Dinghy Show

(in the case of the Blaze, after a substantial redesign of the rig) .....

For the presevation of the reality .... the RIG was almost unchanged.   The gooseneck was moved down several inches down the mast (10 minutes with drill and rivets)  ... and blooming 'eck a different, smaller sail was substituted....   Result - boat tamed and  manageable compared to the nightmare original rig.  That was way back in the first quarter of the Blazes history - the major part of the fleet came afterwards of course and the rest is history. 

I hardly think the big mnanufacturers of the day gave a stuff about the Phantom, that was the preserve of 'big lads' only at the time and of little or less interest to them.   The Blaze, EPS and 300 were aimed generally at the 'average'sort of bloke (and occasional lady) ... It was the Phantom whose rapid rig evolution within very liberal rules that then allowed more average sized blokes to sail it in light and medium conditions ... but I do not think anyone is then suggested the Phantom Class or manufacturer was 'targetting' the 'big manufacturers offerings....  are they ?

Great boat that it is  the Phantom has done very well indeed but it is not the only boat to hit the mark with the racing community.  I've raced them myself but prefer the Blaze (as you might expect!),  others will prefer the 300 and .... er GRF loves his EPS .      

Mike L.


Edited by blaze720 - 04 Feb 13 at 10:41am

There are still a few ToYs around, but very much in the preserve of odd boat collectors - it was too strange even for me, and I sold mine. The Bonito died for a reason, as I'm sure Nessa can confirm.

The Minisail is alive and making a slow recovery - there were 2 at the FOM, after all!

minisail.org.uk will give you info about these sledges, and GRF called them on another thread. He was being derogatory, but it fits quite well, really. Fantastic fun downhill/wind), a slog to get back up again.

The CA has no money currently, and there is no builder, so no point being at the show, but I was out racing yesterday in one of mine. Main opposition? 2 EPS's! I confess they are somewhat quicker, but the handicapping had the 3 of us pretty close at the end.

There are now 2 sail makers (R&J and Morgan Sails - Lasernut) and even a Minisail Max sail in the pipeline for a chap in France, for use with a sliding seat, boosting the sail area to 8.2 SqM.

Actually, not. The recommended trim is leeward float about half immersed. In winds up to about 18 knots you can achieve this by 'sitting' - after that you slide your bum over the edge of the tramp and sit on the windward float. This is what we call 'hiking'. I have never managed to get back in  from  this position, but some people who are mostly about 30 years younger than I have fitted a trapeze handle to the shroud and seem to manage.

I dont see the ramblings as trolling, just stating the obvious that dinghy racing has become increasingly disparate as more and more designs hit the water. 

I just want to point out a few things about the D-one, I feel it only fair considering we were the main brunt of Wetabix criticism.

1) Whilst Devoti sailing are a large dinghy manufacturer they are not of the scale of RS or Topper. 

2) Devoti build boats, much in the same way as Ovington.  The boats are then sold through a dealer network.

3) The UK association is run completely by D-one owners/sailors.  Its self funding and very, very different from professional associations like RS or Laser

4) The D-one has never been subject to any mass marketing propaganda ala topper, Laser or RS.  As such people buy the boat via word of mouth or actually trying a boat!

 

So to summarise, we are a standalone class amateur class association.  Everyone sailing in the UK fleet owns their boat (other than me) We are a small class marketed in a way to create a long term organic growth, being built on concrete footings.  making a fast buck does not fit with the builders, UK distributors or the classes business models.  So please do not use an ill informed brush to tar us in the same way as everyone else.

 

Oh and for the record, we will be at the dinghy show.  As a CLASS ASSOCIATION not as part of a massive commercial stand, which for the record for a very small new class is very expensive and incredibly hard to fund raise.  So please ask the questions before you chuck the knives, as a few of us work very hard trying to establish ourselves.