Here's a general thought:  Some of the most interesting and enjoyable classes to race struggle to attract a significant following.  Those that immediately spring to mind include the Cherub, Moth, Tasar, B14 & N12, RS 300.   Is it a British thing or the fact we mostly sail on restricted waters or simply we are just comfortable with the fact it is that racing that's important and the boat is secondary ? 

Given the behaviour of the sailors in some of the larger fleets I've sailed in, it's really rather pleasant that the 300 fleet has a growing number of competitive, keen sailors who aren't obsessed with protesting anything that moves. The racing is hard, close and competitive but always friendly.

The list of boats you've mentioned aren't exactly easy things to sail though - perhaps it's simply natural selection at work ;)

Compared to who? I think you will find that the UK dinghy fleet actually has a higher proportion of modern and high performance designs than most of the rest of the world, and in particular more than most of mainland Europe and the USA.   

But to answer your question: personally, I've always bought for the fleet and the circuit. The boat is secondary.

Well this is bound to produce a lot of "us too" comment !  So I must put in a word for the Blaze in this forum as most of our discussions are held in a 'yahoo groups' environment and 'active' must surely mean more than busy on this site !.  The Blaze class is perhaps one of the best 'born again' examples of recent years.  This year climbing up to 53 at the nationals and 29 at last wekends Inlands at Oxford.  The association and its members set out a few short years ago to revive the class and embarked on a programme of low cost rig refinement and a concerted membership drive - We got away from all the manufacturers hyperbole and simply got people to try the upgraded boat.  Used boats are highly sought after now and the earliest examples have DOUBLED in price in the past 2 years.  If  people liked the boat after first hand experience they quickly get hold of one and new fleets were born.  It's not rocket science, and successful class needs to have real appeal to a section of the racing community, be backed by those who love it and be prepared to change it if its needed.  The other thing we set down very early on was - never knock other classes in any way -  we should all be pleased that others race in whatever turns them on.  Perhaps those of us who really pay for it in the end should leave all the pushing and shoving to the manufacturers !    

In the meantime have a look at  http://www.blaze-sailing.org.uk / - www.blaze-sailing.org.uk  and maybe a quick look at the video extracts.  Even if you never intend to own one yourself, all are welcome to come along some time and give it a go as well. 

Cheers - Mike '720'

So there you have it! It all down to an enthusiastic minority, much like managing a lot of the sailing clubs around the country. Commodore was something that people proudly took on in the past, these days it can be a poison chalice!

The reason the slower boats appeal more is that they are accessable to a wider audience; makes sense really.

Everyone is looking for somthing that suits their needs which is why such a large number of classes can survive.

It's the people who sail the class that make the biggest difference ...

Rick

I think that is one of the reasons the "traditional" classes seem to do well is because they have a long history of voluntary labour to drive and administer the class.

When a new SMOD arrives they face the challenge of building a comittee of volunteers from scratch; this is not easy to do ...

If we use the RS300 as an example; it's resurgence is driven by the guys that are sailing it.

Rick

The choice of a class is a very personal matter. It all depends on what you want to do, and who you want to do it with. Let me give an example - imagine you want to sail a hiking, no-spinnaker dinghy (aka known as the thinking man's tactical racing option - especially down wind).

The person who wants truly international racing with a circuit of races throughout the world (Febuary in Nassau, Easter in San Remo, summer in Scandinavia... plus the occasional trip to Japan or to Rio), a class in which you can borrow boats abroad and still do well... will naturally gravitate towards the Snipe, despite the relatively low level of activity in Britain (although there are fleets from Broadstairs to the Orkneys).

The person who wants lots of open mettings but can't be bothered to have to much contact with Johnny Foreigner and their funny lingo will go for the English speaking option - the Enterprise. Huge activity here (including Ireland)plus the odd Worlds in India...

For the less travelled, who wants a friendly, family-friendly circuit there is the Graduate...

None of these remarks implies any criticism of the boats (indeed I suspect that the intrinsic charecteristics of the boat are laregly irrelevant), or the people who sail them. I just want to point out that the personality of the fleet, and the type of activity, is a significant factor in choosing a boat.

Now try the same excercise with other categories of boats...

Damp Freddie ... so I guess you will have to eat less pies and stick to the tonic water ...

What about getting an FD ... they look pretty good and it seems most people in the UK sail older boats so should be cheap ... plus they are pretty good overseas so you get lots of nice holidays ...

Rick