RS500 ...

Yay 59er would love to have a go.  Thing is, I'm not a middle-aged man with a beer gut & a Harley Davison, which I believed were entry criteria for the 59er class ;-)

Do we think a used 59er could be modded for single trap use?  I'm probably too mean to go brand new (lovely though the Ovi boats are).

Grim

Originally posted by grimupnorth The possiblity that we will get beaten around the club racing track just because of our likely team weight is a potential turn-off for me & my wife.

Now personally I don't find the wrong weight thing much of a turnoff if I like sailing the boat - obviously otherwise I wouldn't have been sailing a Cherub for many years. Personally I'd rather be mid fleet in my IC than win [I wish] in, well I suppose a Phantom or a Finn might work for my waistline!

So, why, for you, is being beaten round the track for weight reasons more of a turnoff than being beaten round the track because the other guys go running every night, or buy new sails every three months, or have far more time to practice than you, or all the other factors that make for winning boat races other than what talent you are born with?

Obviously you're not alone in thinking that, because equalising weight is seen as a bigger priority than say limiting sail purchases by SMOD manufacturers. I can imagine a class fitness equalisation system where you have to run a 100 yards, and the boat gets a pound of lead for every bpm your heartrate is below 250bpm (or whatever) at the end, but I can't imagine people wanting to sign up for it. Or how about a system where you get the lead in your boat reduced 5 lbs for every inch of batten poke crease at the end of the short battens?

160kg is a good weight for a 505 and would be more suited to you than sailing a V3000, RS500 etc. Our all up crew weight on the 49er is roughly 145-150kg and we were told we'd be too heavy to be competitive unless it was blowing in the RS800 when we were looking at boats. We also chose the 5000 over the 4000 for the same reason previously. Raced 505s with the same weight range as you stated and the boat goes really well, plus the new rules big kites make the boat sail like a skiff downwind plus you have the added bonus of being able to run deep.

Originally posted by 49erGBR735HSC Our all up crew weight on the 49er is roughly 145-150kg and we were told we'd be too heavy to be competitive unless it was blowing in the RS800 when we were looking at boats.

Nah, I think at that weight, you are still sailing with lead.

I think too much emphasis is being put on weight. Yes, it can make a difference, but overall if you're a good sailor it means nothing.

Edited by simsy

Originally posted by simsy I think too much emphasis is being put on weight. Yes, it can make a difference, but overall if you're a good sailor it means nothing.

And if you're not a good sailor it means even less...