Pixel

2005 June 12
By Robert H. Perry

Junior Racerr

Designer Bruce Kirby brought us a covey of competitive International 14s before he drew the Laser dinghy. Whatever you have to say about the Laser I think you have to admit that it set the standard for small, planing dinghies that exists to this day. I owned a Laser for a few years. The Laser could get cranky from time to time but if you like to sail fast by yourself and don't mind an occasional dunking, the Laser, with its enormous one-design class, is still the boat to beat.

But for kids weighing less than 100 pounds and used to the Optimist or other two-man training dinghies, the Laser is a challenge that can turn the sailing-to-swimming ratio upside down. Bruce's target market for the Chinese-built Pixel was this group of kids who were looking for performance with some stability and safety. Being a two-man boat the Pixel would teach crew work, i.e. how to work together to get the very most out of a boat. The boat also had to be "cool." Bruce worked hard at optimizing the cool factor of the Pixel. This is critical if you are going to capture the attention of youngsters. The boat has to at least look leading edge.

The optimum crew weight for the Pixel is around 200 pounds, but adults have had fun in the Pixel too. According to Bruce, the boat can plane upwind and down. One early and experienced adult test pilot claimed that in 20 to 25 knots of wind "they never stopped planing." Now, if you have never sailed a planing dinghy this might not be important to you. But if you have sailed planing dinghies you know it's all about planing. If you can't plane then why even go out. There is just nothing like feeling a dinghy rise up onto plane and watching the speed climb. And contrary to what you may think, a well-designed planing dinghy feels very stable on a plane. Sailors say you can plane the Pixel right through a jibe. Now add to this the fact that the Pixel at the dock has the form stability to allow even adults to walk around on the boat without capsizing it and you have a good boat for learners.

But you are going to be inclined to push the Pixel to its limits, which will inevitably mean you will end up capsizing the boat. If you work fast you can easily right a dinghy. You just climb out over the high side onto the board as it goes over. But it doesn't always work that way, and then the danger is that the boat will turn turtle 180 degrees upside down. Righting the boat can be a challenge as the mast fills with water and acts like a ballast keel. The Pixel's carbon mast is sealed so this can't happen. In addition to this the top two feet of the mainsail have 8-millimeter closed cell foam to give the boat additional buoyancy and resistance to turning turtle. That is very clever and I don't recall seeing it done before. Also, molded into each side of the cockpit are "flooding tanks" that will fill with water as the boat goes over, acting like ballast and making it more stable on its side. That Bruce Kirby is a clever fellow. The open transom of the Pixel means that water will drain rapidly as the boat rights and sails away. If you sail an unballasted boat you must expect to capsize and, if hit by a wave when the boat is on its side, you may turtle a boat. So why not plan for it and make it as safe as possible?

If Bruce's promo material is accurate I don't think you could ask much more of a training dinghy. Kids want to sail fast while looking cool and parents want them to be safe. Kids also want the full sailing experience and the Pixel does have a chute. Parents also want to have a go at the boat when the kids are through for the day and the Pixel appears to be forgiving to higher crew loads.

Building in China helps keep the cost of the Pixel down and the quality up. The boats are built with epoxy in heated molds and vacuum bagged.