So Many new classes

So where is dinghy sailing going in the UK and around the world?

Over the past few years we have had a huge increase in the number of new classes introduced in the UK. The vast majority are fast, high performance, single or double trapeze boats with assymetric kites, certainly all the 2 man boats just being a response to the huge success and surrounding publicity that the International 14 class was having when they first introduced their new rules.

They are however one designs, built exclusively by large organisations, with no prospect of other manufactureres being able to build.

Now dont get me wrong, these boats offer superb sailing and from what I have seen are well designed and well made, but of course it does now mean that to enter into our sport you will need to find several thousand pounds, or be looked down on by many for sailing an OLD class. Classes that over many years have produced some of the best sailors in the world, and probably more success at world level for UK sailors than in any other sport.

The consequences are now beginning to be seen with the RYA deciding to now charge National classes for their administration, argueing that previously the royalty income from new boat registrations covered this cost, and that with so few new boats in these classes income has dropped too low. This can only mean increased costs for boat ownership, and further inhibit all but the hardened few from joining class associations.

Finally anybody viewing the turnouts for 1997 Championships will see that the best supported of the so called older classes were the singlehanders. This could mean that newer designs offered are not liked or that there has not yet been sufficient new singlehanders marketed to draw sailors away from these classes.

Perhaps you have comments on this situation, if so please email me, and I will publish them.

Marl Dale has his Say - With some innovative Ideas?

Whay a lovely dilema, not for us sailors.

But it is not if you are a manufacturer of these SMOD's ( nice phrase)
I think it is time we thought about two things.

1.Attracting new, young people into thr sport.
2.Making as cheap as possible.

I have benn sailing almost thirty years now ( I did start young) , and every time I go to a club I see boats that have not been used for about the same period of time!

The new boats with their assymetrics and simple layout are a joy to sail, but I cannot justify spending in the region of £7000 for me and a.n.other to enjoy a few hours a week in/on. I'd rather buy a share in a cruiser for the whole family to enjoy, much more cost effective.

So how do we answer 1 & 2 . Simple another class.
Oh No not another.!
Don't worry we haven't got to design anything or in fact build any thing . We have simply got to agree what the boats parameters are. What an I talking about? Remember my point about boats not be used for whatever reason. Well if we were to all agree that the most popular new design so far is the RS400 , then lets try to get close to that.

So
up to 14 ft long. Thats most uk classes.
up to 7ft 2in wide ( includes all Merlins)
a sensible minimum weight.
an agreed max sail area.
an assymetric
any construction method
any shape/design
foils shape/size as you like.
sensibel buoyancy requirement.
And we have the 14ft Open Class.
All the old Merlins/Fourteens or whatever could be rehashed and come out of retirement.

See you on the water.

Mark

Jeff Powell comments

I myself sail a class of boat not used by many people, about a hundread have been built to my knowlege so far. The class I'm talking boat is a Norfolk Punt, Never heard of it? The've been about since the early 1920's.

The one I happen to be sailing was built in 1964, has a twin Trapeze I can't think of any other stats off the top of my head. The fastest its been clocked at is about 29 knots.

This boat could be classed as old, but it displays most of the characteristics of a new class of boat. I don't believe that new classes detract from the older class, it just gives people a greater choice which cannot be a bad thing.

If you wish to have a look at a Norfolk punt I have a couple of pictures of the one that we own on my website. This can be found at http://upsu.plym.ac.uk/~jiff/aboutme.htm If you wish to know more about them i.e where they are sailed, few more stats etc I would be more than happy to forward you the details.

Dick Thoroughgood comments 21.4.99

In my opinion we have the best crop of dinghies in the world, it is just a shame that we cannot produce the goods when we come up to olympic level (obviously there have been a few exceptions over the years!) could this possibly be because we have so many different types of dinghy? (aswell as the lack of support & funding) I dunno, you tell me!

There are a great crop of fast exciting machines around nowadys, and to answer a previous question, "have they actually brought new people in to the sport?" I would have to say that they have, if not at an adult level then definately at youth level, which, in my opinion, is where we need it for olympic sucess in years to come.

I personally sail an Int 14 (penultiamte, pre 96 rules) which for my money, is the best bargain and value for money on the market today. The boats are faster and cheaper (mine cost £2000. less than a beat up iso!) than most of the new, "young pretenders!" and are built to a better quality that will actually last.
My boat was built by Dave Ovington over ten years ago, and still feels as stiff as an boss or simular.
The spare kit you get with a 14 is worth what you pay for the boat itself. as far as racing & turnouts go the 14s have fleets all over the world and up & down the UK, providing great racing wherever you are. With the penultimate boats you can easily sell them and move up to a new rules ship when your ability is up to it. and for those who like to tinker, you simply cannot beat a 14 for fittings and rope.

Well thats my pitch for the 14 class over, hopefully there are a few converts kicking around now! dont take my word for it though, check out www.gbr.i14.org

Dick Thoroughgood [email protected]

Chris Taylor comments

There are a number of problems with the new classes which go beyond cost.
Firstly, most of them are high performance racing machines. I like to take members of my family out for a sail when they are in the mood, they will not race. Most of the new classes are totally unsuited for this - too much sail, too tippy etc. I can do this in a traditional dinghy ( I sail a Scorpion).

Secondly they are all strict one designs - I like to fiddle a bit, customise my boat, try to make some minor modifications but remain in class. You can't do that with the new designs.

Thirdly, many of them have a relatively narrow performance band. I have spent the last 18 months crewing in an RS400. A very exciting and fun boat, but it sticks in the water in slight winds ( perhaps our sailing skills are at fault) and has too much sail for strong winds - we have very gusty winds from hills around. Indeed, I have beaten a Laser 4000 over the water in an Force 5-6 in my Scorpion.

Fourthly, its hard to beat wood as a boatbuilding material, particularly when it comes to a long racing life. Plastic is cold, hard to repair and GRP degrades over time.

So, as far as I am concerned, I will stick to fun, lively wooden boats which are as suitable for family picnics by the river as blasting at 20 knots!

Ali Mellor gives an international view

I am fascinated by the number of new class "launches" in the UK. I follow them in Y&Y and the web. However, to a large extent this appears to be a "UK only" phenomenon, with perhaps a few European countries following along behind the UK. Very few of these new classes have any boats in North America.

In my view there are several different but related issues:

1. How many of these new classes will survive and prosper?

2. Given the similarities between competing boats/classes, will the result be to simply further divide each small sailing market among more classes?... Say each of the mid-level, two person, one trapeze, asymmetric boats is popular with a few teams, rather than all the teams interested in a mid-level, two person, single trapeze assymetric racing the same boat.

3. Are these new classes actually suceeding in bringing non sailors into dinghy sailing, or are they simply competing with existing classes for people?

4. Is the SMOD (single manufacturer one design) model in the long term interests of a boat/class and the owners?

5. How many of these classes will reach true "International" status?

6. Are inexpensivly built, simply rigged boats/classes "better" than the existing boats/classes which in most cases are "spec" boats built to a rule, with more complex rigs?

Just to make my biases clear, I race 505s primarily, though I also have an old Albacore (currently undergoing a major rebuild in the garage) and a very old Laser waiting for a mast step transplant.

I have seen some of the new boats/classes at the 1996 Olympic HPOD trials on Lake Garda. As I recall the following boats were represented there:

49er
Laser 5000
Boss
Laser 4000
ISO
Jet
International 505
International Flying Dutchman
International 14
One Design 14
Mach II

There have been a number of boats/classes launched since then, with what appears to be an emphasis on mid-level rather than Olympic level classes.

First of all a large majority of new boat/class launches do not succeed. For every success story like the Laser, there are a number of boats/classes that go nowhere and leave the few buyers stuck with a boat than never becomes an effective class. Most probably a majority of the boats represented at Garda (excluding the existing International classes) will suffer this fate. While the 49er is clearly doing very well, I do not expect it to ever be the size of the Fireball, Flying Dutchman or 505. The 5000 whilst apparently having a strong base in the UK does not exist outside of the UK/Europe (there may be one or two here or there, but not active fleets), the Boss is rather smaller than the 5000. I rather doubt any more Mach IIs will be built, and also doubt that the Jet catches on. The One Design 14 stabilized some time ago with small fleets in two countries, and so on.

I expect something similar to happen with many of the boats launched since the HPOD trials. I have been told, that in some UK clubs, a number of people sold their (say) Fireballs to buy ISOs, then sold their ISOs (at a steep discount) to buy something else similar but a year newer, and so on. Was the sailing/racing really better? Did they enjoy racing ISO's for a year or two and then selling them at a discount? Do they expect to continue buying the "latest and greatest" and selling last year's "flash in the pan" design?

I do not mean to blacken all the new boats/classes... There is some excellent thinking and development going on, and most of these boats do offer something new and exciting... but as very restricted one designs, they are each doomed to be surpassed by the next year's design.... how many of them will really catch on and be strong for years to come?

If one of them does catch on and become strong and successful, what prevents the (single) manufacturer from driving the price up? Class rules prevent competition from other builders.

The simpler rigs are appealing - they look easier to use or learn, but one result is that most of these new rigs cannot be optimized for conditions like the more complex rigs of the established classes can. This results in a smaller performance envelope.. Boats that do not depower effectively cannot be raced at the high end of the wind range. The older more adjustable classes are going to have wider performance envelopes (and are most likely going to be easier to sail and safer in extreme conditions).

Well, time to stop rambling and actually do some work...

Very nice site... I will be back frequently....

Cheers,

Alexander "Ali" Meller
5o5s 7200 & 8263
Albacore 4862
Laser 11166

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