Snipe-ets

My New Snipe

by Don Hackbarth

I received delivery of my new JibeTech Snipe, sail 30221, in early May 2004 at the D-4 Championships in Jacksonville, FL. Boat builder Andy Pimental drove down with the boat from Rhode Island.

In many ways, getting a new Snipe is like having a baby, getting married, or buying a new car. You eagerly anticipate its arrival and when you get it people comment "congratulations on your new boat," "it's really pretty," "how do you like it," "I'm so happy for you." I also have noticed that a new boat is a magnet. People tend to cluster around it, lean on it, talk and look at the rigging; "that's a neat new way to do that." You are really proud and you try to take really good care of it so it doesn't get a scratch.

For me that doesn't last long, as I CONSUME boats. Most of you know that I sail alot. My boats get a lot of time in the water. When I am done with my boats, few people want to buy them. Of the four Snipes I have owned since joining the Class in 1984, only one was really sold. The first one, 24142, burned after my sons and I wore it out. The second, 25071, was sold for a nominal price to Dustin Kays, my junior crew, as it had been re-rigged so many times no one was interested in it. It was still light and fast! The third, 28571, was an Eclipse I bought new, sailed about three years and abandoned in the Gulf in that massive storm we had at the Mid -Winters. My last boat, 29014, (new Persson) was sold on the open market after consuming it for about 8 years, this time before I totally consumed it. That day was not far off, as it was being consumed at a faster rate than I had expected.

So when I decided to get a new boat, I wanted to get a boat that was rigged well and could withstand/delay my attempts to consume it. When contemplating the purchase, I noted that Andy Pimental at Jibe Tech had recently made several revisions in his boat design that interested me. He had developed a new deck and liner more along the Persson style and he also was making boats with rear jib sheeting systems. After noting these changes I started looking closer at the boat, its construction, and rigging. Andy won the Nationals in deciding fashion and then Nicolas Granucci showed up with another new Jibe Tech at Halloween. The boat appeared to be very well built, well laid up, with quality resin and fabric. The rigging was simple, well thought-out by a top competitor, with high quality parts. And Andy is a USA builder. Besides that, the change in the value of the dollar had inflated the cost of an imported boat to the point that the cost difference was MAJOR.

So I took the leap and ordered a new Jibe Tech Snipe from Andy. Hal Gilreath and Steve Suddath got their new Jibe Tech Snipes in January and they mentioned they really liked them. I had to wait an extra month or two while Andy finished the tech dingy production order he had with MIT.

Finally my boat came and it was well worth the wait. It is much better than I anticipated. Andy brought the boat down to Jacksonville and rigged it. On Saturday morning when I came to finish the details, I was bored-- nothing major to do. He designs, finishes and rigs the boats he makes as if he is going to sail them the next day. The fittings are top quality, in the right place, and doing the job needed in a simple fashion. It appears I won't be able to drill this boat to death. The lines are right for the job, light, thin, the right length, even with shock cord on the tails under the deck. The boat has lots of storage in the side tanks and they are easy to access. The board is anodized, the rudder fittings are solid and the rudder fits very tight. He even bends the tiller slightly so the portion near the rudder head does not scrape on the deck near the traveler blocks. The boat drains fast and does not fill up past the small amount of water in the bailer hole. Attention to the details in a stock boat, just as if he was going to race it.

I could go on mentioning the quality job he is doing. The point is that in the USA we have a very high quality boat being manufactured at a very competitive price. It deserves your attention when you decide to buy a new boat.

Be prepared-- it will be quite a conversation magnet.

See you all on the course in my new Snipe,
Don Hackbarth