Multi-rig racing

Originally posted by NeilB-Phantom The point missed in the Yacht analogy is that when the conditions are such that you use the #3 instead of the #1 or reef the main your yachts handicap doesn't change.  So following the same principle if you sail an aero 9 and swap to the 7 when its windy then you should keep the handicap of of the 9 not that of the 7.  Or if you sail a 7 usually and plan to swap up to the 9 in the light you should declare that on entering the series and take the handicap of the 9.   It'd be like a yacht getting a new bigger spinnaker part way through a series, she'd have to get re-rated to use it.

completely agree.

If you start in a Laser 8.1 or Full rig and want to change down to say, Radial, for blowy stuff, not a problem, but you get a result with the same handicap as you started out with, or you get two results in the series.

In my experience, just finishing on a windy day can get you a decent series result sometimes (or often), so there is less disadvantage in starting 'big' and having a change down option, even with the 'big' PY, than going the other way for the light stuff.

What kind of person would buy a SMOD and then buy a second (different one) just so that they could win when it windy, whilst claiming the two boats are the same? By all means buy two different boats, but race them as two different ones.

I suppose the thing that concerns me about this outbreak of rig swapping is that its happening in what should be economical classes, so its making what should be the cheap end of the sport more expensive.

If a manufacturer announced a top of the range boat that would normally be sold with all three rigs, and clearly marketed as one class, three rig sizes, pick for the weather, then I'd find that a lot less disturbing. It would also be a lot less confusing for clubs.

The other thing about rig swapping is its best done on a boat with a kite, since on a single sail boat if you can possibly hang on to the big rig until he windward mark you want to because you gain so much on the downhill.

Maybe, he thinks to himself, if the RS100 stops selling it should be relaunched. Give it little folding winglets like some of the continental canoe classes have, say about a foot extra beam which would be enough to drive upwind a bit better, and play a bit with kite size so its not such a one trick pony. Play with the fitout a bit so its more of a premium option. Think about the rig sizes a bit so that they work better across the range, and bingo, a rig for every season. Call it I dunno, RS150 or something.

I believe that the Ent, in common with many sensible classes, has class rules for storm sails!

Whilst that's theoretically true, its also clear that people don't think like that. Almost all consumer technical equipment these days seems to be sold on low initial purchase price, high running costs.

Its interesting that, as I noted above, the RS100 ought to be a better candidate for rig swapping, but in practice it didn't seem that much of an issue even though the rigs were not readily distinguishable. I suspect that's because of the headline cost of buying the extra sail. Could be wrong of course...

Edited by JimC - 10 Mar 15 at 2:34pm