Design a boat for bigger sailors

I would have thought that we are talking about owners being 30+ and crew anything else, which surely must be the profile of most two handers.

Any younger as an owner and you going to be wealthyish and probably after something more exciting (RS800, 49er etc). Maybe an explanation behind the demise of high performance boats that Jim mentioned.

No, 18 yr olds are not the main target, but only that they are closer to it than 80 year olds.

Let's say it's 18-50 yr olds rather than 50-80 year olds (on inland waters).

I fully appreciate however that this first group will have markedly less disposable than the second group - but here lies a problem facing every single leisure activity in the UK methinks even, incredibly, golf...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-30657549

Originally posted by ChrisI but 18 year olds, on fluky, awkward inland waters, it is in a different ball park.....

"Hopefully the X1 and X0 will take over from the Wayfarer, a boat I've always enjoyed as a sailor of well-padded proportions. It appears to have the right ingredients ; lighter hull, carbon rig, easily driven, deepish cockpit. I've enjoyed creek crawling, lake and sea racing in the Wayfarer, as well as teaching plenty of beginners! Perhaps the time is right for a successor?"

No, I think the Wayfarer is an excellent boat that will be around for a whole lot longer.... a friend has just sailed round Britain in one - ideal craft for it (slightly modified) that will be at the Dinghy Show I believe - and there is no way the X1 would have been suitable for that!

Nor for teaching complete beginners. But once someone is competent then the fact that you can get three adults in (.... or 6 kids!) is cool, and in the dreaded very light winds is most certainly not boring!
It is much more dynamic than Wayfarer and, absolutely agreed, will not suit 80 year olds.... but 18 year olds, on fluky, awkward inland waters, it is in a different ball park.....

Rupert,

This is getting scary, we must stop agreeing with each other. But you are spot on correct to highlight the age dynamic in all of this. Although people may argue the detail, I think most of us accept that dinghy racing participation has been on a steady decline for at least two decades - maybe more.

But if you then factor in the age demographics, you have an even more worrying trend. There is a big chunk of the sport that is rapidly sailing over the horizon to its sell by date. Take those out and what would you have left..... I would suggest the answer is 'not a lot'.

Right now it is almost a dead heat between Part III of the 'Let us think about what we are doing' series and an article that has been on the stocks for a long time, which looks as the way in which many of the modern classes have not been particularly attractive to the older sailor. The reasons are many and complex - if you have sailed boat X or been a member at Club Y for a number of years, why change?

I guess that if you were a sailing authority that was looking for a radical overhaul that may well include a cull of a number of the traditional classes (as part of a move to reinstate class racing) then it would suggest that with a little bit of patience, time will do their job for them!

D