Evolution

"Drastic changes like removing "planking" or large weight reductions would have obsoleted the current fleet."

... and deck stepped, raking all-carbon rigs didn't?

Originally posted by getafix the Merlin has gone from strength to strength, as has the N12, you could argue though that the massive difference in new boats built between RS400/200 and Merlin/N12 shows that the older classes should have looked closer at some rules changes which were proposed, like the abolition of the 'planked' hull shape in Merlins

As you say, the Merlin class is thriving. Presumably therefore, the decisions made regarding rule changes were the correct ones.

While Merlins aren't, and never will be, the cheapest boats to buy, the hulls have a long competitive life, making the overall economics of ownership acceptable. Drastic changes like removing "planking" or large weight reductions would have obsoleted the current fleet. A former class chairman said that such changes should be contemplated if either very large numbers of new boats were being built (making the existing fleet less of a consideration) or almost none (meaning the class needed to change to survive). Neither of those conditions has applied over the last 20 years.

 

it's hard to see what you could improve on ... it looks pretty close to perfection!

how about an aerofoil section hull for aerodynamic lift and added ground effect when on the foils, virtually a windsurfer board when not?

"My understanding of evolution is that it often does tend to create highly specialised and therefore very vulnerable species."

not neccessarily, the RS400 could be seen as a logical development of a lot of Merlin Rocket thinking and it's gone on to be a very successful class (likewise RS200 and N12???) ... but far from going into a niche, the Merlin has gone from strength to strength, as has the N12, you could argue though that the massive difference in new boats built between RS400/200 and Merlin/N12 shows that the older classes should have looked closer at some rules changes which were proposed, like the abolition of the 'planked' hull shape in Merlins, which would have made the boats much cheaper to build and perhaps kept the numbers of new boats being built up.... how many less RS400's would have been purchased if a cheaper new Merlin was an alternative?

Originally posted by CT249 If you looked at the evolution of the Moth from the viewpoint of an evolutionary scientist, you'd probably say that the most successful of the species was something like the old boat in the black and white pic. The modern Moths is a freaking wonderful boat, no doubt about it, but surely the old ones are too - just in a different way.

interesting point ... evolution of dinghies seems to tend towards higher spec, higher performance, more specialism, life in a niche, high vulnerability to extinction

is that typical of evolutionary science? (beginning to wish I'd never started this)

to become a more successful species, maybe outrigger floats could be added to the racks to act as stabilisers, and then it might be more efficient to take away the centre hull ... add the foils back and you've got "Toastrack"

http://www.dcss.org/speedweek/toastrack.html

Edited by yellowhammer