My top tip is that it is very hard to make a Solo go faster than anyone else’s, especially in flat water.  So the winner is the one who makes the fewest mistakes (slows down the least and sails the shortest course) and positions themselves tactically well - rather than the one who can sail fastest in a straight line.  

I know that is generically true of all classes but it seems more so in the Solo as the hull shape limits top speed.

Oh, and don’t sail with the board right down - you get too much weather helm.

D+ vs Cumulus. You won't notice the difference. Cumulus more likely to be down to weight and won't crease at deck level in a bad capsize. D+ is supposed to have better gust response - having used both I would have a Cumulus I think. Weight range and bend numbers for a side taper cumulus and D+ are the same. Front taper cumulus is a bit stiffer - I have not knowingly used one of these. I currently have a side taper Cumulus and will be sticking with it.

If you are on the border re weight between to masts go for the stiffer one. You'll benefit downwind.

Rake.

If you are sailing nationals sized beats with between two and five well planned tacks per beat yes, the mega rake theory holds up. On small/medium pools you need the downwind speed as well and it is faster upwind to be able to tack on shifts without the boom catching your back and capsizing.

The Solo class is very fashion conscious and if you apply the basics to some of the fashions you'll find they don't hold up at all venues. Its quite a good boat as singlehanders go with good racing.

If I sailed inland on flat water I could probably get away with a Cumulus, but it becomes a handful when it gets windy and gusty.  At my weight I would not consider anything other than a D+.  The D+’s that buckled were from a particular batch from three or four years ago, I haven’t seen a bent or buckled D+ for some time.  There were also some heavy D+’s a while back ... I went to weigh one in at a champs a while back and the measurer stated that it was the heaviest that he had seen ... which is probably why it survived me driving over it the same day!

Sail wise the main players at the front of the fleet are HD, P&B, North, Hyde and Impact, you pays your money and takes your choice.  All have very good tuning guides.  The principles of rig set up are broadly similar. 

You could do a lot worse than searching for Charlie Cumbley or Peter Mitchell tuning session videos on YouTube to get an idea on setups.

Probably the must negative comments are about tacking and low booms.  I would submit that comfort and performance is rewarded by good technique, and whilst I used to return from a days sailing with battered and bruised shoulders, I have not been in contact with the boom for a long time after identifying why this happens.

Elsewhere someone has commented about centreboard positions ... this is covered pretty comprehensively in the North Tuning guide, basically it is very easy to be overboarded because it is so big (the joke is that Jack had an Enterprise centreboard lying around and used it), but in truth you will be rewarded with a balanced helm if you sail flat.

I have sailed lots and lots of different dinghies but I have thoroughly enjoyed sailing these quirky little boats for 12 or so years, nice people at Club, Regional and National level.

Hope that this helps, please feel free to PM me if I can help.

David

S5792 

I ask as I thought exactly the same as you, I had a new winder 2, D+ etc etc and sold it as its was second boat and replaced it with a much older mk1 which i've restored from a bit of a wreck. If anything I think the  2000AD Mk1/Cumulus/Milanes foils is faster. Its feels much, much smoother. And I wasn't slow in the mk2.

I now sail a Winder 2, I think it is marginally easier to sail than a Winder 1.  With more rocker it is easier to tack.  The Winder 1 seems to plane marginally earlier.  

The Cumulus is probably as good if not better than the D+ rig in F0 - F3.  It is stiffer and is good for heavyweights.  The set up is quite different as it doesn’t respond to sailing with the traveller down in the same way as the D+ rig, so one tends to sail with a bit more twist.  My reservation about the Cumulus is that because it is so stiff fore and aft I reached a point (I am 83kg) where it seemed impossible to de power and it had poor gust response.  

Also the side weld Cumulus required a different cut sail, then to go this route is to carve a lonely furrow.

However if you are heavier, and sail on sheltered flat water the Cumulus might have more going for it in my opinion.

I have no idea how the more recent front taper Cumulus masts perform.

Mine is a side tapered mast, possibly original to the boat.

Downgrading the boat was a real sticking point and I wasn't keen on doing it, but apart from the smoother feel I haven't noticed a significant difference - though it must be pointed out that i've yet to race it properly.