What features about a boat are important to you?

Not just because we're bored, but it's interesting to know what particular features about a boat/class you like and why.

Personally I like:
Fully retracting centreboards not just because of the beach but because of the less liklihood of damage to the case running aground particularly in races like the round island. (Ditto kick up rudders)

Adjustable Forestay, so the rig can be raked to depower on the fly, I think this is almost as important as the kicker, but many classes outlaw it stupidly imv.

Carbon Everything if for no other reasonthan it doesn't hurt as much when it hits you. But seriously better gust response and stiffer not as likley to bend permanently if you fall on the wiggle bits.

Semi Soft rigs, not all together struck with full batten rigs that power full on, or off and make start lines tricky for incompetent boat handlers like moi.

Trapeze capable, now I've managed to master it a bit, it's less punishing on the knees, not quite as less physical as you'd expect, nowhere near as natural as a windsurfing harness, particularly when gusty, but it's a great option to have on long beats on big courses.

Oh and being light enough not to put my back out lifting it, which wipes out most boats these days.

Edited by Cirrus - 02 Apr 20 at 12:43pm

other people to race properly against- 

which preempts the follow:

Edited by turnturtle - 02 Apr 20 at 1:30pm

For mean the boat doesn't matter it's about the quality of the racing and the size of the fleet. That being said affordable and cheap to run

I think I've gone off on a wants list here too, but what the hell...


I like it when there is a good craic in a class - the 100s have this; reminds me of Lark sailing in their heyday.


I like classes where success is not a function of chequebook depth.


I choose to sail at a club where a trap is untenable, 'cos it's rather shifty. But hiking boats are not all made equal. The RS100 is the most comfortable hiking boat I've ever sailed. And there's no kneeling down required either, which is a double-bubble bonus. The Laser also gives me no knee issues either but in contrast, a windy day in my RS200 always resulted in painful knees afterwards.


I'm with Graeme (eek, what am i saying?) on the pivoting boards, carbon spars and semi-soft sails.


I want the entry to spinny chutes to have an embedded metal bar so the retrieving line does not carve grooves in the fibreglass.


I want a mainsail that does not have an unavoidable hook to windward at the top batten in light airs (which the 100 and Laser suffer from) but still works in a blow.


I want sails to have the windows in the right place so I can actually see someone coming (yes you RS200 jibs)


I love the way a 200 planes in a blow with the kite up and I reminisce about the same in a 470 when I see videos of them in windy-day action 


I want Boris to repeal the EU rules that new road-bases must have those evil shin-gouging bars. I want to be legally permitted to tow my dinghy at 70mph and go in the outside lane of a motorway to pass ar**holes "cruising" in the middle lane when there is no one in the left-lane. Actually, I want a remote-control to a cattle-prod under the driver's seat of middle-lane hogs, but maybe that's going a bit far.


I want weather forecasters to give probability factors for their forecasts coming true, and their 30 and 365-day historical accuracy record, which might dial-down the Wind-guru effect, when they have to admit they are as often wrong as right.


Finally, I love my 100 and struggle to imagine having anything else as my main dinghy