Spin Doctor is a high performance and comfortable racer/cruiser that can be cruised or raced to win under ORR or PHRF, while doing so in comfort. She has been professionally maintained and upgraded extensively since the current owner purchased her in January 2021, resulting in one of the most successfully campaigned yacht on the West Coast having won her division in most of her recent races, as well as 2nd place in TransPac 2023. The yacht lives in a slip with a dehumidifier and battery charger, wants for nothing and is ready to win for her new owners. Key updates since 2017:
1) A completely new inventory Doyle sails circa 2023 was purchased and optimized through the Doyle Sails computerized optimization program, resulting in a full contingent of high performance sails including Main, structured luff Jib, Spinnaker Staysail, Genoa Staysail, and Spinnakers.
2) Extended the fixed carbon fiber bow sprit 36-inches for a total length of 66-inches to enhance VMG off-wind sailing
3) New 15% larger and deeper rudder to improve steering control designed to latest hydrodynamic foil shapes by Alan Andrews (original rudder in storage as emergency backup)
4) Deepened keel from 7.8-ft to 9.0-ft (about a 15% increase) to improve windward and reaching performances designed to latest hydrodynamic foil shapes by Alan Andrews
5) Extensive reworking of weight into the bulb by Alan Andrews to lower the boat’s center of gravity that resulted in increasing the boat’s righting moment by about 500-lbs at a 20-degree heel, by:
a) Reducing the keel fin weight about 145-lbs by replacing the original cast fin with a 15% larger fin fabricated by shaping two welded plates designed to latest hydrodynamic foil shapes,
b) Removing the 35-lbs motor from the starboard winch and now used for cruising or deliveries,
c) Reducing battery weight by about 170-lbs by replacing the original four AGM with a lithium Vectron system, all the while increasing the capacity from 220 Amp-Hours to 256 Amp-Hours
d) Increasing the keel bulb about 350-lbs redesigned to latest hydrodynamic foil shapes.
The boat has accumulated an excellent racing record (see below) across point-to-point races such as
Long Point Race Week, local coastal sprints such as the 125-nm Ensenada and 80-nm Santa Barbara to King Harbor, offshore events such as the 800-nm Newport to Cabo race and the 2,225-nm Transpac race to Hawaii as well as buoy races in locations as far away as MEXORC and San Francisco. This boat can be day sailed shorthanded (1-2 people), occasionally race point-to-point with 4-6 people, sail casual “Beer Cans” races with 3-8 people, race offshore with a crew of 6 or 7 and comfortably cruise to Catalina with 2-6 for a long weekend.
Through sophisticated design the carbon fiber mast and carbon fiber standing rigging is designed to facilitate shorthanded sailing, powerful enough for light air, and easy to shift gears and de-power in heavy air. Construction is light and strong, predominantly in carbon fiber while blending in other materials to achieve cost, performance and weight goals. The boat has a new state of the art Doyle pin-head main a traditional “pinhead” North 3Di main for cruising or racing in windy events. It also has a “fathead” North 3Di main and running backstays along with large spinnakers tacked to a long sprit enables ensures competitive racing and early initiation of planing in about 16-17 knots of breeze. Peak sustained speeds have been in the ±19knot range with maximums speed in the low-20’s (23.8-knots best so far). Kelp cutters in the keel and rudder provides easy management against kelp buildup while racing or cruising.
The deck arrangement is tailored to shorthanded performance sailing and comfortable racing in higher wind ranges when fully crewed. Starting from the stern, there is dinghy and dock access on both sides of the transom leading to the cockpit where three pairs of winches and jammers handle all sheets, halyards and running backstays (when in racing mode). Hydraulic rams allow for mast rake adjustment and headstay tensioning, backstay tension control (if used in lieu of the runners) and shroud tension (ram built into base of mast). On the foredeck, the anchor locker is larger than usual to provide space for an under-deck jib furling drum and below decks stowage for a masthead genoa or spinnaker. The 66-inch bow sprit is set up with three tack lines to accommodate the 100% mast head jib (trims to jib cars) or 150% mast head genoa (trims to one of the aft stanchions) that are tacked mid-sprit for high halyard tension and spinnakers (Code 0 and A1, A2, etc.) that are tacked at full sprit.
The sliding companionway hatch leads below where there is a wet locker to port and a large galley to starboard with the engine under the galley counter and sink area. The mid-boat location of the engine reduces the boat’s pitching moment, its reverse installation allows the Sail Drive to be mounted forward and immediately behind the keel to minimize drag as it is in its wake and allows the entire back of the boat to be used as sleeping space (roughly equivalent to two Queen size mattresses). Next forward to port is the navigation station with chart table and instrument area and then two settees with the table around the mast. Further forward is a large full width head and then a removable v-berth. Aft from the companionway are the port enclosed “owners” cabin, and to starboard a double berth.
Accommodations, LED lighting and systems are practical, maintainable, low energy, reliable and seaworthy. State-of-the-art Bluetooth-enabled smart lithium batteries allows remote monitoring via hand held devices, ensures maximum time between charging and minimizes weight. A dedicated separate starting battery with house system backup ensures light weight duplicity in this key area. Ultimately about 170-lbs in weight savings was achieved over conventional batteries that was placed into the keel bulb for better righting moment.
