Choosing a boat: RS 100 - How much space do you need.

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RS 100 - How much space do you need.

Printed From: Yachts and Yachting Online
Category: General
Forum Name: Choosing a boat
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URL: http://www.yachtsandyachting.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=13345
Printed Date: 04 Aug 25 at 7:26pm
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Topic: RS 100 - How much space do you need.

Posted By: EagleEyeEmpire
Subject: RS 100 - How much space do you need.
Date Posted: 14 Jun 19 at 3:20pm

Hi all,

I am looking to get a new boat and i am considering a RS 100. My only concern is that there will not be enough space where I sail to be competitive in handicap fleets, which is the only kind of racing we do. Any advice would be appreciated. I sail on the river Alde at Aldeburgh

Replies:

Posted By: Rupert
Date Posted: 14 Jun 19 at 6:36pm

You need 3 dimensions, rather than 2, so you can gybe angles down wind. How wide is the river?

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Firefly 2324, Puffin 229, Minisail 3446 Mirror 70686

Posted By: EagleEyeEmpire
Date Posted: 14 Jun 19 at 7:19pm

A bit hard to get the exact size, but fairly wide. It is easier to get a sense for the scale by looking at a google maps satellite view, but i would guess about 200m+ in the 2 places where we usually sail up and down river.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Aldeburgh+Yacht+Club/@52.1371255,1.5842348,2679m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x47da29ad4ee347e1:0x1a7198ee581bf8a9!8m2!3d52.1413889!4d1.5986111" rel="nofollow - https://www.google.com/maps/place/Aldeburgh+Yacht+Club/@52.1371255,1.5842348,2679m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x47da29ad4ee347e1:0x1a7198ee581bf8a9!8m2!3d52.1413889!4d1.5986111

Posted By: EagleEyeEmpire
Date Posted: 14 Jun 19 at 7:20pm

*Sorry that meant to say 300 not 200

Posted By: Sam.Spoons
Date Posted: 14 Jun 19 at 7:26pm

And what kind of courses/leg lengths? Assy boats benefit from long legs with no close reaches, ideally windward/leeward so you can play the angles downwind. If it's 'round the cans' consider a Blaze as an alternative, it might be a good compromise, they like long legs but don't suffer on close/beam reaches where the 100 would not be able to carry the kite.

You look to have similar room to Wilsonion on the Medway from Google Maps, maybe someone will be along shortly from there. I do know they have a good fleet of Blazes but a couple of Mustos and a 100 too in their currently running series.

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Spice 346 "Flat Broke"
Blaze 671 "supersonic soap dish"

Posted By: EagleEyeEmpire
Date Posted: 14 Jun 19 at 7:34pm

Usually there is a equal amount of long upwind and downwind legs on the courses, and other boats with spinnakers like rs 500s ext are still competitive, i am just concerned that due to the longer time required to launch the spinnaker in a single hander, it will be less competitive than a phantom or a blaze. Also I have been told that the RS 100 can be poor to sail upwind compared t other boars with similar handicaps, giving it a disadvantage in the handicap fleets

Posted By: Sam.Spoons
Date Posted: 14 Jun 19 at 7:40pm

I'd say if you want the fun of blasting with the kite up buy the 100, if you want to be competitive on handicap the Blaze would definitely be the better bet.

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Spice 346 "Flat Broke"
Blaze 671 "supersonic soap dish"

Posted By: Rupert
Date Posted: 14 Jun 19 at 8:29pm

With practice, hoists and drops will be fine. But will the joy of the blast down wind 1) outweigh the slog back up and 2) outweigh the annoyance of being beaten to the bottom mark by a "slower" boat able to pick gybing angles each side of DDW and sailing a shorter distance?

It may well do, and the days it all comes together will stick in the mind.

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Firefly 2324, Puffin 229, Minisail 3446 Mirror 70686

Posted By: rich96
Date Posted: 15 Jun 19 at 9:43am

Whilst assymetric classes generally sail windward leeward courses in class racing that is not their best for handicap racing.

Dead downwind is not good unless its very breezy. If you throw tide into the equation its even worse (you cant sail dead downwind along a bank etc the way traditional boats can).

Lots of reaches is far better.

Posted By: Sam.Spoons
Date Posted: 15 Jun 19 at 9:59am

The problem I have sailing the Spice is that sail too high and you're overpowered (small boat with a pretty big, full cut, spinnaker), too low and you lack speed. W/L you can choose the angles downwind for best VMG but 'round the cans' the angles you sail are dictated by the course so on the tighter reaches you'll be unable to fly the kite and on the deeper ones you'll be forced to one side of the course without any tactical choices to be made. Obviously a narrow river does change things.

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Spice 346 "Flat Broke"
Blaze 671 "supersonic soap dish"