Scorpio - Custom Wylie 42 - USA 28900  - CF 8933SM

(boat details)

Contact Sail California (Steve Taft or Norman Davant) for more information.

Scorpio is a custom racing sailboat designed by Tom Wylie in early 1991 and built by Jim Betts in Tahoe City later that year.  The boat "splashed" in early 1992.  For a boat of its age, Scorpio enjoys an unparalleled race record.

The hull is built from high-grade #5086 marine-grade aluminum.  The deck is kevlar over a divinycell one inch core.  Scorpio was the first IMS-style designed boat on SF Bay with a large masthead rig, a modern main sheeting system, and non-overlapping headsails.  Lon Price, the original owner, donated the boat to Stanford who then sold it to John Siegel in 1996.  Since then, the boat has been significantly upgraded and professionally maintained.  After doing some Monterey Bay and SF Bay racing and a Pacific Cup in 1998, the boat underwent a major overhaul in 2000 when it was completely stripped and painted  deck, top, and bottom sides.  A new boom was built by Ian Klitza Metals in 1998, a new deeper, lightweight rudder with a carbon shaft was designed by Wylie and build by Advanced Composites (Malcolm Park), and a new three spreader aluminum mast and standing rigging was provided by Ballenger Spars all  just prior to the 2002 Pacific Cup.  Scorpio also participated in the 2004 Pacific Cup to Hawaii.

In 2004 Tom Wylie and Homer Lighthall collaborated on a new deck to hull "knee" to add more integrity to the already sound design.  In late 2006, after discovering some hull corrosion, the boat was stripped and shipped to the new Betts facility in Anacortes, Washington where the bottom fairing was removed and it underwent a complete inspection and some relatively minor replating to rectify hull-deterioration concerns.  Upon return to SF in early 2007, the already Betts-faired hull was treated to six coats of epoxy barrier and the entire underbody was "mapped" by Tom Wylie and significant final fairing took place, after which the bottom received a final coating of light-gray Durapox and the foils received final coating of shark white Interlux VC Epoxy with Teflon.  Since that time, the boat has been dry-sailed and lives on a custom cradle designed by Steve Rander of Schooner Creek Marine (Portland) who used a male mold of the Scorpio hull as a guide.  The bottom is absolutely perfect as are the boat's equipment and sails.  The functional interior could use some TLC and the deck could stand new non-skid, but aside from that, Scorpio is in good shape and ready to continue her winning ways.

Some notable recent upgrades include moving the backstay hydraulic panel to the center of the boat attached to the forward-facing portion of the steering system.  Custom-made removable carbon wands are then used to add backstay tension allowing the mainsail trimmer to depower without leaving the rail.  Four additional controls are lead aft to the mainsail trimmer.  First, a below-deck release line to allow for easing the backstay tension as needed.  Second, a below deck line for main cunningham control.  Third, a below deck line for main leech cord control.  Four, a below deck line for jib cunningham control (40:1).

This boat sails with a crew of 11 under IRC.  A crew of 12 is ideal around the buoys.  Scorpio won the 2009 Monterey Spinnaker Cup with a crew of five.  Six is an ideal crew size for Hawaii races.

Specs and Ratings

Standing and Running Rigging

Ballenger Spars three spreader customer mast and stays - 2002

Klitza custom boom - 1998

Custom five pod mast instrument bracket

1 Carbon long pole (for akyte)

1 Carbon PHRF pole for either

Custom pulpit (2009) to accommodate long pole

New lifelines - 2007 and 2008

Quickvang

Harken Airfoil forestay

High Tech Halyards, Topping Life, Dual-led Foreguy, Akyte Tack Line, Guys and Sheets

Tylaska and Sparcraft shackles and JLocks

Below deck mounted hydraulic mast jack system

Sails

Racing Sails

North 3DL Main - 86.75 hours

North 3DL Light #3 - 56 hours

North 3DL Medium #3 - 25.25 hours

North 3DL #3 Plus - 47 hours

Quantum Ocean Main - 122 hours

Santa Cruz Sails .6 Airex Spinnaker - 77.25 hours

Santa Cruz Sails Airex 700 Runner - 22 hours

Hogan .85 Poly heavy-air Spinnaker - 6.5 hours

North AP Akyte - 24 hours

3DL-800 #3 Plus - 0 hours

Practice/Delivery Sails

Sobstad Paneled delivery #3

Sobstad Paneled delivery #4

North Paneled #4

Santa Cruz Sails Storm Trysail

North 3DL Carbon #3 - 102.5 hours

North 3DL Light #3 - 51 hours

North 3DL #3 Plus - 59 hours

North 3DL Main - 170 hours

North 3DL Carbon Medium #3 - 63.75 hours

North 3DL Main - 145.75 hours

Santa Cruz Sails heavy delivery main - 401 hours

Sobstad 1.5 Full Size Spinnaker - 53 hours

Sobstad 1.5 Shy Spinnaker - 500 hours

Santa Cruz Sails Airex 700 Reacher - 79.5 hours

Marion .5 Oversized Spinnaker

Mechanical

Winches

Lewmar 52s for checkstays

Lewmar 43s for mainsheet

Harken 56.3s primaries (2003)

Harken 32 dedicated jib halyard winch (2007)

Motor

Yanmar 3Gm30

Martec Prop - 2003

Custom fuel tank w/baffles - 2003

New tach - 2002

Balmer Alternator - 2003

New heat exchanger - 2004

Solenoid/Starter service - 2005

Dripless stuffing box - 2007

Motor repainted - 2007

Electronics

B&G system - upgraded 2004

B&G coprocessor - 2004

B&G below-deck autopilot -  new unit 2004

Leica GPS

Sytex bulkhead mounted GPS repeaters

Stereo

Deck/Steaming light

Masthead windex light

Icom SSB with Pactor modem

LED running lights

Four programmable mast-mounted 20x20 displays

One mast-mounted analog apparent wind display

Two bulkhead mounted FFDs

Built-in battery charger

Miscellaneous

Custom cradle

Viking 8 man life raft

Custom deck/mast canvas

Force 10 two burner stove with oven

Externally fed stove propane

Custom Klitza emergency rudder system

Very effective emergency tiller system

MOM unit

New head - 2002

Bunk Cushions

Winch Covers

Winch handles

Adjustable leads

Inhaulers

Large dock box mounted on cradle

Two welded-in aluminum 30 gallon water tanks