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Pierre View Drop Down
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    Posted: 29 Aug 18 at 4:00pm
Saw an H2 in Chichester Harbour just around Itchenor a few weeks ago. We were coming round from Northney and it was blowing a 6.  The bloke in the H2 was going upwind at a rate of knots and looked very comfortable. Not busting a gut hiking or anything desperately strenuous. Bloody good advert for it I thought.
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Posts: 611 		Post Options Post Options   Quote Noah Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 29 Aug 18 at 3:56pm
Originally posted by RS400atC

Originally posted by davidyacht

Not sure that I can spot the gap in the market for a new class ... whoever is to build or market it ... any ideas?


An ultra-light, high quality two hander, modern rig, optimised to be easy to sail by people who are no longer willing to crouch in the bottom of the boat in light air?

Isn't that the brief the Icon was supposed to fulfill?
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Posts: 1345 		Post Options Post Options   Quote davidyacht Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 29 Aug 18 at 3:56pm
Originally posted by RS400atC

Originally posted by davidyacht

Not sure that I can spot the gap in the market for a new class ... whoever is to build or market it ... any ideas?


An ultra-light, high quality two hander, modern rig, optimised to be easy to sail by people who are no longer willing to crouch in the bottom of the boat in light air?

I think that was what the X1 was pitching for; I am of the view that the emphasis of two person boats has been for high performance and open water or heavy polyethylene boats, whilst most venues remain small, sheltered, more suited beat and running style boats that one can readily lug around (light).

It needs to be simple enough to attract a wide range of sailors, particularly at the front end, but technical enough to satisfy those of that persuasion.

If the Tasar were not so sticky in the light stuff it would probably fit the bill ... enter the Icon!
 
Which gets you back to; if you want to get enough momentum, you need to get a lot of boats out to the right places.  
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Posts: 611 		Post Options Post Options   Quote Noah Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 29 Aug 18 at 3:55pm
I might be wrong, but AIUI the RS Elite was brought into existence by a group of people at or around HISC who wanted a boat suitable for the harbour and the bay, and to replace a sym kite keelboat that was moribund (Soling?). How many sold? I don't know. Have RS made any money on them? I don't know that either, but they are elegant boats, for sure.
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Posts: 750 		Post Options Post Options   Quote H2 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 29 Aug 18 at 3:28pm
Originally posted by davidyacht

Not sure that I can spot the gap in the market for a new class ... whoever is to build or market it ... any ideas?

Well you know my answer David! Found it interesting that for much of this thread it has been a comparison of the D0 and Aero to the Laser which is actually a fair comparison in my mind in terms of the size and shape of the people that would be drawn to sail such a boat.

In my mind the H2 never set out to compete with a Laser in a way that the D0 and Aero have because it is aimed more at people that would have been thinking about a Blaze, Finn, Phantom etc because they would sink a Laser but want a more modern design / weight in a package that is comfy to sail and still goes well.

Is that a niche - not really sure, but sales seem to be doing pretty well for an Indy boat maker. We are six of them at South Cerney now and a nice little fleet emerging and 20+ boats booked onto the national at Herne Bay in a weeks time.

Edit: not sure that the H2 would ever really put itself forward as an Olympic contender  LOL


Edited by H2 - 29 Aug 18 at 3:29pm
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RS400atC View Drop Down
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Posts: 3011 		Post Options Post Options   Quote RS400atC Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 29 Aug 18 at 2:45pm
Originally posted by davidyacht

Not sure that I can spot the gap in the market for a new class ... whoever is to build or market it ... any ideas?


An ultra-light, high quality two hander, modern rig, optimised to be easy to sail by people who are no longer willing to crouch in the bottom of the boat in light air?
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Posts: 1345 		Post Options Post Options   Quote davidyacht Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 29 Aug 18 at 2:34pm
Not sure that I can spot the gap in the market for a new class ... whoever is to build or market it ... any ideas?
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Posts: 1020 		Post Options Post Options   Quote Oli Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 29 Aug 18 at 2:27pm
Originally posted by getafix



In the future, the success of new entries for the double-hander would do well to think about how they can acheive some kind of localised critical mass. Funding to build 15 or 20 boats as demonstrators would be hard to raise, but its difficult to see how you can get racing and buzz going with just one or two demonstrators. You quickly fall foul (or are open to) the vagaries of the handicap system. IMO there's a need to establish 'fleets' in a strong demographic, say London/Kent/Essex/Hants and 'implant' two or three groups of boats in clubs within say 20-30 miles of each other** to quickly get traction.

Lastly, for me, the choice of open sail makers with supplied hull, foils and spars, really opens up a class for quick growth by encouraging sailors and vendors to get more involved in the set up and racing of their boats without the 'open-season' of a 'deepest-wallet-wins' full development class.

I like this as an idea, to build new classes away from the larger commercial producers, the model of local one (open/restricted) designs being created by a club(s) could work once again, maybe more so if the clubs were to be financially involved in a pay and play basis.  Biggest problem is building consensus to adopt a design though which means the clubs need to talk to each other more.
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Posts: 3011 		Post Options Post Options   Quote RS400atC Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 29 Aug 18 at 1:02pm
Originally posted by PeterG

I'm wary of judging the existence, or otherwise, of old local ODs from PY returns. Down here in S Devon there are reasonably active fleets of both Salcombe and Devon Yawls, but neither appear in the PY lists, because they are nearly always sailed in class fleets. I'd be surprised if the same isn't the case with other local ODs, that continue to be actively sailed in local class fleets.

Very true.

But we're also mixing up discussion of boats still in existence, boats actively raced, and new boats sold.
Some old-established fleets are quite active on the water despite a very low rate of new builds.
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Posts: 823 		Post Options Post Options   Quote PeterG Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 29 Aug 18 at 12:20pm
I'm wary of judging the existence, or otherwise, of old local ODs from PY returns. Down here in S Devon there are reasonably active fleets of both Salcombe and Devon Yawls, but neither appear in the PY lists, because they are nearly always sailed in class fleets. I'd be surprised if the same isn't the case with other local ODs, that continue to be actively sailed in local class fleets.
Peter
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