RS400 proposed changes

Its not my call in any way but in my view all SMOD's (and any other class) need to allow for some evolution.  No 'one design' to my knowledge has EVER been nailed to the original specification as produced on day 1 ... and that includes SMODs as wall as more traditional 'one-design' classes.  

The issue is one of 'reasonableness'.  'No change ever' risks class death just as might excessive change that leaves no 'reasonable' upgrade path thus making earlier boats totally uncompetitive.   Some changes can be to to resolve engineering improvements .. others because materials technology and availability changes over time... or the world has simply moved on.  Dinghy classes are highly unusual in that as a product they can have effective lives measured in many decades - very few products 'last' that long without total replacement.   

If current owners want / approve changes then frankly I do not see a major problem.  If any change reinvigorates the class, adds new owners  etc existing 'used' prices will hold up very well and may even increase.  The occasional problem is if the class 'sags' and becomes a classical 'cheapest entry'  one - then the price of even say a replacement set of sails, improved or as original, can be more than the boat overall is 'worth' ... the owners who got into the class because it became very cheap as is 'sagged' may become very resistent to ANY change at all - and may even be in a majority.  At that point the rights holders may have to write-off the class as a long term survivor or bite the bullet and 'lead' the class forward.

 A tough call either way !

Mike L.

     


Edited by blaze720 - 03 Nov 12 at 11:22am

I can't see a problem personally. The class voted for the changes, it's given the boat a bit of face lift without monumentally obseleting the cheaper end of the aftermarket and it's addressed one of the criticisms of its design era- no single string kite system. That's just made crewing them more simple- which is good, as it means that you can take a less experienced crew out, widening the pool of potential crews to pick from.

To put it in real terms, and please I'm not criticising the Icon, but seeing redders' 400 at the FOM reminded me quite why I've always liked the 400- it looks like a real boat, and also just as modern as the new design 20 years later, which I also like as looks like a solid yacht rather than a.n.other overcanvassed tea tray.

Great boats- excellent custodianship from the RS and the Owners- I hope it continues to be as popular as it has been to date.

Edited by pondmonkey - 03 Nov 12 at 2:03pm

I'm only joking guys hence the smiley. I agree completely with mike and restricted development or modification IMO is a must for a class to remain successful. The 400 is a smashing boat and I wouldn't look to far away from one if I was looking for a double hander with a mate.

When I heard that the luff curve was (allegedly) greater on the new sails, I assumed (again possibly wrongly)  that this was done to get round the tendency for the rig to go over the front with the spinnaker up in a breeze. If this is the case you cant really knock RS for trying to make the boat easier to sail when its windy.

Originally posted by Ruscoe Originally posted by Neptune Thought it was supposed to be same, just new cloth and me, do that mean the shape has changed??  Must piss off Rs400atC, if his OD racing is compromised by different cuts of sails!?!

As I understand it, we voted to keep the same shape, including set shape, of mainsail.
RS chose to add some extra luff round, with the fine intention of encouraging people to sail with more prebend, reducing the number of mast breakages under extreme downwind conditions.
However, many people are sailing with the same spreader settings.
I suspect this has given heavier people a bit of an edge, particularly on courses with an excess of tight 3 sail reaches.
In windward-leeward racing I think the difference is probably small.
In our particular club racing, we find that sailing with old style sails, we can still occasionally beat the new boats, apart from feeling that our previous slight disadvantage on a tight reach ( we are a bit lighter than most, and my crew is not that strong) has been exaggerated a little, nothing has really changed.
The new style sails are a small change compared with the variation between a good crew and an average crew. There must be some advantage in having a new boat, where all the fittings work properly, no scratches, no wear letting the foils wobble about etc.
Also, not only are my sails the old style, they are well used. Maybe our tired jib is having more effect on tight reaches than I expect, or maybe I don't concentrate enough on the processional legs?