David Henshall's article

True!

The Merlin does strike me as a slightly closed shop, difficult to break in to from the outside with difficult to interpret rules.

Development classes should be as fast as possible within its rules, but a one design should be as nice to sail as possible, not simply as fast as possible. Of course, it is hard to think of metrics for 'nice', so it is hard to quantify what a successful one design is. Taking weight out makes a design faster but tenderer. I have been trying to figure if there is an optimum initial stability for niceness, based upon metacentric height. A bigger meta centric height implies a beamier waterline or higher hull weight. Cherubs and Moths have very low (negative?) metacentres, wayfarers very high. Somewhere in between is a compromise of speed and initial stability. Merlin's probably have this about right as they don't seem to have a reputation for being twitchy but are still slim enough to go well.

Peaky: Patience ever patience and joy shall be thy share! Wait for Christmas and Part deux!

D

Originally posted by winging it I know nothing, but will 3D printing have an effect?

Nessa, I know of several boats which have had foils moulded in 3d printed moulds and several people I know have fittings for wing tubes on 14s and Cherubs that they have printed. The fascination with 3d printing does however often miss the point that simple geometries are often cheaper and quicker to produce conventionally. If someone creative got their mind around the ability to produce parts from the inside out rather than outside in, then we might see some interesting components being printed.

One final piece of info, the mast foot for the C-class Invictus mk 2 & 3 wings were grown on an EOS DMLS machine from Ti 64. The part cost was probably in the order of £250 +20mhrs, so not stupid money. Unfortunately not many dinghy builders would want to fork out the £500k for the machine!

A ravaging horde of ex youth squad cast offs bearing bent Laser top sections and 420 kite poles to bludgeon you to death, spurred on by the red-mist frustrations of not becoming the next Big Ben on the RYA pathway to oblivion?