Sage Marine Blog Closes but the Discussion Carries On.

Sage Marine was founded on the principle of staying closely connected to the boating community.  We strive to maintain a deep understanding of the performance, comfort, and design features that are most valuable to our community.  We started this blog nearly 4 years ago in hopes of sharing an inside look into Sage Marine but we’ve found it challenging to foster discussions that can lead to better understanding.  We truly believe that our products are a collaboration with our customers.  We love hearing not only what you want but even more so, why you want it.  It’s the “why” that can often be the catalyst to innovation.

After careful consideration and many discussions, we have decided that it’s time to close our blog.  We greatly appreciate those who have followed our story and we invite you to join our forum to get involved in the discussions.  Our forum is not only a unique community of members with a shared passion but it also gives you direct access to the founders of Sage Marine.  You’ll frequently see Sal himself visit the forum.  It’s rare to have that kind of access to just about any company but we believe strongly in doing business in a fair and transparent manner and we genuinely believe that much can be achieved through discussion and education.

Our blog will close soon and we hope you’ll visit us at the Sage Marine Forum.  We look forward to seeing you!

Fair Winds and Following Seas!

The Sage Marine Crew

 

 

Sanding … sanding … and when you think you have done enough SAND SOME MORE!

The plug for the SageSport 160 is now nice and shiny and we have begun the process of making the mold!

Shinny plug that is ready for gel coat!

Spraying gel coat – this will be the surface of the mold.

Here the first of many layers of fiberglass are layed over the gel coat – 

Balsa is added create a strong and stable mold. NOTE: the hull of the SageSport 160 WILL NOT be cored with balsa!!!!  This photo is of the hull mold NOT a boat.

And more glass is put over the balsa –

Here is a link to more pictures of the hull mold being made: –>CLICK HERE<–

Next the second half of the mold will be made and then the first fiberglass, Kevlar and carbon fiber SageSport 160 hull will be made!

2nd Annual R2AK Tailgate Party at the 2018 Seattle Boat Show

At the 2018 Seattle Boat Show Race to Alaska (R2AK) is having their second annual FREE to all bash open to the public February 3, 2018, starting at 4 PM. FREE beer, FREE hot dogs, FREE games…you get the idea.

SageSport 160 hull mold update!

This is the second post about the building of the SageSport 160 hull mold.  To view the first post on the process <CLICK HERE>

After cedar slats were covered with fiberglass the plug was flipped over to install the outwales –

Again the plug was flipped so a flange could be installed –

The flange is needed for the vacuum infusion process that will be used in building these composite boats. Here is a link that discusses the infusion process used on the Sage 15 boats – https://sagemarineblog.wordpress.com/20 … -infusion/.

The plug was sprayed with Duratec, a mold surfacing and shaping product –

Lots sanding was done to get the perfect shape –

The keels were installed –

and, you guessed it, the plug is again sprayed with Duratec followed by more sanding!

 

And here is an ACTION video of more sanding –

 

More updates to come!

We had a plan … then things happened.

In mid-2016 one of the rare Jerry Montgomery Panthers became available and we jumped on the chance to own a piece of Montgomery Marine Products history. The Panther is a pure racing boat designed by Ron Holder. Jerry Montgomery only built about a dozen. The boat will plane in winds over about 12 knots. She has an unballasted centerboard so the crew is hiking out to keep the boat upright in anything over a light breeze. She is a fractional sloop with a HUGE main and TALL rotating mast. Jerry only built a few as his distributors were marketing the boat as a family daysailor because of the large open deck and cockpit. As she is a race boat she is a bit ‘twitchy’ and is not appropriate for casual family outings.

When we got her to the boat shop she needed a few fixes: repair the transom as the backing for the rudder gudgeons was rotten, retune the rig and fix a broken frame. Otherwise she needed some cosmetic work and the boat would be ready to sail.

 

Well. A strong storm came through Golden, Colorado, with 100+ miles per hour winds. The boat and trailer were picked up, meaning they flew through the air, and the boat came to a sudden crashing stop. The mast and boom are bent. The centerboard was broken. A chainplate pulled out taking part of the deck with it. One of the trailer tires came off the rim. Yeah it was one hell of a blow!.

So the Panther is now available to someone willing to take on the project. All the running, standing and miscellaneous parts are present though severely damaged … and some in better condition than others (see above). She is a project. First person that takes her gets the boat! Cost – FREE! 

** THE PANTHER HAS GONE TO A NEW HOME AND IS NO LONGER AVAILABLE **

Which Sage should attend 2018 Wrinkleboat Ran-Tan?

Sage will be at the 2018 Wrinkleboat Ran-Tan at Lake Pleasant, AZ, 15-19 February 2018.

We want to know from you which boat you would like to see & sail! Sage 15 sloop? or Sage 15 catboat (aka, SageCat)?  UPDATE: VOTING HAS CLOSED.

A Sage 15 SageCat sailing the Columbia River.

Sage 15 sloop ASOLARE sailing on Port Townsend Bay, WA, June 2016.

P.S. – A Sage 17 will be in attendance.  (Many of them actually!)

A Sage 17 sailing Lake Pleasant, Arizona.

 

More on sailing in strong & heavy winds

Last month we posted about high wind sailing and reefing the Sage sailboats.  Jerry Montgomery, the designer of the Sage 17 & Sage 15 and a guy of strong opinions, wanted to add this to the discussion –

Jerry Montgomery at the Sage Marine Shop with a Sage 15 deck in the background.

The [Sage 15 and Sage 17] sails way better with a small jib and a reefed main.  All boats of this type should have a storm jib – if the winds looks like it’s going to come up to 25 or so, put up the storm jib; you’ll be amazed at how little it slows the boat down to even in a 15 knot wind (unless you’re in a race!).  You will seldom use [a storm jib], but it’s invaluable when you need it, and you’ll save a lot of wear and tear on the other sails.  Storm jibs don’t cost much.

Once in Mexico I [Jerry] used the storm jib every and all day and had no trouble keeping up with the other boats.   It was blowing 25 and 30 every day.

Progress on the SageSport 160’s hull mold

The first step is to make a plug from which the SageSport 160 mold will be made. These pictures show the hull being made in cedar strips over the form stations –

 

The last slat goes into the hull. This is called the ‘whiskey plank’ –

The hull shape is complete. Here you can see the plug and the prototype boats –

Once the strips were in place the boat was sanded smooth in preparation for a layer of fiberglass to cover and stabilize the shape –

Bit of the old and the new

We like to mix the traditional and the modern at Sage Marine. The Sage 17, Sage 15 and SageCat are a bit traditional and a bit modern. For the next boat we are at it again … the SageSport 160! What is this ‘SageSport’? Well –

Sage has taken the classic Robb White Sport Boat and mixed with some modern. SageSport 160 is made of a resin infused fiberglass, carbon fiber and kevlar hull that makes for a very light boat that is car toppable. We are trying for a standard boat weight of 50#. She can also be paddled, rowed (both with a fixed seat or a sliding seat) and, you guessed it, sailed.

A SageSport 160 is rated to use up to a 6HP outboard. The boat will plane at just over three knots (way before her hull speed). The boat is actually designed to plane … not an ‘apply horsepower until the boat goes fast’ design.

Our first prototype, a wooden strip-plank built, boat has been built and tested. So far we have taken the boat out in winds blowing up to 30 knots with seas about 2’. The boat motored at 9-10 knots at ½-throttle on a 6HP motor. Yes, she was planing in these conditions! Additionally the boat wasn’t squirrly and felt very stable.

SageSport 160 will have positive flotation and be available in a variety of colors.

More info to come!

Rigging inspections

Last week I made a new set of shrouds for a boat owner. As he de-rigged his sailboat for the winter he found some wires broken at the swage fitting.

 

Trailer sailors are great boats … one of many reasons it is easy to inspect the rigging each time the boat is put on/off the water as we rise/lower the mast.

For most of us in the northern parts of North America the cold weather has come in and the boat is settled on her trailer until the spring.

Sage 17 AIR BORN under some Colorado snow.

I encourage you to go out and check your boat’s rigging: wires have no broken strands or excessive rusting at swage fittings, fittings without rust or cracks, thimble eyes without rust/cracks, clevis pins present without rust/cracks; and all cotter keys are present and (you guessed it) without rust/cracks. If anything looks suspect replace it over the winter so when the spring comes the boat is ready to go.

A new set of rigging ready to be installed.