Classes fading in popularity

Just my humble opinion - a 70 x 30 add in the back of Y&Y with the class logo on it and the address of the class secretary does nothig to enthuse anyone. 

Why not save the money, but take some time to write an article for Y&Y complete with a few good photos and try to get a feature in the magazine.  Not a full page add - but even better (and largely free!).   Invite Y&Y to come and sail a couple of the boats.  Make sure the article also focusses on the CA and what is does.  (all the reviews I have ever read seem to be boat focussed not class focussed - just another passing thought).

Y&Y could maybe assist by extending the existing class features into every issue.  A copy of the article could also be made available on the Classes page of the web-site...

I saw a very old 5o5 on the Medway last weekend.  It was a pre shute boat, cold moulded in wood and dates from around the 60s.  It had brand new hitech sails, alloy mast and looked a picture.  Even at a distance you could tell it was an old boat by the minimal mast rake and transom sheeting.  We also have a very well sailed Osprey at the club which the owner claims is over 40 years old.  Both these classes are unlikely to fade completely, probably because they were both such good designs and now that they are members of Fast Sail.  The 5oh is still developing which helps.

The 470 is part of Fast Sail but if that ever gets dropped from the Olympics I suspect it will die.  It seems the Europe is getting hard to sell.

Just my humble opinion - a 70 x 30 add in the back of Y&Y with the class logo on it and the address of the class secretary does nothig to enthuse anyone. 

Why not save the money, but take some time to write an article for Y&Y complete with a few good photos and try to get a feature in the magazine.

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We managed to squeeze our Laser 3000 class events for the year (venues and dates) into the Y&Y Class Ad ... we only organise five TT events plus the Nats (which counts to the TT). We've not had a single punter turn up as a result.

However, the value of the Ad is it maintains our presence in the marketplace as an active association (we were in danger of fading into obscurity). It also gives an initial contact with the class for new buyers.

The article for Y&Y is a great idea (there has been much coverage of the Lark class in Y&Y, for instance, who were publicising very heavily at one stage but seem to have dropped out of the headlines again now.)

There's a regular club reviews feature in Y&Y at the moment. Maybe there could be a similar classes feature, which would keep us in the public eye for a while?

The article(s) could look at several 'typical' classes of different sizes and stages in their lifecycle: their successes, the problems they face, and their plans for the future. It could also explore some if the issues and opinions raised here.

Dinghy Sailing Magazine seem to be making efforts to raise the profile of the dinghy classes, so that might be a better alternative.

The problem with an single article is that it only appears in one issue. A regular Ad keeps it in peoples eyes, but mustn't be seen to preach.

A regular Ad could be helpful and point to places like the RYA Class Index for contact/web-site details and the Y&Y classes web pages for in depth information, whilst also trying to get key messages across, encouraging people to become a class member.

How about that association (with a small "a") of Class Associations to further common interests?

To which the only possible answer - yeah right, and a Tornado is cheaper to campaign??

But that is digressing.

Look at the article about Fireflies in this issue of Y&Y - answer back was from the builder, the class association was mentioned in passing but NO CONTACT DETAILS were provided - how does that help?

To me a good class & class association is also one that welcomes new comers.  Having done a number of events in various classes I can say in my experience this is actually very rare.  An awful lot of class associations are very friendly to the people they know...