability to pick things up and your natural agility. I've had sailors with no trap experience get in and pick it up quite quickly and others take quite a bit of time to do so.

The gusty and shifty inland lake nature does add a bit to the challenge. The boat is an absolute blast to sail, and I think it is quite rewarding. I have had a number of friends that I have taken out just for kicks who have really enjoyed their time on it. As I have mentioned I do take two people out all the time, although it makes the manouevers a little trickier. (Straight line sailing with two can actually be easier than with one)

Ron