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Optimists and Sprit Secrets?
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Medway Maniac View Drop Down
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    Posted: 21 Jul 15 at 11:02am
Originally posted by Rupert

The shape is pretty good for blowing back down hill again, but the short luff not so good going the other way. Same could be said for the hull, mind, so maybe a good match!

I think you've hit the nail on the head there, Rupert.  The low-aspect ratio, low lift/drag rig is fine on a boat like the Oppie that has a very low boatspeed-windspeed ratio.  I don't see it catching on in America's Cup circles, though, where high-aspect, high lift/drag ratio sails are de rigeur.  For those of us in between the two, we need (and mostly use) aspect ratios between the two.

How best to adjust the sprit on an Oppie is, however, an art I've never delved into; interesting.
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Jack Sparrow View Drop Down
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Posts: 2965 		Post Options Post Options   Quote Jack Sparrow Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 20 Jul 15 at 11:27am
I actually think the sail (rig) is quite clever with good amounts of control with few controls. The biggest speed trick ( tricky bit ) is getting the right tension on the sail lashings for the conditions. IMV.
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Jack Sparrow View Drop Down
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Posts: 2965 		Post Options Post Options   Quote Jack Sparrow Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 20 Jul 15 at 11:21am
( just an excuse for posting pics of my boy :-) when he was little )

There is a lot of guff talked about Oppies, mostly from sail and hull makers, the parents buy it. Just like any other area in life, advertising feeds on personal paranoia. If you step outside of that you see that an old Oppie bought for £250 with a training sail pointed in the right direction wins races. Well in Sliver fleet at least. 2060 winning and placing second.




Edited by Jack Sparrow - 20 Jul 15 at 11:24am
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jeffers View Drop Down
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Posts: 3048 		Post Options Post Options   Quote jeffers Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 20 Jul 15 at 8:40am
The optimist is a fantastic little boat for getting young kids out on the water to purely muck about.

For the racing side there is way too much complexity and measurement required. A friend of mine (former international measurer) said it takes 4 hours to measure an Optimist hull properly. Let alone the spars, sails and foils.

Then once you buy new stuff you have to get it measured and then logged to the boat. When you sell it you have to get it removed from the log and the new owner get is logged to their boat.

Far too much admin IMO. My daughter just loves to sail hers round the lake with her friends.
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Rupert View Drop Down
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Posts: 8956 		Post Options Post Options   Quote Rupert Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 19 Jul 15 at 5:09pm
Forgetting the expense the boat now incurs, the main advantage of the sail is that the centre of effort is very low, while keeping a reasonable area of cloth. The sail does twist off, but controlling that twist is tricky, which might explain he expense of racing sails. A tiny bit of it, anyway.

The shape is pretty good for blowing back down hill again, but the short luff not so good going the other way. Same could be said for the hull, mind, so maybe a good match!
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JimC View Drop Down
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Posts: 6662 		Post Options Post Options   Quote JimC Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 19 Jul 15 at 1:52pm
It may well be the best rig for a shapeless vegetable crate sailed by small children. But, you know, so what. For whatever my opinion is worth the Optimist suffers from needless complexity, excess expense, too high an age limit and far too great an emphasis on national and international competition.




Edited by JimC - 19 Jul 15 at 1:56pm
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Do Different View Drop Down
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Posts: 1312 		Post Options Post Options   Quote Do Different Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 19 Jul 15 at 1:43pm
I take it there is no secret and you're not a fan then, any plus points?

Along with gaffs best suited to Norfolk Wherrys, Humber Keels and Thames Barges?

 
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JimC View Drop Down
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Posts: 6662 		Post Options Post Options   Quote JimC Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 19 Jul 15 at 11:31am
Any rig that is 'different' will have a different performance profile to the conventional, even if it's just unbelievably awful in light conditions and merely dreadful in strong. Similar variations will occur on different points of sailing.
Marchaj' observations of the crab claw style's behaviour have sent a few people down a funny path.
It's worth being aware that the way we in the West race our sailboats puts a very big premium on upwind performance which would not be emphasised so much in sail craft used for other tasks.


Edited by JimC - 19 Jul 15 at 1:49pm
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Do Different View Drop Down
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Posts: 1312 		Post Options Post Options   Quote Do Different Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 19 Jul 15 at 8:50am
Optimists. 

Without giving them fair attention I have always been "what's that, a box with an old square sail".

Now though having seen them more closely and often performing very impressively in big winds I have recently been "alright, what is going on here" .

Yesterday genuine measured mean mid 20s with 30knot gusts. The rig seemed to make sense to me, top was twisting off, nicely flat, power low down.

What do those with the "knowledge" think, is it so old hat after all?



Edited by Do Different - 19 Jul 15 at 8:53am
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