New Development Classes

Originally posted by Bumble I think the proposal is unworkable for the same reasons SMOD's are popular.

However its been brilliantly successful for the F18 Cats... The trick will be to learn what's good about that rule set and why its worked. The F18s seem to combine some of the advantages of a SMOD and some of those of a development class for their owners...

Originally posted by Chew my RS so maybe reduce the kite a little (17 seems quite big for a hiker?) and limit beam to 2m.

59er kite is 23m2! It would be nice to have that boat in the rule really, but I think that kite is too big. Apart from anything else its a lot of rag to hoist and drop when you get to my age... Bethwaite has a design principle that the boat should be powered up rather than soaking downwind, but I think the price of only being able to do W/L courses is too much.

The 400 kite on the other hand is far too small. I know, I crew them regularly, and spend far too much time sitting down in the leeside. 59er owners could always buy a smaller kite, and RS might not be adverse to flogging 400 sailors bigger ones, perhaps with matching masts...

Originally posted by Chew my RS Interestingly some of the Aussie classes set the kite limit by perimeter, not area. Not sure why, except it is easier to measure.

One of the other advantages of perimeter measurement is that its easier to cut sails to measure too. There's a lot to be said for simple rules.

Edited by JimC

I've been a fan of the Formula idea in dinghies for some time, and you'd think it could succeed if the manufacturers could cooperate. It could allow more diversity (something today's consumers seem to be used to) without increasing the number of classes. As an aside, though, is that it seems hard to find anything to confirm the idea that more classes = dilution of effort = fewer sailors. The logic is obvious, but maybe wrong.

But IMHO there are complications with a Formula. The "foundation" classes you design the Formula around will have to struggle about changing their OD rules to be more competitive in the Formula, sooner or later. Other classes will have a fight about whether to modify themselves into the Formula, and from experience with F16s that isn't pretty and can damage the OD class and therefore the Formula class that is relying on that OD class. Then again, if the Formula is pretty close to the OD set-up, experience with F18s and Raceboards indicates that the One Design classes that have a very high standard of sailing will keep on winning Formula events even when they are arguably out-designed to a tune of a couple of minutes each race.

One development class with an interesting rule is the German H Jolle, which seems to have a beam waterline rule that is pretty effective at ensuring the boats stay wider and more stable. In other classes (ie NS14s, N12s????) it seems that designers have got around the mid-section rule to create tippier boats. Some say the NS has suffered as a result.

One smart bit of thinking was done in the F16 cats - the specs were set up so that they are about as fast (in theory, under SCR and Texel ratings, and it seems in practise) as the F18s. That allows you to pretty much go level racing with the F18s, although of course each prefers a different set of conditions. While there is nothing directly comparable, it seems like a nice example of working WITH other classes, rather than fighting them.







Edited by Chris 249

The formula idea certainly has merit and if it could be engineered and proved popular it would probably lead to a big fleet common to many clubs with good longevity compared to a fixed OD.  If the rules allowed both individually built and manufacturer built boats then it would provide a good synergy of two sides of the sport that presently exist in v opposing camps...

Depends if you could a) get the manufacturers to see it as viable and attractive  b) get the general sailing public to accept a dev class. 

It's definitely a class that could be viable as the 400 becomes dated and companies look for a large scale replacement - it would have to be significantly quicker and less bus-like than the 400, maybe more a scaled down (beam-ways) B14??

Another niche is a less extreme dev singlehander with assym, maybe a scaled down phantom with kite?

T

17m2 too big for a hiker?

See the B14 - 29m2 Kite, 500 sq/ft of sail downwind, hiking all the way...

RS, Laser and Topper getting together I would like to see that.
Looks as though Topper are already using the formula rule with the Vibe(rator) to replace the Magno.