We race a 1720 (not club version) at Cardiff Bay Yacht Club.  We have a SBR result and an IRC result for each race.... have a look at the results http://www.cbyc.co.uk/ - http://www.cbyc.co.uk/

Fun & Fast & Huner 707 are not usually heard in the same sentence. Only consuder the 707 if you want Solent Fleet racing.  I recommend the B25 - unless your local course always favour asymetric kites.  B25 amoung the most exilerating boats I've sailed (particulary in a blow), should be able to pick one up reasonably priced.  Downside is you need to go to hot and sunny places like St Tropez, Lake Garda and Monaco for big fleet racing - The Italians are the stongest in this class

Have you actually sailed one? I owned one for several years and if they can't put a smile on your face, you are doing something seriously wrong. Apart from the Solent, there are also fleets at Burnham and the Firth of Forth.

Anyway to return to the original question: IRC is (of course) a cruiser/racer rule. Sportsboats will struggle and the higher performance/lower stability they are, the less they conform to what IRC rates favourably. From that point of view J80s and Projection 762s are closest on your list to the IRC type and Beneteau 25 is nothing like it.

I've sailed a Projection (just the once) and was a bit disappointed. Upwind performance was no better than a 707 and the rating is significantly worse. Downwind it was quicker but also pretty inclined to go bow-down and broach.

707s haven't raced much in IRC and wouldn't be my choice for an IRC boat. However, if you are looking for a cheap boat, I suspect you could pick up a reasonable one for sub-£10K, which is a lot less than you'd pay for most of the others on your list (I'm talking offers, not asking price). Talk to Impression Sailing who do most of the brokerage for the class.

Go for an SB3 Dino!

They are so fast when racing in a mixed fleet that you will be home in the bar before the slower cruisers get to the tidal gate/ turning mark!

This boat can be a lot of fun in a mixed fleet but is even better in a one design fleet doing what it does best....Windward /leewards... Not as boring as they sound when tides enter the equation and fleet sizes exceed 30! The class is anticpating at least 50 at Cowes and maybe more at the first European Championships on Lake Garda in June.....

Join the fastest growing fleet of sportboats in the UK.....Choose the SB3...You will not regret it...

However, he according to his profile he is in Ireland and he was asking about IRC racing. Are there any SB3s racing IRC? What's the rating?

You see thats what I hate about handicap racing............"What  does it Rate?, "How the heck did it get that number" and "thats not fair"....are all  the most likely words to be heard in any  bar that handicap racers frequent.....BOOOORING!

Go for the levelest playing field you can and choose a poular ONE DESIGN sportsboat that retains its value ....if you don't like it change it next season without loosing a packet...

If you check out the sb3 class association web site (DIY links elsewhere on this site)you will soon see that they have boats and fleets establishing all around the UK incl N. Ireland.

Oh and yeah OK so they don't do IRC much, but while the guy has an opportunity of changing his boat why NOT go through ALL the options?

One design fleet racing......The NEW REALITY!

We get it: you like SB3s. I also like what I've seen of SB3s. If and when I get another keelboat, it might well be an SB3. However the question was: "Thinking of buying a sportsboat/small racer with a few friends for some club racing in a mixed fleet of cruiser racers. There's no one design local stuff. Does anyone have any experience racing such boats in a mixed IRC fleet?"

So, does that sound like an SB3? What do they rate? How have they done in IRC?

I guess I have to give way to you Steffan.

The highest profile IRC race I can think of that has seen SB3's take part in would be the Round the Island....

I don't have the IRC rating for the SB3 but if you care to check out the last two years results you will see how they held up in two different races (weather conditions etc..)  The Y&Y magazine test on the SB3 included a "comentary" of the boats first showing at the RTI 3 years ago, in which it performed well above its size.....

Glad to hear you are considering one.

GLOBAL DOMINATION IS BUT A SHORT STEP AWAY!

think you should all have a look at these results http://www.cbyc.co.uk/yachtracing/documents/openclass_springseries2005c.htm - http://www.cbyc.co.uk/yachtracing/documents/openclass_spring series2005c.htm

They show (as I mentioned earlier in this thread) the results of a mixed fleet of Sportboats and Cruiser/Racers. You'll notice there's a mix of 1720s, J80s, Projection 762 amongst the fleet.

I'm not sure how much you can conclude from a dozen boats in 5 races, but the winner was a Contessa/33, which is very much the kind of moderate displacement cruiser-racer IRC was designed for: QED. I started yacht racing on a Contessa 33 20 plus years ago.....memories.

Ioanlavery, please say "Hi" to Kevin Rolfe from me if you see him. We sailed together years ago.

But not everybody races it in IRC e.g. 707 raced one-design and the SB3s sailed in SBR.

Not the winner yet !!   These are the results to date of the current series, you can look back at the previous series results by following the CBYC website.
I agree with what you say about it being what the IRC was designed for.

I will pass on your regards to Kevin this weekend