1980 sailing rocket w/ trailer
GALLERY | Click images to enlarge
Seeing a Stiletto catamaran in 2014 always causes a “what the hell happened?” moment. The Stiletto was launched in 1975, the first (and possibly the last) production boat moulded in an autoclave of prepreg epoxy fiberglass/kevlar over a Nomex honeycomb core. This was aerospace tech for the middle class, and the multihull future looked bright indeed back in the 70’s. The styling was pure aerospace as well, and the boat stoked my teenage dreams the way the Datsun 240Z stoked the dreams of other boys. I’m sure some girls were also stoked by the 240Z, but it is apparently true that fast boats and fast cars are a sausage fest (Here is an old Stiletto assembly manual featuring a 240Z as the tow vehicle).
This 1980 example looks to have held up well over the past 34 years. The hulls lack the parallelogram port lights of the higher trim models, as well as any hull stripes or graphics of any kind. This is a plus in our book, and allows the excellent “bones” of the design to shine through. According to the seller, the original plexiglass “fighter jet” bubble canopies have been replaced by carbon fiber replicas - a nice upgrade. The boat includes a large inventory of “newer” sails, 8hp outboard and the galvanized factory expanding trailer. Find it here on Craigslist in Poulsbo, WA for $15,900.
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