RS300 vs Blaze

there has been talk of a assy on a blaze!how cool would that be mind you completly destroys the one design

Edited by feva_sailor

Originally posted by rich96 Originally posted by feva_sailor there has been talk of a assy on a blaze!how cool would that be mind you completly destroys the one design Yeh - then add a jib, some really wide wings, lengthen it to 18ft and go out three up ! Is it me or do these  sort of predictable comment begin to grate ?. Not every car is an F1 Ferrari and not all boatds hjave, need or would benefit from 'assys', wings, trapezes etc. If it aint broke - dont fix or modify it !

if you were thinking it was my idea.....its not

Paul is quite right the Blaze rig is now highly refined and makes the boat great to sail.  As for trying other options - we have always evaluated options in the class and have rejected many ideas after looking at them, only adopting the ones that make sense for the vast majority.  (I've even got a Blaze custom made Sobstad self tacking jib in my garage !)  It's easy to make the boat 'faster', 'better' etc but if you just want speed we'd all end up perhaps in 18'ers or MPS's or A class cats !  

Sure we've formally looked at carbon masts, classes should look over the fence from time to time  - and the association has looked at rotating versions as well and some individuals are even currently experimenting with spinnakers.  Does not mean they will be adopted.  There is a lot to be said for keeping things relatively simple, moderately priced,  fast of course but still manageable when it blows.  The boat is one of the few 'modern' singlehanders designs that really does revel in a good breeze and can carry its sail area.  Many recent designs have too much roach or overall sail area for higher winds in order to simply boost their light wind performance.  (10m is enough anyway!)  With our more modest roach and semi-soft sail we are often blasting around for the hell of it when others are back in the dinghy park or maybe never left it.   If you want large sustainable fleets the average club sailor should not feel too wary of stronger winds - they want to race not just survive.  Its all right advocating a 'challenge' but to my mind that should largely be a racing one not simply a handling one in relatively moderate winds - that's not to say anyone can just get in the Blaze and make it really 'go' - far from it and it really rewards technique.   In summary boats with relatively 'easy manners' enjoy large fleets and the racing within large fleets is a much more enjoyable challenge for most especially when they can enjoy the higher wind stuff as well.  Look at the successes amongst the traditional big fleet classes - Solo, OK, Finn, Phantom and I suppose the Laser - all moderate boats if you are the right size.  As a class that is where the Blaze association has always been aiming as well. Could we make it 'faster' - of course and there is a strong case for measured refinement, moving with the times when justified, but perhaps not a rig and sail area revolution.   

Blaze '720'

But the Blaze has a shortish boom anyway !  And my original point really referred to single sail  boats.

If you have a jib then fully battened can work provided the main battens are fairly 'soft' - the Tasar is a great example that still allows some feathering upwind but fully battended 'single sails' set-ups can be a right struggle when overpowered and don't dump power as easily.  The compromise 'semi-soft' main is now widely used by many single (Blaze, Solution, 300) and 2 sail designs (eg 800) because it allows useful feathering of the main upwind but has enough projected roach to give good drive in all conditions.  However too much roach and sure you can blade it off if its a good design but all it contributes is additional drag afterwards.  The excessive roach seen recently was on boats such as the Vago, and in the past on ones like the ISO (and the original 10.4m Blaze - you really needed to try one to know why it HAD to be changed).    

When feathering you want the leading area of the sail to be able to periodically 'collapse' but not flog of course - the leech still pulls.  With good sheeting this allows pointing angles to be maintained, the boat to be kept flat through gusts without changing boat angle or direction etc.  If you cannot feather then there will come a point when the main has to be eased excessively to maintain control and the pointing angle is lost - but it can still work if the boat can be planed upwind when going low by switching from displacement to planing modes (all depends on class).  However in higher winds still the point will again come when the need to dump power is critical and going even (too) lower reduces the VMG.

That said if it works for you fine - more than one approach can work in several classes - it depends upon many factors.  I do agree with you about over long booms.  Put a foot or two on the mast and take it off the boom would be a good route for quite a few classes. What do you sail JimC ?

Blaze 720

Feathering upwind is slow as hell in a boat that planes upwind though...