The divide between SMOD's and Dev classes

Originally posted by Jack Sparrow

The funny thing about 12ft boats is that with in reason you can't do that
much with the lines so hull shapes tend to stay within the same ball park.
This may sound daft when you compair a P7 ( the very narrow looking
one) to a Slug or Bistroe or a Easy Wan but it is mostly the top sides / flair
that give the extrems in look. So hull speeds are in the same ball park
with the same rig. [/QUOTE]

Isn't there a lot of difference between a Woof 12' skiff and a P7? Didn't Andy himself say that shapes may change with the bigger rig?

The flare in a Woof is very important when it comes to keeping it all together under  the big rig (although they DO sail in fairly unfriendly conditions ie in sloppy chop or on fluky rivers). So even if the underwater shape is similar, isn't the difference in shape above the water still quite important.

Mind you, the way that Aust Cherubs (bless their boxy little heart) do OK when racing up-rigged as 12' skiffs does indicate that hull shape is a long way down the list of priorities.

Originally posted by damp_freddie not really my point- on my personal choice of sprots boat versus being invited to be crew on a 505 for a season and pay 50%, or get at least competent for traveller level and do it myself. Which, ask yourself is more fun for you personally?

Sorry but I haven't a clue what you mean. You were telling us how cheap sportsboats were. Now you seemed to have gone off on another tangent altogether.

Edited by Stefan Lloyd

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Originally posted by Chris 249 Sure, Stefan (and it was a very good move to collate reports from members!) but isn't durability just one of many ways in which sailmakers can compete?

Yes, we are agreed on that.

Originally posted by Chris 249 But why should manufacturers compete on durability?

Because customers want it, or at least the members of the class association I helped run certainly did. How did we know what durability problems there were? Oddly enough, we talked to each other. In fact as a class association, we collated reports from members which we fed back to the sailmaker.