RS500 ...

What do you base that on (other than UK)? In the USA, as an example, the bastion of consumer choice, dinghy sailing appears to be dying on its feet.

I'm not arguing the opposite either, just questioning your basis for that statement.

There is, of course, a constant flow of people through sailing, but I think the great majority of boats are bought by people already in the sport. Suppose you start at 10, stop at 50 and buy a boat every 5 years. That is 8 over the course of your sailing career. Add up the number of boats I've bought over the years and, what do you know, it's 8 (and I hope I haven't finished yet). I don't think I'm extreme in that regard.

Hence most raceboat SMOD manufacturers are largely selling to people already within the sport.

Despite all the erudite discussions of marketing, economics etc, we seem to be missing a point here. Do we want our sport to be run by businesses as a market for their products, or by sailors for the benefit of sailors? SMOD class associations are almost all driven by the manufacturer concerned, and guess what happens when the sales figures of a particular boat slow, or the constant drive for growth and "progress" mean a boat gets replaced by something new? Can't guess? Ask the Iso class! Or the RS300 class. Or the Boss class. Or...

A good boat is a good boat, whenever it was designed. Just cos it doesn't have a jazzy marketing campaign, seethrough sails and an overweight carbon mast doesn't make it rubbish. Has damp freddie ever sailed a 505 or FD? Both 50-year old designs, but two of the most exciting and challenging classes you could name. The only real progress in dinghy performance made in the last 40 years has been in downwind speed. An FD is still blisteringly fast upwind, especially in big wind and waves. The 5oh is a great boat. Both FD and 5oh have the benefit of a worldwide following, a class structure that is totally independent of any commercial organisation, and many years of development by the greatest dinghy sailors ever. Gap in the market? Where?

The UK dinghy sailing "market", like the whole UK economy, is based on consumer credit, and that bubble will burst, probably sooner rather than later. When it does, RS, Topper, Laser et al may well find themselves with a HUGE problem. No sympathy, it will be entirely of their own making.

Yes they are. You can question where the people who are running all these opens are going to come from if people are flitting from club to club though. It's clubs and club members who run racing.

You can also question whether people are still going to be so mobile in 10-20 years time. Increased congestion, oil prices, who knows? When you start becoming stuck in traffic jams at 07:30 on a Sunday morning on the way to sailing (as has happened to me more than once), you begin to think....this is too much like the daily grind.

That's right - you can theorise about any market dynamic or structure if you like but the dinghy racing world is only really a specialist niche at best.  A 'free'' market does have its flaws but what alternative could be suggested - "you all should  sail what we think is good for us all - and we know best"  Sounds a little bit like good old command economy thinking to my mind - thought the wheels fell off that one in 1989.  

Don't blame the suppliers - but they should also realise that the customer can be as equally unreliable in the end - and suppliers who produce too many orphans can in time suffer the consequencesmore generally.  Besides the 'golden' days of strict one designs being the only thing you were permitted to sail at some locations were not really that golden really.  You could get lumbered with some dated, hopeless old barge class "because it is good for the quality of the racing .... and its 'fair".  Are you really sure ? Club one-design racing may be in partial decline but people are much more mobile as well today.  They can get practice and handicap racing at their home club and 'class' racing whenever they want on the racing circus.  It's a different model but its just as valid and you get to sail what you want not what someone else imposes on you.  'Approved classes only' can work locally but the best racing is generally found on the open circuit in the majority of clases and posssibly always has been there.  You like your class - get out and race it at your club and on the circuit. 

I have not got a clue whether the RS500 will prosper or even if its a good boat.  It does have a lot of competition of course the V3000, Vago, 29er, even the Buzz and 420 have a lot going for them so it will be tough and someone could end up in tears.  However competition is the only model that works long term - edict (or even a big marketing spend) only in the short term.  May the best boat or boats win !  Internationally that might already be the 29er/420 but in the UK there just might be enough room for Vago/V3000 (which really does look the part) and RS500. All depends on how small a segment you can claim as your own. 

Mike L.

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