It has been a while since I last blogged. This is due to the fact that not much sailing has been going on. After my breakage at Garda I was looking forward to the moth training at lake Neusiedel with Niki and Doug, but that didn’t happen as Assassin wasn’t capable of delivering a boat to any of us. So I stayed in Berlin.
The next event was the regatta at the Schlei that Fred organized (after I pushed him to do so). You can find an article about it on Fred’s blog. Unfortunately I received a call on Thursday that our dog had to be put to sleep. As my parents were not there I drove down to Olpe to take over this task. After 14 years of a good life it was time to say goodbye to Kaja. Here is a picture of her and me I just found again:
Thus I missed the last regatta of the season. It is time for winter now which means lots of wind and hopefully no ice on the water.
The other notable thing that could have happened is the delivery of my Assassin. Unfortunately that didn’t take place yet either. I expected the boat on time for Garda in the middle of September. Since then I have gotten numerous delivery dates but still the boat hasn’t been shipped.
As there is basically no communication going on I can just guess when the boat will arrive. Maybe I can put it under the tree for Christmas (2010?). The guys who know me are aware of my level of patience – it doesn’t exist. I feel reminded of the old Bladerider days when customers waited for 12 month for their boats 
If you want some advice: if you are impatient get a Mach2, if you want to have a great boat that is very innovative and state of the art wait for an Assassin (maybe bridge the time till the Assassin arrives with a Mach2 !?)
Fortunately I stuck to the advice Adam May has given me in Kiel 2008:
With boats is the same as it is with women: never get rid of the old one until the new one is ready. I haven’t put my BR on the market yet and that makes waiting just a tiny bit easier.
Felix, since I discovered your foilermoth website a couple of weeks ago I’ve planned to order a Assassin. So what should I think of news like you posted above? If delivery time is that uncertain it would be difficult for me to make a deposit. Are there any guarantees from Assassin company?
Hi Armin,
I am sorry, but I cannot answer this question. To be honest I would wait for 6 month and then decide. If you cannot wait that long look for a Bladerider, a Mach2 or a Ninja.
best
Felix
Hi Armin,
I don’t know what Felix is going on about here, we will have the all of the 1st 40 Assassins out around Christmas which is 12 weeks away, and from then on we should be back track with our delivery times for the new year, we are full booked out until 14/1/10.
We have many Happy customers who would be happy to discuss their Assassin purchase with you. We are also getting repeat customers that are so happy they are rolling their boats on and up grading to sparkly new Assassins.
What Felix fails to mention is that the Assassin has constantly evolved, which has cost a little bit of time and is now ready to go head to head with the best, with many top level sailors choosing Assassin’s for their worlds campaign with olympic and world champs in the list.
I think all our customers feel the wait was worth while
Feel free to contact us directly. sales@assassinmoth.com
regards
Darren
First off sorry about your dog. But when have delivery dates ever been certain in moth building? In fact boat building in general? Its part of the trade!! I think Its pretty amazing what the Assassin guys have already done. I waited 7 months for my first boat(prowler) and never bitched about it. Be happy, at least you have a boat to use until the new one arrives.
Assassin Owner, Ian
Darren, thanks for your response. I see the problems of young companies and products in the early stage. Nevertheless I want reliable information about products I spend my money for. I talked to Felix who emphasized your reliability and professionalism (although his statements are not made up out of thin air). A good friend of mine has already ordered a Assassin via Felix, so I will wait and check how fast you can deliver that before I make my decision until the end of the year. Good luck to you all!!
Dear Armin! First of all I am very keen of getting my assassin soon!
Yes, it is true that there is a reason with young companies. But if you follow the moth market you will see that every company had or has problems. For example the mach2 had problems with the wand systems and the first foils, also you can hear about some problems with the hull design of mach2 boats. Bladerider had problems (at their beginning) with the hull and had to strengthen the hull at some positions. Also after years of production the bladerider you will find problems like hulls witch are getting soft in the sun, or boats witch are to heavy. I do not want to tell bad things about any moth, but in this class you need to understand that these boats are not standard like a lasers! So problems are preprogrammed with every boat and every company! Perhaps some do better support as other ones! But I think this also needs time! The assassin is low priced, innovative and has a trump with Holroyd Hydrofoils! Hope you can see now that every decision could be wrong or right, you will never know.
The only thing I learned is never sell your boat before your new one has arrived!
Felix,
Sorry about the rough spots, I have had more ups and down than anyone with the development of the boat and it has been worth the wait and frustration. I waited 4 months for a vertical foil from BR.
The unique part about the assassin is the flexibility of the company. If a customer figures out a innovative solution with their boat Darren will try incorporate it into future boats. Darren has done a amazing job creating top of the line boat and foils at a fair price. Having the first parts will result in some breakages. If moths were always perfect on the first go they would become too expensive for most of us to afford. The boat and the foils will be worth the wait for anyone who wants a top of the line boat. The last Laser I had to order (12 years ago) was almost 2 months late and I do not think it get more cookie cutter production than that in this industry.
Devin
Hi there!
The bitchin of Felix is understandable when one runs out of patience, who had made so much noise for the product (many are waiting for) in the past.
Darren of course speaks for his product like he has taken the words from the early Bladerider marketing guys.
As an old fart I can only say: Do not make so much noise before you are 110% sure that you can deliver to your promises. Otherwise you have to eat your words. And the bull shittin´doesn´t help your image either.
Wishing all the Moth builders great success in a difficult market. Treat your competition with respect as you like to be treated.
Smooth sailing!