Solo fleet still growing

Graeme you're a product marketeer- one with enough tooth to have had successes and failures, and you need both to comment with any degree of authority. But the point you're missing here is that few will buy a solo for the product per say, you buy for a class and class racing and in turn this is a self-fulfilling market. The product is, dare I say, a secondary consideration.

there's no question in my mind which is the nicer boat- the Punk wins hands down and if they were being sailed at my club, say instead of the Laser, I'd buy one like a shot. as Dan points out, the unstated mast is something that I now know would be on a 'dream unarig' for me (thanks Rodney!)

So what if I'm a bit heavy.... it's the class racing that appeals, and for the clubs in my area, for s/h, it's either Laser or Solo. Out of those two, which would you choose?

Edited by pondmonkey - 04 Nov 12 at 4:13pm

From what I now understand even those in the waiting room would be better off in a Punk, at least they could get back into it if they fell out.

I wonder how many people buy the kite gear thinking its a cool sport to get into, try 2 or 3 times, don't succeed immediately and then throw it in the shed for ever more. There are bound to be plenty of those within your figures grf. It happens plenty in sailing too, you only have to look around the boat parks of any clubs,  but that tends to be those older boats.

The thing is if the market were structured the way it should have been getting 600 units into it isn't a big deal, but it's not, it's lead by it's own consumer base all thinking they know best, which of course they don't, they only know what they have and not what could be.

We sell and introduce well over 600 kite setups every year and so I guess do a few of our competitors, that's because
a) Folk want to do it.
b)They want to do it now and not wait for months
c)There is someone enthusiastic selling them it and profiting by the sale over a wide geographic area.

Sailing might have a) but falls down on b) and c) with the result you end up with the sad lot that this thread is about.

but wouldn't the punk lose its charm if there were 50 of them?  It was lose 95% of it anyway as soon as Mr Holman wasn't sailing it.  He built it for himself, not someone else and it actually f**king works!!!  That's something I personally think surpasses any design goals or handling characteristics.

Edited by pondmonkey - 02 Nov 12 at 3:33pm