What are the key differences between NS14 and Taser?

Russell Moore · Joined: 09 Nov 2008 Posts: 68

Thanks Hugh, that link worked. Now the Tasar (spelt Taser on the VYC site) is on 108 , the same as us.
I would have thought that they would have gone down somewhat with their new sails.....or are NSs getting faster?
Certainly from my observations we are very close in speed. Considering our much smaller our sail area is I think that we hold up well in a comparision between the two.
At the last MT at your club I watched from the headland as the fleet raced, the NSs started 5mins in front of the Tasars. The leading Tasars sailed through most of the NS fleet and kept at the 5min interval to yourself and the 2nd and 3rd placed NSs, give or take a bit.
Peter Warner, who was at the point, said that the leading Tasars that day were top sailors in the Tasar class.
You would certainly be in a good position at Northbridge to compare the two..
Anyway, I prefer the NS because it is a development class, and if I want to, I can play around with the boat (within the rules of cause). At our club David Cox is always trying out some gadget on his boat, and his latest gizmo is a form of adjustable running back stays, which attaches to the boom. Why? well he claims that he can bend the mast and flatten the main by using the vang, and still allow the head to fall away, as the tension is via the stays and not the sail...mmmmm... I keep telling him that he is solving a nonexistant problem, but what would I know?
You can't try something like that in a Tasar!

duncanm · Joined: 12 May 2009 Posts: 2

Well... don't forget that the Tasar is based on a Bethwaite NS14 design from the 70's.. with slightly more sail area.

I think the NS14 has progressed a veritable shed-load in the last 30 years.

Brendan · Posted: Thu Jul 02, 2009 11:57 am

Following on from what DuncanM says, I think we as a class can reflect on what we have compared to some others:

If you believe the Tasar sailors, here are the pros and cons...

1. Tasar is a one design, NS14 is not.

The Tasar rules were formalised in the mid eighties based on an NS14 from the seventies. Have a look at the boats - which is a better design now? How come a slightly shorter boat with a smaller rig has the same yardstick?

2. One design means your boat does not become obsolete.

In recent regattas there have been boats more than 10 years old in the top ten finishers. The boat the won the last big regatta was around 8 years old. Sure, it had new sails, but any competitive boat does.

3. One design means your investment is protected.

I can remember buying my first boat 4 seasons ago and thinking, "I might not spend $4k on an Aero 9 yet until I figure out if this is a good class to be in". Well those Aero 9s are still $4k and I've upgraded because I've figured out this is an excellent all-rounder for my family.

4. One design means your investment is protected (part II).

Have a close look at the Tasar site. A few years back they joined the rest of the world and allowed mylar sails. And they increased the jib area just for fun. So how did that protect the guys with older dacron rigs?
Besides, I think the smaller jib on the NS is way big enough for my kids and wife...

5. One design means big fleets.

Reading both the NS14 and Tasar sites, it seems both fleets had 60+ boats at the NSW states. Up here in Brisbane, there are more NS14s that Tasars sailing regularly. I assume a lot of Tasars are in garages instead of on the water 'cause the fun factor isn't there. Yes, there are more Tasars built each year, but how many turn up at your club and are you really going to sail in that regatta in Japan?

But for me, there are two big things:

- The NS14 is 'skiff-like' instead of 'production-like'. In Brisbane, the skiff-like boats sail at the more traditional, family clubs. The production-like boats sail at the "Royal" something or other club. I know where I prefer to sail (and it is not just 'cause I can be a tight-arse)...

- My NS14 is dual-registered as an MG. How neat is that? My 12 year old daughter will have a fun boat to sail when she wants that extra challenge / extra skill-set you don't get without that other bit flogging out the front. And I'll have not trouble convincing the finance department we need to buy another boat of the same class to sail with the next oldest...

Suits me.

Russell Moore · Joined: 09 Nov 2008 Posts: 68

I suppose it depends on whether you consider 23% more sail area as a small amount of extra area....?
It is interesting to read their web site, and discover how restrictive they are about changing anything on the boat, but I suppose that is what a one design is all about.

Russell Moore · Joined: 09 Nov 2008 Posts: 68

Brendan, how much bigger is the new jib on a Tasar? Their site says it is 3.07sqm is that right? or is that the old size?

Brendan · Posted: Thu Jul 02, 2009 9:56 pm

The official rules just talk about getting sails from an official Tasar sailmaker and give no sizes, but Wikipedia has this to say:

Sails: Sails were originally polyester fiber. PET film sails were adopted in 2006.

Mainsail: PET film - 89.44 sq ft (8.309 m2)., 8.31 m². (Polyester fiber - 90 square feet (8.4 m2) - 8.36 square metres)

Jib: PET film - 38.42 sq ft (3.569 m2)., 3.57 m². (Polyester fiber - 33 square feet (3.1 m2) - 3.07 square metres)

A bit confusing but if you believe the last figures on each it looks like the main went down a 0.05m² and the jib increased 0.50m². Note it is a Wiki think to not say 'Mylar' and 'Dacron' as these are brand names and Wiki is like the ABC when it comes to brands.

A guess, but the logic might have been it is cheaper to buy a new jib and stay competitive. An interesting thought...

kenwstr · Joined: 28 Nov 2008 Posts: 23

Hi Chris,

I sail an MG, not an NS or Taster.

If there are no NS or Taster fleets nearby, probably the most important consideration is your total crew weight. All boats have an ideal crew weight where they perform best. If you are mismatched, to the boat, you will be handicapped to forever sail under a cloud of disappointment. It's true a good sailer can still do pretty well but it's a more difficult and discouraging road.

The Taster has more sail area and will support a heavier crew weight.
It will perform best with a heavier crew while a light crew can really struggle to power the boat in stronger winds. The NS will struggle for power with a heavy crew in light air but the tables are turned in a blow.

Agree; an NS with a light crew moves effortlessly through the water.

NS are a development class and that can generally be more expensive than one design to keep up with the arms race and rigs tend to be more complex and adjustable.
The advantage is the class can remain reasonable technologically current.

If you are likely to single hand the smaller sail area of the NS would be good.

Gosford has an MG fleet which is an NS with trapeze and spinnaker. You could go along and have a look to get some idea of the NS.

Ken