RS500 ...

I think carshalton fc is right - this is a boat that is very likely to sit in the dinghy park and get used very occasionally and as far as RS is concerned it can still be a success.  There's no point in saying they should have bought a 4000 they are completely different animals.  There are many more difficult boats than the 4000 but you have to accept there are plenty of quite competent sailors who wouldn't be able to cope in the stronger winds and for them the 500, Vago, Buzz, 3000 are a good choice.  We'll see which dominates.

And for ifoxal - its clear we both sail at the same club!

Has anyone seen the MG14s sailed in Oz?  Look pretty sharp to me, maybe more of a 29er rival than RS500, but not necessarily - take off the kite and wire and you have a NS14.

Havin had a look at the boat at the boatshow it was very impressive looking and I think RS really have got it spot on. Looking at against the VAGO, no offence to the vago but the 500 looks like a modern racing boat slick and well finished compared to a bodged laser jobby with the vago in my opinion. What do you think our the advantages of both? Can't wait to have a play on the 500 soon.

I found it interesting to compare the offerings from the big 3 which all appear to be very similar in concept and target audience, Laser Vago, Topper Omega Vibe and the RS500. 

The overiding problem for me with the Laser and Topper boats is that as soon as you start looking at trapezing and using some decent rig control, you have a big problem putting the rigidity into a moulded boat without adding a lot of weight. 

 

The RS500 on display was the second prototype and has a new deck moulding which in my opinion looks very well laid out.  I believe the production boats will also have a slightly more rounded hull form.

Will it sell?  

I think we lose a lot of people during their late teens who have grown out of their Oppie/Topper and aren't able to campaign a 29er or 420. I think these new boats are well positioned to be fast and cheap enough to be attractive as a club racer for this audience and for me the RS500 is the cream of the crop.  In fact the new Vandercraft L3000 is probably second best in my opinion.

Anything which helps retains those people has got to be a good thing for the sport so I hope it is a success.

Ian

 

 

Edited by Ian29937

i think it looks well planned maybe not so much as the others i.e. 200 etc, but the only problem i can see is the hoist drop line running round behind the dagger board, perhaps causing tangledge, and that it only goes there and isnt lead any further back perhaps. Looks very clean though, and id definetly feel more confident about both the build quality of RS and the fact the fittings are less likely to rip out like the ones in plastic boats. And well the finishing of the product is superior with RS, unlike the Omega, the scottish national sailing centre has a fleet of these, and even the senior instructors ahve comented on their disappointment with the finishing on them,  they fall aparts and break very easily, the chute system DOES NOT WORK! be warned the ast bridge works itself loose and rocks under load. The mainsheet set up also twists very very badly with no foreseeable remidy. It just appears to have been a hull fitted out with little further teting or though put into its fittings. Something vaguealy reminissant of the Topaz "solutions" i.e. all the different rigs for the one hull. Good on paper perhaps... 2 boats id very much like the chance to sail are the xenon and the 500 just to be able to have tried all that the market has to offer in this area and go from there, ive heard nothing but good trhings about the xenon, although it caters for a slightly heavier weight range (why not try 3 up skiff style youth sailing to make up the weight, with the ethos of "start em young" ) as a fun boat though the 500 looks to hit a spot. Although at 6' 3" and just under 11 stone, you cant beat sailing a feva xl one up downwind on a 3 sail reach in a blow and a swell its like go-karting, the perception of speed is a buzz in its self, being so close to the edge of bringing down the rig around you is exhilerating