Change the PY System?

Perhaps measurement initially then use the current system or an evolution of it to reflect the actual performance rather than the measured numbers to dictate?

Originally posted by jeffers Perhaps measurement initially then use the current system or an evolution of it to reflect the actual performance rather than the measured numbers to dictate?

Perhaps.

Even better, actually rate every boat for it's optimum performance in it's ideal condition with a pro helm, based on a fixed distance and time, to get a Performance Quotient, which will be optimum and fixed.

Then rate helms on a sliding handicap scale, so a Pro helm would have to sail it scratch, a good - ish would sail off +5, +10, +15, then we all get to see how really good we are, or not, would settle lots of arguments and give us all something to work for rather than boat/class swapping, lots of us are still geniuinely trying to improve don't have or want the opportunity to have to sail One Design to have the placebo that it's working.

Edited by iGRF - 25 Jul 17 at 2:35pm

Dougaldog, you are quite right most of us are looking at the yardstick scheme on here, that was the origin of the thread.

If we want to look further afield, then I'd suggest bypassing measurement systems altogether. The cost and ineffectiveness on displacement boats has been shown many times, and will be worse with the randomness of planing.

So, what are we left with? The great British Boat Swap? 100 pairs of boats over a week long series of races, sailed by experts, where you get to sail every boat of your "type" - is, Solo sailors would sail Streakers, Lightnings etc, 49er sailors RS 800s, 14s and the like. We would get the relationship between similar classes very accurately, and between disparate ones to a reasonable degree. Just need a sponsor. Louis Vuitton need a new outlet for their cash?

Originally posted by A2Z Sorry, I just get fed up with the "it'll never be perfect so there's no point trying to improve things, and they're volunteers don't you know" line of argument.

Yup, but some may be fed up with the same "alternatives" being put forward time after time that it is pretty obvious will give worse racing. Measurement systems for Cats work to a point because compared to dinghies they are pretty similar, long, narrow displacement hulls. Outliers in the Cat classes struggle to get rated fairly. Displacement keelboat ratings from long ago worked to a degree, but bung in a planing boat and they are toast. Not sure any measurement system for yachts is better than PY, but I'm not following closely. How does a dinghy measurement system allow for something as simple as at what point a boat will get on the plane, when it will vary even within classes depending on tweaks of hull shape? If it can't, then it will be worse than PY.

So, that leaves us to improve a results based system. Most seem to revolve around the idea of what the perfect performance of a boat should be. A laudable aim, I guess, but given a boat's performance will depend on varying degrees upon the weather and sailing water, quite a tricky ask.

So, the assumption that the PYAG aren't trying to improve things is one I find odd, given how many changes there have been recently. The "they are volunteers, don't you know" arguement I agree is spurious, but paid or unpaid, they deserve respect for the work they are doing.

Think the scale was the other way round...