Are weight equalisaiton systems safe?

   do you have a suggestion for an alternative?  weight equalisation has meant that I'm able to sail boats that would otherwise not be possible (unless i put on about 4 stone and grew an extra foot!).  Without it, these classes would just be restricted to the big boys. 

Edited by Katie

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Katie Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Newbie Joined: 25 Nov 04 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 6	Post Options Post Reply Quote Katie Report Post Quote Reply Topic: Are weight equalisaiton systems safe? Posted: 02 Dec 04 at 8:05am
	do you have a suggestion for an alternative? weight equalisation has meant that I'm able to sail boats that would otherwise not be possible (unless i put on about 4 stone and grew an extra foot!). Without it, these classes would just be restricted to the big boys. Edited by Katie

Blobby Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Really should get out more Joined: 07 May 04 Location: Australia Online Status: Offline Posts: 779	Post Options Post Reply Quote Blobby Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 02 Dec 04 at 5:30am
	Has anyone considered the safety implications of the performance equalisation systems that the likes of the 5000s, 4000s, RS800s and so on are now using? It would seem to me that they haven't... When you capsize, there are two important criteria that make a boat safer. First is how quickly it turns turtle - the slower it goes the safer you are, and the second thing is how easy it is to get back upright and sailing again. With weight equalisation systems, lightweight crews are put at greater risk than heavy weight crews because of the lumps of lead they have to carry in the bottom of the boat. When you first capsize, the lead increases the speed at which the boat turns turtle. This is because it is way above the centre of bouyancy when the boat is on its side and as the boat leans over beyond the vertical, this weight is working against you. Once the boat has turned turtle, the lightweight crew then has up to an additional 20Kg of lead to overcome when trying to get the boat upright again - as if being 20Kg lighter than the larger teams was itself not enough of a disadvantage... The Tasar has had a basic weight equalisation system running for years. The basis of this was simply if you are lighter than 135Kg, then you carry ballast. I have been at nationals where a lightweight crew were carrying about 10 - 12Kg of ballast. When the boat turned turtle, they were forced to retire from racing as they had to have the rescue boat to assist them. With the lead out of the boat, righting after a capsize was easy... When a rescue boat is occupied having to get boats upright again because the lead in the bottom makes it impossible for a crew to do this unassisted, the water is less safe for the rest of the fleet. I can see the logic of trying to take weight out of the performance equation, but lets not do it in a way that puts sailors at risk.