Dinghy popularity

I'm sure if it had been reasonably to build boats lighter in the 40's and 50's, all the classes would be lighter now.
People pushing new classes today seem to want cheapness, so end up using the same tech that's adequate for emulating 50's technology.

Honestly that Icon is a refreshing boat in a sea of overweight dross, if times were different I'd have one for the lake in standard setup, do a bit of Miracle bashing with it.

Hi Peaky

I think the maths has finally got the better of  you !!  Icon's main is almost exactly 10.0m and the jib is 3.5m ... er I make that about a modest 13.5m   .... your sum was 10.2 + 3.2 = 14.4 !   (parallel universe stuff ?)  don't know about the 400 but I'd say Icon was probably about a metre and a half less white sail less and is so so much easier/efficient with a carbon rig.  The 400 is great if you are both a tad on the XL side when it blows  - I like 'pies n beer' as much as the next man but there are limits to what I'm prepared to undertake for a decent sail !

Mike L.

Originally posted by RS400atC .I'm interested in the question, how light could you build a decent 2 person dinghy, without cost getting completely out of control and reliability becoming an issue?

Well that's an "it depends" question if ever there was one. Assuming you mean an icon sized hull rather than a N12 sized one, then what could be done to make the Icon lighter?
I don't think there is much can be saved by a different bulkhead and stringer arrangement as the internal structure of the Icon is well engineered and minimalist.
The mast, boom and dangly pole are all carbon, so no weight to be saved there. Carbon foils and tiller might save a couple of kilo's, but at quite a cost premium. There is no kite and hardly any fittings, so no weight to be saved stripping out (a bag of blocks, cleats and ropes is surprisingly heavy!).
Thinner hull foam? Hardly saves a gram and reduces stiffness.
Carbon and epoxy instead of glass and VE? Save a small amount of weight for more money, but assuming you want the same resistance to bruising the foam, you'll want just as many layers of cloth.
Paint instead of gelcoat would be the biggest weight saving, about 12kg. But painting is curiously expensive.

Maybe it's too subtle for you?   
As I keep saying, design progress is not just about designing faster boats, it's about boats that are faster to rig, more comfortable to sail, smoother to handle, more responsive to input, more tolerant, better looking, etc etc etc.
No boat design can tick all boxes, but I think the Icon ticks all the boxes it set out to. Maybe there are not the ones important to you, or maybe you just don't know it yet!