New designs

Why do boat builders always launch new boat types rather than promoting existing designs?  The dinghy market is so diluted with different types of boats that people don't seem to know what to buy.  The number of different classes available doesn't seem healthy for the racing scene.

Obviously design development is healthy and classes such as I14's, N12's Cherubs etc provide valuable advances and keep some people interested.  I wonder at the benefit that new boats that manufacturers like Laser, RS, Topper etc seem to keep launching year on year.  It seems to me that they draw a few people from other classes to them without actually bringing any new people into the sport.  This results in the diluted market and makes it harder to find good one design racing, which is without doubt better than racing on handicap.

IMHO manufacturers would do better by encouraging new people into the sport by promoting the stregths of their existing designs.  This brings new money and enthusiasm to the sport and provides better competition for those already taking part.

The sailing world has fallen for the Marketing mantra "New is Best",  of course those in know realise that this is not always true,  just witness the number of posts about new classes and faults with them,  whereas the strong established classes iron out design issues over time.

The big manufacturers also prefer to introduce a new class because they will have a monopoly on that design and won't be directly competing with another suppleer.  Most have at one time produced racing Optimists,  all now have given up and sell their own equelivent.   Most manufacturers also prefer to be able to control the class rules.

You may gleam something Steve Cockerill's from press release
"Some five years ago I was in the office of the director of one of the largest one design dinghy manufacturers in Europe, discussing the possibility of a dealership - where I learned of their shocking mission statement that the dinghy sailing pie was getting ever smaller and their goal was to use all their energy to take more of the sailing pie that was left than everyone else. I must admit that I did not follow his reasoning then, and I still do not. "

I have serious concerns that we are seeing a collapse of grass roots sailing through a lack of class racing at many clubs, building a time bomb.  Those entering our sport increasingly will start in a new design, but find no class structure or fleets at their local club.  They then don't get the support and encouragements that fleets bring,  so unlikely to use their shiny new boat much,  let alone go on the circuit,  just look at the championship numbers,  bar the RS200 all traditional classes. 

Strong club fleets encourage newcommers,  the real competition is not another type of boat but another sport or activity

There is a difference now in the way people use their leisure time. Compared to dinghy sailing's hayday of the 1970's people are cash rich and time poor. Whether it is true or not the image of dinghy sailors is that of white middle class pipe smoking middle aged men. That is not an aspirational image anymore and so is impossible to market, especially when you are trying to pitch it against other distractions such as Xbox, easyjet weekends abroad, golf and premiership football.

It is difficult to persuade a newcomer to sailing that sailing an Ent or GP is cool. Sailing a 49er is cool but beyond the reach of beginners. So to bring more people into the sport you have to have boats that are both "cool" and straight forward to sail. I don't see that from many traditional symmetric kite boats.

If you are seeking to stick with "established classes" then you are saying no to any development of the sport. And if that happens dinghy sailing will die.

New designs have always been thrust on the market and after the summer med season has finished and the boat show is over they are subject to the same Darwinian "sink or swim" as the others. Some survive, some don't. And club fleets are not God given, they evolve and grow and then maybe shrink and disappear. And handicap racing is better than no racing.