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Fulcrum’s Latest Rocket Launch

• By Dave Reed
• Updated: December 23, 2020

If one were strolling the shoreline of Bristol, Rhode Island, in late 2020, one might have admired a small craft gliding across Narragansett Bay. Low to water and swift, it was a dinghy for sure. But what the heck was it?

A triangular lateen-looking sail with thick red, white and blue stripes might lead one to believe it to be a Sunfish. Or even a Sailfish. Nope. It was the new Fulcrum Speedworks Rocket prototype. It may have looked old school from afar, but as the saying goes, looks can be deceiving.

The prototype launched that day by Dave Clark, the young entrepreneur and boatbuilder responsible for the pint-sized UFO foiling catamaran, has plenty of back story, and we’ll get to that shortly, but first, we must face the big colorful elephant in the room. Yes, that would be the Sunfish, the most iconic recreational centerboard dinghy of all time.

The Rocket is kind of like a Sunfish, but is not a Sunfish. It is a Sunfish that has been modified in very targeted and specific ways to make it perform better while maintaining simplicity and low cost. Steve Clark, David’s father and co-developer, says this is the combination of attributes sailors and small-craft dealers across the United States are seeking today. If anyone would know, it would be Steve, past president of Vanguard Sailboats, once the dominant builder of one-design dinghies in the States—including the Sunfish. According to both father and son, the Sunfish’s builder, LaserPerformance, has not met this demand and there is an opportunity to deliver “an alternate fundamental product in the marketplace.”

“With the UFO, we already have a very technologically advanced and different product,” says Dave Clark. “It sells well to people who want tectonic change. We wanted to add a boat for those who the UFO doesn’t appeal to as much. The sailing market on this continent gets showered with ‘smarter’ boats time and time again, and for hundreds of thousands of board boat purchases, those people have passed.”

Why, Clark then posits, do so many sailors today still choose to buy iconic boats of the past— new, used, beaters and all? That’s easy: “Simplicity, safety, ease of use, cost.”

With a demand accelerated by a pandemic-induced rush on small boats, Clark’s company, Fulcrum Speedworks , had been looking for an opportunity to add something to its line. The opportunity presented itself when he came across a collection of small-boat tooling listed on craigslist. A score he identified in the pile of molds was the tools for the 14-foot Howmar Phantom. He and a buddy promptly rented a Penske truck and beelined to Bethel, Maine, where he forked over $1,800, dragged molds out of the barn and drove away with a bed full of fiberglass history and the start of his next venture.

“There’s always been a need for a new-model year of this thing,” says Clark who has an obvious fondness for what he says is “a uniquely potent example” of a good board-boat hull. “For those who don’t know the Howmar Phantom, it’s the second-most successful board boat ever introduced—after the Sunfish,” he says. “They sold about 1,000 of them per year for about a decade through the late 70s and early 80s.”

The elder Clark, a student and professor of high-performance sailing, says the Sunfish, Phantom and others of its ilk fall under the category of “board boat,” which he likens to the various scows preferred by American lake and flat-water sailors. “[Board boats and scows] are hard bilged with a bow whose primary entry angle is parallel to the water plane,” he says. “They could also be considered sharpies. In particular, V-bottom sharpies like Lightnings, Windmills and Snipes, but the low freeboard and beam-to-length ratio place them more in the scow genus. Board boats and scows both feature generous low-aspect-ratio sail plans. The result is a high sail area-to-displacement ratio and sail-area-to-wetted-surface ratio with a very low center of effort.”

Translation: they’re wickedly versatile boats across the wind range.

The Phantom was marketed as the recreational family sportsboat at the time, Clark says. During the 1970s, there were numerous attempts to capture a share of the board-boat market and take a slice out of Sunfish’s dominance. Builders littered the continent with cheap clones that were not as good; the Howmar Phantom was an exception. “It was not just a cheaper Sunfish but a slightly larger board boat that brought new performance and features to the party,” says Steve Clark. “I could design a new hull, and I flatter myself that it would be better than the Phantom hull, but we would have to go to some effort to prove that claim.”

So rather than start from scratch with an entirely new design, they simply improved upon the Phantom. “We saw the opportunity to salvage a storied and well-thought hull, and reconfigure it within its own legacy,” says Dave Clark. “This boat was destined to be constantly improved and renewed, so we are carrying on that journey into the 21st Century.”

How so? You have to see it to believe it, as I did on a recent raw winter’s night, meeting Dave Clark after dark at the family farm in Warren, Rhode Island. Inside a barn, alongside a half-restored wooden International 14 and an almost complete new International Canoe, the white-hulled Rocket prototype sat on its dolly, its sail and spars piled atop, ready to launch at any whim. The most noticeable feature is the deck layout—Clark did away with the Phantom’s crammed and enclosed cockpit and stretched it wide open from the centerboard trunk all the way to the transom. Through saving weight with a modern laminate and materials and ensuring it has durability (and yes, he smacked the deck forcefully to show me it could take a bit of blunt-force trauma), Clark says he now has a board boat that “will perform better and be a better family boat than before.” Better foils will certainly help, too.

In the process of 3D scanning the tooling, he says, they started to question a lot of the highly-improvable areas of the boat. Consequently, he butchered the old deck mold to get what he wanted: a more comfortable, more practical, and better-looking craft. The original Phantom eventually weighed upwards of 130 pounds (dry) so Clark set out to shave that down considerably, for the obvious reason that a proper beach boat better be easy to move around and put atop the family wagon.

“Make something light and strong and you’ve already done the best thing for it,” he says. Using a vacuumed-bagged vinylester resin and thermoplastic honeycomb core laminate, he has the hull weight reduced to a respectable 90 pounds.

Light. Strong. What else could he possibly do to redeliver a universal centerboard dinghy that a wide-range of sailors can relate to? That’s easy. He preserved the lateen rig (although, technically, Steve Clark points out, it’s a crab-claw sail), iconic and simple in its setup and trim: one mast, two lightweight spars linked with Spectra strops and a single halyard. “There were countless conversations about putting something more modern on it,” he says. “I can walk up to this thing and start it like a lawnmower. Pull the string, cleat it, and off we go. There’s not a simpler rigging system on the planet than a lateen mainsail. It’s a throwback but for a really good reason.”

Clark says the first hulls of the Fulcrum Rocket will be punched out in January 2021 and he’s already taking orders ($4,600 including North Sails Dacron sail and Fulcrum-made dolly). He’s forecasting a production run of several per week, so step right up, he says, because this Rocket launch is going to the stratosphere. And if, by chance, your goal is to go higher, ask him about the optional “Interceptor” upgrade…the one with the rudder elevators. Because good is never good enough.

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Fulcrum Rocket

Introducing the Fulcrum Rocket, a remarkable sailboat that combines ruggedness, lightweight construction, and exceptional stability for an unparalleled sailing experience. Crafted from extra lightweight cored composite materials, this vessel weighs a mere 90 pounds, making it effortless to handle both on land and water. One of the standout features of the Rocket is its easy launching and landing capabilities, allowing you to embark on sailing adventures with utmost convenience. Whether you’re a seasoned sailor or a novice, the Rocket makes the entire process hassle-free, and the lightweight and stable construction of the boat ensures a safer sailing experience compared to other boats on the market. Comfort and versatility are also key aspects of the Rocket’s design. The boat is equipped with an easy-to-use sail system and features a full-length cockpit that stretches all the way to the stern, providing ample space for passengers and cargo. Whether you’re planning a solo adventure or a group outing, everyone can enjoy the journey comfortably.  The Rocket is a testament to innovation, combining cutting-edge materials, thoughtful design, and ease of use. This sailboat is a true gem for those seeking memorable adventures on the water. Get ready to set sail and explore the world with the Fulcrum Rocket!

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Fulcrum Rocket

The Rocket is that classic form made modern by way of careful and sweeping improvements across the entire platform. An old favorite has jumped forward thanks to modern methods and materials executed by Fulcrum Speedworks. This is what happens when a company that makes hi-tech foiling UFOs gets to execute a classic concept. Made from an intensely rugged and extra lightweight cored composite construction, the Rocket weighs in at 90 pounds, fully 40% lighter than conventional builds of its type. Consider the process of launching and landing it, pulling it up the beach on the dolly etc. Light things are less cumbersome and easy to move around. Your back is already thanking you. The wind likes light boats too. Light boats accelerate more easily and hold quick speeds more readily. They’re easy to handle on the water and safer as a result. At an excellent power to weight ratio, the Rocket can really move! In light wind it’s quick and in good breeze it will plane upwind, downwind and on reaches. Go there faster! It’s no UFO, but it’s an impressively quick dinghy vs. other 14 foot dinghies on the market.

The Rocket comes with an expansive full length cockpit which stretches all the way to the stern. This allows ample room to bring friends or cargo. Three or four kids can easily take the Rocket for a sail together, two adults can take the Rocket for a sail together. With 6 feet 3 inches of floor length on the cockpit, there are easily four feet of cargo space in the back for dry-bags while still leaving room to sail comfortably. This makes the Rocket the pickup truck of the dinghy world. Stick your camping gear in the back and use it for sail-powered backpacking, or simply go sailing with the dog and a big cooler. You name it, it’ll go in your Rocket.

Hoisting the sail could not possibly be any easier thanks to the Rocket’s timeless tried-and true lateen sail setup. The sail, boom and gaffe lay down on the deck waiting for the halyard to be pulled. Pull the halyard 10 feet and cleat it. Congratulations! You’re done. Go sailing. Repeat these steps in reverse when you land. There is a good reason why the lateen sail has been uses on millions of production sailing dinghies since the 1950’s. Dollar for dollar, outing for outing, nothing gets the job done more easily.

Length: 14 feet, 2 inches Beam: 4 feet 4 inches Draft: 2 feet 9 inches. Hull weight: 90 pounds Sail area: 81 square feet

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this is the rocket

Big pimpin'.

Manufacturer’s comment: “Yup! Now we have an exceptional $4600 daysailer, family boat, adventure boat and buoy racer in our product line. Just saying that makes me feel like Santa Claus. We’re beginning deliveries over this spring and I’m extremely excited about it.

Don’t get me wrong, the UFO is having its best year ever. But that doesn’t mean we can’t or shouldn’t also make improvements to the sailboat market that stand outside of the positives that foils bring to play. Fulcrum is expanding in order to bring the broader market one of those improvements.

We call it the Rocket. The Rocket is a magnificent family boat that’s unparalleled in ease of use, value and versatility. And at 40% lighter than similar dinghies, the thing actually rips, too. How’s it so light? We engineered it this year with this year’s materials and techniques, rather than those found in 1950. Ironically, it’s also extra strong and extra stiff.

Composites really have advanced a lot in 70 years, as has everything else. A triton 28 and an AC75 are both composite boats. One is from the past, the other is from the present. And you saw it right, that’s a tried-and true one-string-to-start lateen rig. No rig on the planet is faster to take sailing. If I’m taking my wife out on the river to watch the sunset or launching on a pure impulse to sail for 15 minutes before a zoom meeting, I don’t want to get bogged down in even the second or third simplest setup. Get me out there! Launch the Rocket !”

-Dave Clark

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Fulcrum Rocket

The Rocket by Fulcrum is the ultimate recreational sailboat - light weight, easy to rig, spacious, and simple enough for sailors of all skill levels to enjoy.

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$ 5,200.00

Launch into a new adventure on a strikingly innovative execution of a timeless favorite. 90 lbs of hull weight, built for strength, built for fun and built to go quick. Built to take friends along.

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Description

Rocket  “the classic – made modern.”.

Light Weight = Easier and Faster!

6’3″ Cockpit – Room Galore!

The Rocket comes with an expansive full length cockpit which stretches all the way to the stern. The cockpit bottom is padded with soft non-slip marine deck foam which is both gentle to the touch and rugged to survive the elements. This allows ample room to bring friends or cargo. Three or four kids can easily take the Rocket for a sail together, two adults can take the Rocket for a sail together.

Lateen Rig – Ease of Use!

Hoisting the sail could not possibly be any easier thanks to the Rocket’s timeless tried-and true lateen sail setup. The sail, boom and gaff lay down on the deck waiting for the halyard to be pulled. Pull the halyard 10 feet and cleat it. Congratulations! You’re done. Go sailing. Repeat these steps in reverse when you land. There is a good reason why the lateen sail has been used on millions of production sailing dinghies since the 1950’s. Dollar for dollar, outing for outing, nothing gets the job done more easily.

Each $5200 Rocket is a complete “sailaway package” with -Fully outfitted hull -Complete assembled mast and spars -Sail and all lines and ropes -daggerboard and rudder

ORDER YOUR ROCKET TODAY:

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Video shows moments before superyacht went down in storm off Sicily

A celebration turned into tragedy for a british tycoon when the storm sank the vessel off sicily. six people remain missing., by henry austin and corky siemaszko | nbc news • published august 21, 2024 • updated on august 21, 2024 at 4:08 pm.

Newly released video captures a luxury superyacht being battered by a violent storm before it suddenly sank off Sicily with 22 people aboard  Monday.

The grainy images obtained by NBC News and other outlets were recorded on closed-circuit television not far from where the Bayesian was anchored,  about a half-mile from the port of Porticello, on Sicily’s northern coast .

The yacht's 250-foot mast, illuminated with lights and lashed by the storm, appears to bend to one side before it finally disappears and is replaced by darkness.

24/7 New York news stream: Watch NBC 4 free wherever you are

The speed with which a yacht built to handle the roughest seas capsized stunned maritime experts.  

“I can’t remember the last time I read about a vessel going down quickly like that, you know, completely capsizing and going down that quickly, a vessel of that nature, a yacht of that size,” said Stephen Richter  of SAR Marine Consulting.

British tech tycoon Mike Lynch and five of the 22 other people who were aboard the 184-foot vessel remain unaccounted for and are believed to be trapped in the Bayesian’s hull, nearly 170 feet underwater.

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Officials confirmed Monday that at least one person, the ship’s cook, had died.  

Missing revealed as divers search superyacht that sank in storm off Sicily

British tech magnate Mike Lynch, 2 US citizens among missing after luxury yacht sinks off Sicily

Superyachts like the Bayesian, which had been available for charters at a rate of $215,000 a week, are designed to stay afloat even as they are taking on water to give the people aboard a chance to escape, Richter said. 

“Boats of this size, they’re taking passengers on an excursion or a holiday,” Richter said. “They are not going to put them in situations where it may be dangerous or it may be uncomfortable, so this storm that popped up was obviously an anomaly. These vessels that carry passengers, they’re typically very well-maintained, very well-appointed.”

Built by Italian shipbuilder Perini Navi in 2008, the U.K.-registered Bayesian could carry 12 guests and a crew of up to 10, according to online specialist yacht sites. Its nearly 250-foot mast is the tallest aluminum sailing mast in the world,  according to  CharterWorld Luxury Yacht Charters. 

On Tuesday, Italian rescue workers  resumed the search for Lynch  and the five other passengers still missing: Lynch’s 18-year-old daughter, Hannah; Morgan Stanley International Chairman Jonathan Bloomer and his wife; and Clifford Chance lawyer Chris Morvillo and his wife.

“The fear is that the bodies got trapped inside the vessel,” Salvatore Cocina, the head of civil protection in Sicily, told Reuters .

The Bayesian is owned by a firm linked to Lynch’s wife, Angela Bacares, who was one of the 15 people rescued Monday after it capsized.

“It’s extremely rare for a boat of this size to sink,” Richter said.

What’s not rare is the kind of storm that sank it , said Simon Boxall, senior lecturer in oceanography at Britain’s University of Southampton.

“People assume the Mediterranean is this rather calm and passive place that never gets storms and always blue skies,” Boxall said. “In fact, you get some quite horrendous storms that are not uncommon at this time of year.”

The president of Italy’s meteorological society has said Monday’s violent storm may have involved a waterspout, essentially a tornado over water, or a downburst, which occurs more frequently but doesn’t involve the rotation of the air.

Luca Mercalli, president of the Italian Meteorology Society, also said recent temperatures may have been a factor. 

“The sea surface temperature around Sicily was around 30 degrees Celsius [86 Fahrenheit], which is almost 3 degrees more than normal,” Mercalli told Reuters. “This creates an enormous source of energy that contributes to these storms.”

The Mediterranean sailing vacation was designed to be a celebration for Lynch, who two months ago was  acquitted by a San Francisco jury of fraud charges  stemming from the 2011 sale of his software company Autonomy to Hewlett-Packard for $11 billion.

Prosecutors alleged that Lynch, dubbed “Britain’s Bill Gates,” and Autonomy’s vice president for finance, Stephen Chamberlain, had padded the firm’s finances ahead of the sale. Lynch’s lawyers argued that HP was so eager to acquire Autonomy that it failed to  adequately check the books .

Lynch had taken Morvill, who was one of his defense attorneys, on the luxury trip. 

Chamberlain was not on the Bayesian.

In what appears to be a tragic coincidence, a  car struck and killed Chamberlain on Saturday as he was jogging in a village about 68 miles north of London, local police said.

“Steve fought successfully to clear his good name at trial earlier this year, and his good name now lives on through his wonderful family,” Chamberlain’s lawyer, Gary Lincenberg, said in a statement .

Henry Austin reported from London and Corky Siemaszko from New York City.

This story first appeared on NBCNews.com . More from NBC News:

• After fully embracing life in a wheelchair, she's riding it straight to the Paralympic Games
• Woman nearly bitten by tiger after climbing over fence at New Jersey zoo
• Nancy Pelosi responds to protesters who interrupt her live interview with Stephen Colbert

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fulcrumspeedworks

Rocket: Interceptor

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For lead time and shipping rates, email: [email protected]

90lbs hull 

169in length overall, 75in cockpit (6 ft 3 in), 96 sq ft sail area, vaccum-infused cored vinylester fiberglass composite, interceptor: $6950, -mylar-carbon blend sailplan (clear only), -carbon fiber wingfoil rudder, -carbon fiber traveler.

Same hull, new power; give your Rocket afterburners with the Interceptor upgrade. The North Sails designed, fully battened, square-head lateen sail, increases your sail area up to 96 sq ft of high lift, low drag, all-out performance. The Rocket will take on light air days like never before, pulling every last joule of power out of a drifting breeze. Heavy air will be downright thrilling, maximizing speed as the twisting head seamlessly feathers surplus power back into the environment, keeping you stable, planted and fast.

The Interceptor is rigged with an adjustable outhaul, cunningham, boom-vang, and carbon fiber mainsheet traveller for comprehensive sail tuning. When we built the rocket hull, we pulled out all the stops on what that hull can be. Ever wonder what doing that to the lateen rig produces? You’re about to find out. Whatever the Wind Gods throw your way, you’ll be ready. 

The carbon fiber wingfoil rudder gives you a quicker and smoother transition to planing in light air, and total authority over pitch in breeze. The adjustable downhaul allows for full control over the wingfoil’s Angle of Attack. Offshore boats have been augmenting their performance through the water with DSS foils and trim tabs for decades. Now’s the time to bring that performance to your sailing dinghy.

Purchase The Rocket: Interceptor or upgrade your very own Rocket with the Interceptor Upgrade Kit today. Fully forwards and backwards compatible with the turn of a few screws.

(Email [email protected] for Upgrade kit)

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New military photo captures a NATO warship taking out an explosive-packed drone boat during a Red Sea rescue mission

• A commercial tanker vessel came under attack in the Red Sea on Wednesday and was left stranded.
• When a French warship was sent to rescue the crew, it had to fight off a hostile drone boat.
• The incident follows months of Houthi attacks on merchant ships in the area.

A new photo released by the French military on Thursday captures one of its warships battling an explosive drone boat during a rescue mission in the Red Sea.

The European Union's counter-Houthi mission, known as Operation Aspides, said that it dispatched a French frigate to rescue the crew of a wounded commercial tanker following an attack on Wednesday that left the vessel without power and stranded in the water.

As the frigate arrived in the area, the warship detected another incoming attack on the oil tanker from a drone boat "heavily loaded" with explosives and destroyed the threat on-site, the French military said Thursday .

The military said that the frigate then evacuated more than two dozen crew members from the tanker, which is presently anchored in international waters.

The French armed forces did not specify who was responsible for the incident, but it follows months of regular attacks by the Iran-backed Houthi rebels on merchant shipping lanes in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden with unmanned systems and missiles and drone boats in assaults like this. The Houthis have not claimed responsibility for the initial or follow-on attack on the tanker.

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On the latest incident, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, an element of the Royal Navy, said that gunmen in small watercraft opened fire on the Greek-flagged MV Sounion as it was sailing through the Red Sea on Wednesday. The vessel was later struck by several unidentified projectiles.

The attack left the Sounion without power and adrift off the coast of Yemen, prompting the French rescue mission. Operation Aspides said on Thursday that the crew was transported to the nearest safe port of call in Djibouti.

"The lives of seafarers and freedom on the high seas are nonnegotiable values and their protection is a key objective" of the security mission, Operation Aspides said.

But the European Union warned that the Sounion and the loads of crude oil it's carrying "now represents a navigational and environmental hazard. It is essential that everyone in the area exercises caution and refrains from any actions that could lead to a deterioration of the current situation."

The incident appears to be the latest successful attack on a Red Sea vessel. The Houthis have struck a number of merchant ships since they began their campaign last October, even sinking at least two of them.

US and European naval forces operating in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden have been tasked with intercepting Houthi missiles and drones , and the American military frequently carries out strikes in Yemen targeting rebel facilities and weapons.

US forces destroyed a Houthi surface-to-air missile and radar system earlier in the week , the Pentagon announced on Wednesday.

Watch: How the Iranian-backed Houthi militia compares to the US-led task force in the Red Sea

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