Welcome to the Viper 640 Class The Viper 640 is a high-performance one-design sport boat. At 21 feet long and only 735 lbs, it combines the stiffness of a keelboat with the acceleration and planning abilities of a dinghy. The design mandate was "Simple, Clean and Effective". The Viper has a precise and exhilarating feel on the helm, a spacious cockpit for 3 people, strict one-design class rules and ease of launching by ramp or hoist.  | 
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Vipers at Stamford Yacht Club |
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Written by Charles Goodrich and Jason Weisberg
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Stamford Yacht Club Launches a 20' Sportsboat Fleet
Stamford Yacht Club on Long Island Sound in Connecticut is well known for its big boat handicap events and a vibrant winter frostbite program. Last year our club came to the conclusion that we need a new class to reignite One Design racing in the summer. Commodore Hiro Nakajima suggested that " We want a class of boat that complements our club owned Ideal 18s, is a step up in terms of performance, that is exciting and modern and will appeal to our younger and older members". We decided to take a careful look at the emerging 20 foot sportsboat classes. In October, our members participated in a demo of three 20' sportsboats organized by the Long Island Sound YRA (YRALIS). The demo was a terrific opportunity to sail and compare the Laser SB3, the RS K6 and the Viper 640. The wind gods were kind and we are very grateful to Vanguard, The Viper Class Association, and the K6 owners at AYC for providing the boats and to Indian Harbor Yacht Club for arranging the logistics. They were all great boats and each had their own attractive attributes. For our members, the Viper had the right blend of characteristics for racing at our club. The Viper is lighter and futher up the performance curve from the SB3 and is less dinghy like and somewhat less technical than the K6. We liked the combination of performance and simplicity on the Viper. The following month we brought a Viper to the club for two futher days of testing and evaluation by our members. It was a sell out and our enthusiasm for the small sports boat concept grew. We had to address some logistical and scheduling issues, figuring out how to fit a new sportsboat class around our existing big boat and junior programs, but by December we had the blessing of the board and prior to the holidays we were ready to start a new fleet of Vipers on Western Long Island Sound. Our nascent fleet is starting by buying 7 boats (six new boats from Rondar and one used boat). We expect this number will have grown by the Spring. We heartedly endorse 20' sportsboats to any club that is looking for a new One Design class. They are fun and they are easy. If anyone from Long Island Sound would like to participate in racing Vipers they should feel free to contact us. Most of our Viper events will be open to non-members and we already have 2 viper owners from outside the club that will be participating in our races. We can also introduce crew to skippers. Charles Goodrich Jason Weisberg |
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 08 January 2008 )
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