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davidyacht View Drop Down
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Posts: 1345 		Post Options Post Options   Quote davidyacht Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: Solo changes survey
    Posted: 12 Oct 19 at 9:55pm
The unique selling point of a Solo is One Design with some choices on tolerances and rigs that widen the range of competitive weights.  

Wooden Goslings, Beckets, Threshers all offer an affordable and attractive option particularly for club racers and I expect that in the right hands could be successful at open meeting and championship level.  To suggest that the way around these proposals and have a two tier class is disingenuous.

The only proposal that has any merit is the flooding tanks, and this should be trialed to see if it offers any practical benefits; the Solo centreboard tends to be beyond easy reach when capsized and if this tweak extends the age that we can keep sailing that would be a benefit.

Hopefully the NSCA Committee Meeting will knock this unfortunate diversion for the class on the head.
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tink View Drop Down
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Posts: 789 		Post Options Post Options   Quote tink Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 13 Oct 19 at 7:04am
The flooding buoyancy tanks is good providing it can be incorporated into existing boats including wooden ones.
I was at an AGM where the voted in a change to carbon boom. It was said to have no competitive advantage. When asked why do it we where told, oh it makes the boat easier to Gybe and therefore less capsizes. If that is not a competitive advantage I don’t know what is.

In a similar way because of flooding tanks being able to self recover or recover quickly after a capsize is a competitive advantage.

The idea of flooding tanks is an old one but I don’t know of any class that uses them. Wonder why they are not more mainstream
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Paramedic View Drop Down
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Posts: 929 		Post Options Post Options   Quote Paramedic Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 13 Oct 19 at 7:45am
Originally posted by tink


I was at an AGM where the voted in a change to carbon boom. It was said to have no competitive advantage. When asked why do it we where told, oh it makes the boat easier to Gybe and therefore less capsizes. If that is not a competitive advantage I don’t know what is.
 

This is what frustrates me about the Solo class.

A carbon boom will, without any doubt, make the boat nicer to sail. 

 Will it make it faster through the water? No. except possibly perhaps in very light winds. Solos have a 5 knot minimum so it's irrelevant.

Easier to gybe? Debatable

Easier on the head? Without question yes.

I don't think a good Solo sailor would notice a quantifiable speed difference in raceable conditions. Every boat from 1 to 6000 can fit one at the same cost. This cost would be around half the cost of a new sail. 

The class wont countenance it.

Yet these far reaching proposals that either cant be retrofitted through the fleet or will cost hundreds if not thousands to do seem to be getting quite serious consideration.

Seems bonkers to me. 
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davidyacht View Drop Down
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Posts: 1345 		Post Options Post Options   Quote davidyacht Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 13 Oct 19 at 7:57am
Where does the 5 knot minimum come from?  I have done plenty of Nationals, Nations Cups and Regional Championships in the past twelve years and I don’t recall a minimum wind speed in the NOR though ROs may have set their own minimum wind speed limits.
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ian.r.mcdonald View Drop Down
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Posts: 440 		Post Options Post Options   Quote ian.r.mcdonald Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 13 Oct 19 at 8:55am
Originally posted by Paramedic


Originally posted by tink

I was at an AGM where the voted in a change to carbon boom. It was said to have no competitive advantage. When asked why do it we where told, oh it makes the boat easier to Gybe and therefore less capsizes. If that is not a competitive advantage I don’t know what is.
 

This is what frustrates me about the Solo class.
A carbon boom will, without any doubt, make the boat nicer to sail. 
 Will it make it faster through the water? No. except possibly perhaps in very light winds. Solos have a 5 knot minimum so it's irrelevant.
Easier to gybe? Debatable
Easier on the head? Without question yes.
I don't think a good Solo sailor would notice a quantifiable speed difference in raceable conditions. Every boat from 1 to 6000 can fit one at the same cost. This cost would be around half the cost of a new sail. 
The class wont countenance it.
Yet these far reaching proposals that either cant be retrofitted through the fleet or will cost hundreds if not thousands to do seem to be getting quite serious consideration.
Seems bonkers to me. 


If concern is really about making Solos easier on the head, a sailing crash helmet can be had for under £30.

The boat is a ( very nice) One Design not a development class
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maxibuddah View Drop Down
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Posts: 1760 		Post Options Post Options   Quote maxibuddah Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 13 Oct 19 at 9:28am
A crash helmet does make your head higher meaning more chance of banging it. I know, duck further.....having gone from a Finn to a phantom recently I really do appreciate the carbon boom.

As for flooding tanks, a few new phantoms have them. I think all should as the thing floats too damn high To get up easily if you're not on the centreboard.

What I do for an issue of flooding tanks for the solo is that it only means more water inside the boat. Unless you go for a raised self draining floor you are not going to get the total benefit you may hope for.
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JimC View Drop Down
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Posts: 6662 		Post Options Post Options   Quote JimC Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 13 Oct 19 at 11:50am
Originally posted by tink

In a similar way because of flooding tanks being able to self recover or recover quickly after a capsize is a competitive advantage.

Except that with flooding tanks the boat will come up full to the brim with water, whereas without there will be a lot less water and so will recover faster. Flooding tanks seems to me to be a safety thing, not a competitive advantage.
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Rupert View Drop Down
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Posts: 8956 		Post Options Post Options   Quote Rupert Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 13 Oct 19 at 12:03pm
Still sure a flooding tank that drains outside the boat must be possible?
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JimC View Drop Down
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Posts: 6662 		Post Options Post Options   Quote JimC Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 13 Oct 19 at 12:48pm
I suppose you could contrive a sort of self draining flooding tank, but it would be heavy and expensive, and the boat will still come up with more water in the cockpit.
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Sam.Spoons View Drop Down
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Posts: 3400 		Post Options Post Options   Quote Sam.Spoons Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 13 Oct 19 at 2:45pm
Yes, not sure it would need to be heavy TBH and as Jim says the boat will float lower so will scoop up more water into the cockpit for the transom flaps to remove, a double floor will improve matters but will make the cockpit shallower and less knee-kindly. The Blaze and Spice both float quite high despite neither having side tanks and relying entirely on the double floor for buoyancy.
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