2624 - Rebel

[Stuberry]

Does anyone know what happened to 2624, Rebel, the Ian Howlett designed Cherub?

[JimC]

I don't recall having come across that notorious light airs flier after Steve and Tom Edwards sailed her (very fast indeed) at the '96 Nationals... I can't imagine it was a design that would have been favoured by the subsequent rig changes... It was a well built boat though, ought to be around if she hasn't been left in a dinghy park full of water to rot.

[Will_Lee]

I have some hearsay that she is no more. :-(

[Neil C.]

That's a real shame. I remember her at the '96 Nats too. The hull shape looked like a 12 foot banana. Didn't go too well in breeze, but on the light wind first day she took off and caned most of the newer, flat low-rocker high speed planing boats. Going fast in very light airs isn't something that's usually been fashionable in the Cherub fleet, but it's not uncommon to get a light wind mid-summer Nats regatta. To some extent this is the approach Andy P took with the highly successful P7 design (correct me if that's wrong Andy).

[Neil C.]

Actually, I'm talking complete Horlicks again. I wasn't even at the '96 Nats! Correct info, wrong event - it was the '94 Weymouth Nationals I was thinking of, where again Rebel gave everybody else a hiding in light airs. Have a look at the historic reports in the History section of the website.

[Neil C.]

The last record I can find of Rebel in Cherub News was in 1996 at which time she was based at Chew Valley SC. Anybody down that neck of the woods feel like making enquiries?

[Will_Lee]

I recall her winning some races in New Quay in 1996 I think.

[Stuberry]

Do either Phil or Will have details for the last know owner? Please can you PM me.

[andy_paterson]

I remember Rebel at the 1984? nats at Hayling Island, and being very fast ( ie a leg ahead ) in light wind races.
It was a very low wetted surface, high rocker banana boat with a lot of curve in all directions - very fast in light wind/displacement performance, but slow planing.
At Newquay it was leading for a while in races that started light, but as soon as the breeze came in, it got overtaken by virtually everyone.
I also think it has gone to add to gloabal warming. ( ie burnt ).

And no the P7 was a different concept - it was designed to plane early, so the opposite style of  section, with a very flat floor. The rig was also designed to be powered up early ( 75:25 main:jib), with a bendy but 2 spreader rig,  sailed by relative lightweights - so in an 'average wind' up to 12ish kts was superfast and early planing, pointing high upwind, and low downwind.