Dinghy Show 2017

Originally posted by iGRF I think this is a woodbotherer thing, they are quite fanatical, I bet that Solo has every grain aligned and every joint perfect, it's what they do. Mental they may be, but send an ignorant layman to judge them you will have issues. There was an H2 there but I'm sure KC didn't even consider it entered. He's from Merlin world, they know about this stuff so his commentary should proably taken from that viewpoint, us Carbon Glass High Modulus fibre boys have nothing to say in all this. Note I resisted the wide open opportunity for misogyny ;-)

Hello Graeme, sorry I missed you at the Show on Saturday. I was rather looking forward to seeing you again (yes, really).
You are of course absolutely right on with your reference to 'woodbotherers' and Merlin Rockets. I have been privileged to see the creations of the likes of Spud Rowsell, Laurie Smart and Jon Turner being built in their works and these boatbuilding icons set a very high standard indeed. (There are many others of very good standing, but I can't list them all and the 3 gentlemen mentioned are best known to me).
Jon Turner, for example, is not only a master woodbotherer (he was apprenticed to the great Spud Rowsell) but is now in the forefront of the science/art of composite construction. The latest manifestation of his nearly 50 years in the trade was on display on the Merlin Rocket stand. If you want to see 'attention to detail' then I hope you were able to have a look at that. And not a gram of wood in it. He even made the high modulus carbon spars himself. Now if you want a good boatbuilding story, Jon's biography is something else.

Edited by Keith_Callaghan - 06 Mar 17 at 9:25pm

I think this is a woodbotherer thing, they are quite fanatical, I bet that Solo has every grain aligned and every joint perfect, it's what they do. Mental they may be, but send an ignorant layman to judge them you will have issues.
There was an H2 there but I'm sure KC didn't even consider it entered.

He's from Merlin world, they know about this stuff so his commentary should proably taken from that viewpoint, us Carbon Glass High Modulus fibre boys have nothing to say in all this.

Note I resisted the wide open opportunity for misogyny ;-)

Edited by iGRF - 06 Mar 17 at 8:03pm

Originally posted by Rupert Did the H2 come second, then?

That is rather mean spirited of you. The H2 was not eligible as it had not been on the water. See rules of qualification for the Concours d'Elegance.

Originally posted by Daniel Holman Keith, are you for real?Why can't you be happy for the winner? Rather than just nitpicking.I have seen an H2 in the flesh and whilst a nicely put together boat alright, especially since it is at least nominally a production boat, I could pick some holes in that too if I wanted to get all adenoidal.I wasn't there, and I am not sure of the exact basis of concours d'elegance judgement, but perhaps uniqueness, ambition, originality, ingenuity, back story etc are as valued (rightly in my opinion) as finish quality. Else I could buy something shelled out by one of RS subcontractors and spend a week on it with a polisher and win by rights. Which would be wrong. Mick Jagger has a sh*t voice by anyones standards but I would rather listen to the stones or go for a pint with him than any winner of the X factor, capice?

This is nothing to do with any other vessel. It is about what 'Concours d'Elegance' means. [Next part redacted, with apologies to Dan Holman]

Edited by Keith_Callaghan - 07 Mar 17 at 1:59pm

Keith, are you for real?
Why can't you be happy for the winner? Rather than just nitpicking.
I have seen an H2 in the flesh and whilst a nicely put together boat alright, especially since it is at least nominally a production boat, I could pick some holes in that too if I wanted to get all adenoidal.
I wasn't there, and I am not sure of the exact basis of concours d'elegance judgement, but perhaps uniqueness, ambition, originality, ingenuity, back story etc are as valued (rightly in my opinion) as finish quality. Else I could buy something shelled out by one of RS subcontractors and spend a week on it with a polisher and win by rights. Which would be wrong.
Mick Jagger has a sh*t voice by anyones standards but I would rather listen to the stones or go for a pint with him than any winner of the X factor, capice?