Hadron H2 demo boats

Hadron Dinghies have made available 2 of the new Hadron H2 single hander dinghies available for use at GJW Direct SailJuice Winter Series.

Designer Keith Callaghan will bring these boats to the event and will provide shore support, including rigging and unrigging the boats. Race entry fee to be paid by the competitor.

The Hadron H2 was designed to combine classic good looks with impeccable handling characteristics, comfortable, ergonomic design and ease of recovery from capsize. The H2 is quick and exciting to sail but is in no way extreme. Its all carbon composite construction creates a light boat which is easy to handle afloat and ashore."

Enter >>> If you would like to try a Hadron H2 at a GJW Direct SailJuice Winter Series event,  please enter and pay in the usual way,  select Hadron (demos) form the class selector.

Demo boats available for competent and competitive helms,  subject to availability.

Hadron H2 – A New Development in Singlehander Design

Keith Callaghan explains the H2 concept

Over the last few years I have been developing (among other things) a singlehander for a generation which I think has been left behind by the manufacturers and innovators – people who were keen dinghy sailors in their youth, but then got out of sailing as such things as career, children and mortgages took precedent. Then, years later, they find that the mortgage is paid off and the kids are gone – time to get back into dinghy sailing!

That generation may not be as fit as they used to be, and have put on a little weight perhaps, but they have a lot of sailing experience and know a good boat from a duffer. They can't be bothered with the hassle of finding and keeping a good and reliable crew, so it's a singlehander for them – but what is there in the marketplace which comprehensively satisfies their needs? NOTHING.

Basically, there is a great hole in what is apparently an overcrowded singlehander market.

So I set about designing a singlehander with the following attributes:

- Classic good looks which will not age.

- Impeccable handling characteristics.

- Comfortable!

- Versatile – at home on the sea or inland.

- Quick and exciting but not extreme.

- A delight to own and sail, and built to last, using the best materials and accessories available.

- Easy to handle afloat and ashore (I find that dragging the vessel up the slipway after a race is the most exhausting part of the day).

- Easy to recover after a capsize.

In 2011, I produced my fourth singlehander design – the Hadron. It was of 4 plank plywood construction and fitted most of the above requirements – except in two ways: it was rather heavy (93kg) and the rig was not 'gust-responsive'. Nonetheless, it had many plus points and I thought that if I could sort the two main issues then we would have a boat that appealed to a wide range of people.

So I teamed up with Simon Hipkin and we decided to go for a 'mark 2' version –to be called 'Hadron H2' or just 'H2'. This is of carbon/aramid/epoxy/foam composite construction, using infusion methods to maximise the carbon to resin ratio – it's a boat for the future so let's make it with the latest techniques and materials. So she is much lighter than the plywood boat – somewhere near the weight of a Phantom – easy to pull around ashore as well as adding performance on the water. The rig is going to about 7% smaller (9.3 sq m instead of 10 sq m) and is being developed by HD Sails. The rig retains the kicked-up boom of the original –- the increased headroom greatly assists when tacking, and the boat has to heel a long way before the boom end hits the water.

We produced two pre-production boats in early 2016 and these boats are being used to try different rig options to develop a user-friendly rig. Moulding is being carried out by White Formula UK at Brightlingsea.

Gone is the multi-chine hull, but the upper chine is retained and accentuated by concave topsides. The stem is now vertical and the transom cut away. With other detailed styling changes she is an eye-catching boat with classic lines.

As with the original Hadron, the interior incorporates a low bow tank, a central longitudinal buoyancy tank and no side buoyancy: this allows the boat to sit low in the water after a capsize to facilitate righting, but the buoyancy comes into play once righted and two bailers soon remove what water remains. In the H2 we have added a shallow stern tank to further reduce the residual water and improve recovery speed. A further refinement is the use of 'slow draining' buoyancy compartments under the side decks – the leeward compartment fills on capsize and when the boat is righted the water is allowed to drain away in about 20 seconds – the trapped water provides a temporary counterbalance for the helm as he clambers in over the weather gunwhale, thus minimising the chances of a re-capsize to weather. Another safety feature is the open transom, which facilitates re-entry of an exhausted crew after a capsize, should they be unable to get over the gunwhale..

The absence of a full double bottom means that the generous hull depth can be fully utilised to provide an ergonomic sitting out position – no 'straight-leg' sitting out required!

The PY of the boat is expected to be somewhere between a Blaze and a Finn. Standard fit-out utilises Allen Brothers fittings, and is comprehensive. Carbon spars and HD sail are included. WEST PRO-SET epoxy infusion resins are used throughout. Everything about the boat is premium quality and even though light in weight, will be designed to last. Buyers will have a choice of a very wide range of hull and deck colours. Price will be similar to that for Blaze or a Phantom, but we plan to have some very special introductory offers.

As Tom Gruitt said in the original Yachts and Yachting review of the Hadron (Mk1), it is an "An extremely well-mannered boat which was very comfortable to sail while still giving the performance to put a smile on your face". We will be building on that concept with the new all-carbon Hadron2.

I suggested earlier that this boat is designed with the more mature person in mind – but H2 will appeal to all who take enjoyment from the superb performance and handling, quality manufacture and design, and pride in ownership of a modern classic singlehander.

Hadron H2 – A New Development in Singlehander Design

Keith Callaghan explains the H2 concept

Over the last few years I have been developing (among other things) a singlehander for a generation which I think has been left behind by the manufacturers and innovators – people who were keen dinghy sailors in their youth, but then got out of sailing as such things as career, children and mortgages took precedent. Then, years later, they find that the mortgage is paid off and the kids are gone – time to get back into dinghy sailing!

That generation may not be as fit as they used to be, and have put on a little weight perhaps, but they have a lot of sailing experience and know a good boat from a duffer. They can't be bothered with the hassle of finding and keeping a good and reliable crew, so it's a singlehander for them – but what is there in the marketplace which comprehensively satisfies their needs? NOTHING.

Basically, there is a great hole in what is apparently an overcrowded singlehander market.

So I set about designing a singlehander with the following attributes:

- Classic good looks which will not age.

- Impeccable handling characteristics.

- Comfortable!

- Versatile – at home on the sea or inland.

- Quick and exciting but not extreme.

- A delight to own and sail, and built to last, using the best materials and accessories available.

- Easy to handle afloat and ashore (I find that dragging the vessel up the slipway after a race is the most exhausting part of the day).

- Easy to recover after a capsize.

In 2011, I produced my fourth singlehander design – the Hadron. It was of 4 plank plywood construction and fitted most of the above requirements – except in two ways: it was rather heavy (93kg) and the rig was not 'gust-responsive'. Nonetheless, it had many plus points and I thought that if I could sort the two main issues then we would have a boat that appealed to a wide range of people.

So I teamed up with Simon Hipkin and we decided to go for a 'mark 2' version –to be called 'Hadron H2' or just 'H2'. This is of carbon/aramid/epoxy/foam composite construction, using infusion methods to maximise the carbon to resin ratio – it's a boat for the future so let's make it with the latest techniques and materials. So she is much lighter than the plywood boat – somewhere near the weight of a Phantom – easy to pull around ashore as well as adding performance on the water. The rig is going to about 7% smaller (9.3 sq m instead of 10 sq m) and is being developed by HD Sails. The rig retains the kicked-up boom of the original –- the increased headroom greatly assists when tacking, and the boat has to heel a long way before the boom end hits the water.

We produced two pre-production boats in early 2016 and these boats are being used to try different rig options to develop a user-friendly rig. Moulding is being carried out by White Formula UK at Brightlingsea.

Gone is the multi-chine hull, but the upper chine is retained and accentuated by concave topsides. The stem is now vertical and the transom cut away. With other detailed styling changes she is an eye-catching boat with classic lines.

As with the original Hadron, the interior incorporates a low bow tank, a central longitudinal buoyancy tank and no side buoyancy: this allows the boat to sit low in the water after a capsize to facilitate righting, but the buoyancy comes into play once righted and two bailers soon remove what water remains. In the H2 we have added a shallow stern tank to further reduce the residual water and improve recovery speed. A further refinement is the use of 'slow draining' buoyancy compartments under the side decks – the leeward compartment fills on capsize and when the boat is righted the water is allowed to drain away in about 20 seconds – the trapped water provides a temporary counterbalance for the helm as he clambers in over the weather gunwhale, thus minimising the chances of a re-capsize to weather. Another safety feature is the open transom, which facilitates re-entry of an exhausted crew after a capsize, should they be unable to get over the gunwhale..

The absence of a full double bottom means that the generous hull depth can be fully utilised to provide an ergonomic sitting out position – no 'straight-leg' sitting out required!

The PY of the boat is expected to be somewhere between a Blaze and a Finn. Standard fit-out utilises Allen Brothers fittings, and is comprehensive. Carbon spars and HD sail are included. WEST PRO-SET epoxy infusion resins are used throughout. Everything about the boat is premium quality and even though light in weight, will be designed to last. Buyers will have a choice of a very wide range of hull and deck colours. Price will be similar to that for Blaze or a Phantom, but we plan to have some very special introductory offers.

As Tom Gruitt said in the original Yachts and Yachting review of the Hadron (Mk1), it is an "An extremely well-mannered boat which was very comfortable to sail while still giving the performance to put a smile on your face". We will be building on that concept with the new all-carbon Hadron2.

I suggested earlier that this boat is designed with the more mature person in mind – but H2 will appeal to all who take enjoyment from the superb performance and handling, quality manufacture and design, and pride in ownership of a modern classic singlehander.

26/12/2016 08:09