The RS 700, what is it like to sail, im now looking to get one as im too light for the musto i think at just under 11 stone but im like 6' 2" and the 700 has weight equalisation so is rather attractive. What is it like on handicap? Ive been noticing that the musto is consistantly out perfomring it yes and it has a higher handicap! So is the 700 handicap a bit unfair or are the musto sailors just soo much better (which i dont believe to be the case as even the best in the fleet seems to be being beaten by a musto on occasion). Can they be raced well at handicap level? are there any big problems with them? any one with any info please let me know...anything at all

thanks

Hi Chris,

I feel the handicap is about right against the majority of boats.  Have a look at the Grafham Asymmetric Slalom results and you can see we have our moments. Out of interest the 700's at Hayling sail off 820 instead of 858 and still win.

The equalisation works - we see people of all shapes and sizes winning in all conditions.  It really brings it down to who sails best on the day.

As a 90kg person If I sailed an MPS I would be sailing off wider racks which with the smaller sail area would give me an advantage upwind in windy conditions.  Conversely a smaller person would be sailing off much narrower racks and would probably be better off in the 700 in the same conditions.

I reallty don't want to get into another pointless 700 vs MPS debate so I'll say nothing more than that they outsailed us at the Tide Ride, which is a very boat handling centred event.

Ian

RS700 GBR912

p.s. the lone MPS at the Grafham Asymetric Slalom has only just started out so please don't draw any conclusions from his results.  Just look at the other classes.......

Ian

I agree with Rick, have a go, but also consider what is sailed locally. 

If you want to talk to some more 700 sailors we have a Yahoo group which you can access which is very frank and open.  Quite a lot of the MPS sailors are also members of this and all opinions are tolerated, so you should get quite a balanced perspective.

Cheers

Ian

Chris

I'm 72kg and when I sailed an RS700 in a F2-3 I was already overpowered upwind.

I didn't like the mainsail - feeling that the fully battened Musto is probably more stable and being around a square metre smaller - more suited to a comparative lightweight. Of course its possible that the RS rig wasn't set up to suit me.

I loved the speed and balance offwind with little or no lee-helm. I found it stable-ish (better than I expected), and easy to right after the inevitable happened. Gybing was not 'easy' but could be done and without doubt is an area where practice would be the key to success.

When the kite system works it is brilliant but it is complex and prone to tangles and user error! Maybe it just needs a bit of tlc to ensure its all in good order.?

Taking Ian29937 s point about considering what is sailed locally and looking at where you are based  - you might be considering the Scottish Skiff series. If so did you know that there were 21 MPS and only 1 RS700 in that series?

They do look good!

Hi Hector,

Did you try the 700 before we changed the equalisation rules to a 66% system.  The lighter weights helms have a much better deal these days....

I agree the kite system does need a little tlc.  In fact I've just written a nice long article for the next RS newsletter on how to get the best from the system as there are a couple of very cheap 'bimbles' which help enormously.  It certainly helps me to be able to sit on the side and pump the kite up and down whilst still steering.  For me the benefits far outweigh the risks for us club sailors.

Cheers

Ian

Again ... I think this is down to having a go in both boats and seeing what suits you. Personally for me the simplicity of the MPS system presents less risk as there is little chance of tangle or confusion when it come to dropping the kite as you approach a lee shore at warp factor ...

Rick