V3000- What a flyer!

Originally posted by Guest#260 Originally posted by mike10626 Datchet Water Sailing Club from about 1990 to 1994.  At one stage they were thinking of restricting the numbers because it was discouraging other fleets. Wow; I never knew that. How many race there now?

Between 0 and 2.  There are three university clubs who have them and occasionally get them out for a club race.  I still take mine out when there are no other RS500's and it's blowing force 5 to 6.

 

Off topic warning! Yes, the L2 pole is long and bendy, but the length is really nice - pity the Fireball doesn't have a longer pole like it. As to bendy - that is appalling - one guy was said to be using a J24 pole till I they banned it, though I think they've relaxed the rules now to allow any pole of the correct length, 2.5 metres - same as a 505.

Hmm, 0-5 RS500's at Datchet, then, comparable to the four 3000's we get out regularly at Wilsonian (double that this weekend). Realistically, I don't see us (or any other class) reaching club fleets with 100-boat turnouts these days, though. But we've discussed the class vs handicap thing to death on other threads already.

Haven't sailed the 3000, but the L3000 is cracking boat.  Rented one with my brother a couple of summers back.  The spinny sheets were a tad on the small size, but I think that sail has to go down as my best ever.  F4-5, 3 sail reach across the Carrick Roads... wow, total laugh despite having only trapezed once before.  It was great until, on about our 4th capsize my brother said, 'Err we've got a problem.  We don't have a rudder'.

Would love to have a look at a 3000.  By the way, does it have a more sorted spinny launch system than the L3000?  I don't know if it was the boat I sailed [old and needed some TLC] but I found it really annoying.

At the moment I would rate..
1) RS500 2) L3000 and very distant 3rd) Vago




Edited by Fans1024

Originally posted by Fans1024 Would love to have a look at a 3000.  By the way, does it have a more sorted spinny launch system than the L3000?  I don't know if it was the boat I sailed [old and needed some TLC] but I found it really annoying.

Think you were unlucky with the 3000 you were sailing. I'd rate the 3k chute as being one of the easiest I've used, with the proviso that it helps greatly if the helm pulls or at least holds the windward sheet on 'wrong side' drops. 'Right side' drops are a complete doddle thanks to the huge chute mouth.

But old, knackered sails don't go into chutes well in any class. I'd only sailed RS400's on holiday and found the kite impossible to get into the chute (ditto 4000); then I tried a friend's boat with a decent kite and found it no problem at all...

Originally posted by Medway Maniac Hmm, 0-5 RS500's at Datchet, then, comparable to the four 3000's we get out regularly at Wilsonian (double that this weekend). Realistically, I don't see us (or any other class) reaching club fleets with 100-boat turnouts these days, though. But we've discussed the class vs handicap thing to death on other threads already.

Ah ..  I now understand the attraction.  If you can get 4 or five boats of any class out these days you are likely to start raving about that particular boat.  It suddenly means it is worth going out for a race even if it is not blowing your ideal wind strength.

Sounds like we should agree to differ and encourage anyone from North Kent to sail 3000's at Wilsonian and anyone from West London to sail 500's at Datchet !  

What do we do for the rest of the country though ?  It sounds like you have almost 50% of the production run of the v3000 while we have around 5% of the 500's built (there are actually 11 in our dinghy park but getting more than 5 out at once is a struggle).