The Viper 640 is a high-performance one-design sport boat. At 21 feet long and only 748 lbs, it combines the stiffness of a keelboat with the acceleration and planing 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.
Buying a Viper 640 is easy! Our sole Class approved builder, Rondar Raceboats, has reps covering all of North America. They're all enthusiastic Viper owners who are here to help introduce you to the Viper with a demo sail and guide you through the process of buying your own Viper 640. CLICK HERE to locate and contact the rep nearest you!
I was back racing at Marblehead yesterday. It has been close to 12 months since I have raced with the local fleet. I can only describe it as delicious.
The first gun was at 12.00. Despite four classes on the line, the RC banged off four races for the Vipers. 1 mile windward/leeward twice around and back to the dock by 4.30 pm. The great thing about Marblehead is that you leave the harbor, turn right, past Marblehead Rock and you are immediately in open ocean. The race course is right on the doorstep.
The 2011 Long Beach Race Week was the perfect venue to kick off our EFG Pan American Pacific West Coast Championship. We had 15 Vipers on the line and some really great competition. We had several new boats, all sporting different colors from mint, yellow and purple. I don’t know what it is about the Viper fleet or drinking, but when I mix the two, my inner Texan comes out… strong. You can ask anyone and they would say the line of the weekend was “that ain’t right!” Well there were some things that ain’t right about that weekend (too many speed bumps, etc), but our sailing was not one of them!
Friday was a light air day, which made it key to catch all the shifts. We had poor starts and were over early in the second one, but managed to claw our way to the top and finish first in both races. We had Kevin Taugher on the boat, and he was amazing at keeping us in phase all day. Tim Carter was at the helm and he kept focused on making the boat go fast. I was constantly playing the jib during the shifts and puffs to keep us in gear.
The party Friday night was at ABYC and the Viper fleet made sure to close it down. Naturally, some shenanigans went down.
Pro photographer Leighton O'Connor came out for his first ride on a Viper. Of course, he brought his GoPro, and shot this:
Cloudy, rainy, only 10-14 knots, only 6 boats and he came up with that! I'm going to try to drag him to a bigger regatta with some breeze and see what he can do when Vipers are really at their best!
