Rossiter Pintail Mortagne sur Gironde, near Bordeaux |
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Laser 140101 Tynemouth |
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Laser 28 - Excellent example of this great design Hamble le rice |
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List classes of boat for sale |
New women's Olympic boat |
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17mika ![]() Groupie ![]() Joined: 03 Nov 06 Location: Italy Online Status: Offline Posts: 53 |
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Is there any further news on the next trials?? is Weymouth in semptember confirmed?
Edited by 17mika |
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Skiffman ![]() Far too distracted from work ![]() ![]() Joined: 27 May 04 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 291 |
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the laser is succesful because of the tight racing and when it came out they were considered a fast singlehander. The youth nationals just show mainly what people want to move up to after they are too old for youth and want to go olympic sailing. Last year there was 50 420s and 33 29ers but the 420 was the ISAF class. Most of the 29er guys would want to go 49er sailing but most of the 420 guys want to go 470 sailing and the guys do not get a choice which is stupid they are stuck with the 470.
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Chris 249 ![]() Really should get out more ![]() ![]() Joined: 10 May 04 Online Status: Offline Posts: 2041 |
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Sorry Nick, but that's just not right. For a start, many classes (505s, 14s, even Lasers) have long known that Olympic (and to a lesser extent Youth) selection can actually harm a class. The 14ers were quite explicit about this fact just a week or two ago. Secondly, ALL of the boats you mentioned were enormous successes well before they got selected for anything by ISAF. The 470 may not be super quick, but it's similar in size and speed to the Fireball and the popularity of the Furball proves how many people like that sort of boat. Considering the fact that the class has declined in numbers in some places under the pressure of the Olympic sailors, you may say that Olympic selection has hurt the class in some ways. Same with the 420 - it got selected as an International class because it was popular, it wasn't popular just because it was selected. They sell hundreds of the "Club 420" version in the USA each year and it's not even eligible for the Int 420 class or the Youth Worlds. The fact that a non- international 420 is one of America's most popular classes proves that the boat appeals to people aside from its International status. The Laser was the world's most popular adult's dinghy years before it was selected as an Olympic class. Then when the big rig was selected for the Games, the Radial grew faster for years. If the class was strong only because of Olympic status why were there some 150,000 built even before it was selected and why did the Radial grow faster than the big rig when the big rig was the Olympic version? The Laser happens to be cheap and simple, it was designed by a bunch of Olympians who were mainly 14ers, and is still one of the fastest hiking non-wing singlehanders, so for a boat of it's type it's certainly not "rubbish". Among the current and recent Laser sailors near me are guys who have won or placed in Worlds in FDs, 505s, 49ers, 18s, Cherubs; these guys know a good boat. I could never work out what people saw in Oppies. Then when our club and its training fleet got torched we borrowed Optis for replacements and now I'm convinced they are a damn good little boat as a basic trainer. They're not perfect (I reckon kids here should start on a main-only version of a baby Cherub we have) but what is? Maybe the best way to work out what makes a class popular is to look just at the Youth classes - after all if the Laser is only successful because of its status then why are there 140 Lasers at the Youth nats and less than 50 29ers, 16 RSX and 7 Hobies? Why are there still 29 420s turning up even when it's not the Worlds class this year? |
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Medway Maniac ![]() Really should get out more ![]() ![]() Joined: 13 May 05 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 2788 |
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Think you're underestimating the non-UK scene there, Nick. 420's and 470's are still popular abroad. The 470 is actually quite nice to sail, and is very much on your side (rather than its!) in a blow. If a class fell into the 'only popular because they're official' category, I'd have thought it was the 29er. The RYA was going to drop it as being too difficult for the kids till ISAF backed it. |
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NickA ![]() Really should get out more ![]() Joined: 30 Mar 05 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 784 |
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yea but.... dump the 470 from the olympics and the 420 as a youth boat and NO-ONE would buy them surely? likewise toppers and oppies - only popular because they're official. Lasers too probably 'cause they're not actually very nice.. |
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Javelin 558
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Prince Buster ![]() Really should get out more ![]() Joined: 15 Dec 05 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 1146 |
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yeah
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international moth - "what what?"
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Granite ![]() Far too distracted from work ![]() ![]() Joined: 12 May 04 Location: Scotland Online Status: Offline Posts: 476 |
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Does it matter if the Olympians sail the same sort of boats that Joe/Jane average who's only exercise is sailing does?
Out of the number of people who cycle regularly how many ride fixies around a velodrome? How many skiers go on the sort of runs that are used in the downhill races not to mention ski jump? Outside top competition who swims butterfly? If you look at running hundreds of thousands of people run in Marathons every year but I bet that most of them have not run around a track or done a 100m sprint since they left school. The Olympics is not about Jane/Joe average on a Wednesday after work it is about the Athletes, the competition, the TV audience and making sure that the person who wins has the right stuff |
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If it doesn't break it's too heavy; if it does it wasn't built right
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JimC ![]() Really should get out more ![]() ![]() Joined: 17 May 04 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 6662 |
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Over a few years...
----------- 2006 -- 2004 -- 2002 Int Moth ---- 30 ---- 12 ---- 15 49er -------- 70 ---- 60 ---- 75 29er ------- 136 ---- 72 --- 251 Snipe ------ 117 --- 123 --- 125 470 -------- 187 --- 152 --- 152 420 -------- 435 --- 400 --- 425 Lasers --- 3,151 - 2,690 - 2,695 (inc Radial, 4.7) Sunfish -- 1,000 - 1,000 - 1,100 Edited by JimC |
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Norbert ![]() Far too distracted from work ![]() ![]() Joined: 31 Mar 04 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 351 |
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Twice as many Finns as 49ers... that's amazing |
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Chris 249 ![]() Really should get out more ![]() ![]() Joined: 10 May 04 Online Status: Offline Posts: 2041 |
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"Do you have numbers of boats built for these classes per year since say
2003 - so we can see the numbers built over the last 4 years." ISAF reports for boats built last 5 years (these seem reliable when I've checked) 29er - 515 14 - "Approx 200" 49er - 345 Moth - 70 420 - 2364 (and add something like 400 US "Club 420s", as well). 470- "roughly 850" 505 - 128 Mirror - 435 Snipe - 469 Finn - 760 Laser - 15, 048 |
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