Here's an enthusiastic review of the Phuket Sports 8. Enjoy. - The Ed.

by Chris White

South-East Asia’s yachting scene’s gotta brand new beast in the Phuket Sports 8, the latest fire breather to torch the usually tranquil waters of the region. From Samui to Phuket, Pang-Nga and Krabi all the way down to Langkawi, Malaysia, the PS8 is singeing the butt hairs off pretty well everyone, soaring through fleets on downwind legs as though the other boats were docked. In recent regattas, Scott Duncanson’s PS8, “Somtam Express,” racked up line honors in a number of races and won a few on IRC despite punitive handicaps.

Designer John Duncanson of Australia’s Gold Coast said to hell with the rules and the tin cups and created the boat he’d been talking about building for years, one with absolutely no rules restrictions. He’s built successful racers before, but this time, he and Scott have started a whole new one-design class, conceived to replace Phuket’s dead fleet of Farr Platu 25s. A year after the prototype blazed forth, fearsome dragon decals snarling from its ram bow, four boats are hissing through these turquoise bays, with a fifth in production.

The Phuket Sports 8 is blistering quick, a narrow hull stabilized by wicked wings. Unfortunately at speeds over 17.7 knots the bow lifts so high the speed transducer leaves the water and hence the speed record to date is but speculation, though clearly into the twenties. Says John Duncanson, “I can’t explain the feeling you get when running on a small boat at these speeds (at the very least it’s better than sex) so I hope I’m on board for one of its 'flights'”.

A bargain at $45,000, the PS8 comes fully tricked-out with carbon-fiber foils and spars, sails, deck gear and fittings, Tack- Tick instruments, a wee 3 hp engine, and, of course, the dope dragon decals. The wings fold up for easy, legal trailering, and the keel is retractable for shallow water launches. The hull is epoxy-glass with a cedar core; all composite pieces are computer cut at Duncanson Yachts in Australia. Phuket’s own Latitude 8 Yachting, everything together, which keeps labor costs low, hence the cheap price tag.

Specifically designed for the light breezes of Phuket and other South-East Asian waters, the PS8 also performs well in stiff wind, as Duncanson proved with two stunning horizon-job victories in January’s Phang Nga Regatta, when it blew stink, averaging twenty knots with gusts to thirty. The recent Phuket Kings Cup saw similar conditions and even more victories with 'Somtam Express' defeating 2 well sailed Mumm 30s in 4 races out of seven. For a boat of 25.2 feet, the PS8 carries a depraved amount of sail: a 276 ft main, 172 ft jib, and a zeppelin-sized spinnaker of 1,010 ft .

In addition to the above features, the Phuket Sports 8 boasts the following:

Simple rig with no backstay or running backstays, just twin, swept-back spreaders

Fully retracting bow pole that articulates 28% to either side, allowing for deeper running.

An Etchell’s-style cockpit control console to keep lines tangle free.

Automatic take-up reels for the kite halyard and tack line, set beneath the console and tensioned with shock cord

Main traveler, vang, and bow pole extender/retractor lines are endless, running under the cockpit.

Deck tubes for spin guy and sheet to keep fat asses from sitting on them.

No winches on deck. Jib and main sheets on 2:1 ratios with convenient cam cleats.

All hardware is Ronstan/Frederikkson.

In the immortal words of Fletch, “It’s all ball bearings these days.”