Demise of Dinghy Innovation?

Well the so called 'failure' of the boards market that still outstrips dinghy sales annually and has morphed into other sports, kite, SUP, wing sail and is about to introduce easy access foil sailing to inland water by stealth sometime soon. The board market is alive and well and misreported, given the three large classes that have appeared since 2007. I give you the Kona, the Original Windsurfer alive and well in the southern hemisphere and the recent Windsurfer and Mistral LT, all tearing away everywhere there isn't an RYA crushing them and any attempt to launch something they don't appear to agree with.
Oh and right now? I've just had an all time record month for kite and kiteboard sales and guess what? No RYA involvement in the teaching programme.
Oh and a young female UK sailor has just absolutely creamed an Internation competition again and she had absolutely no input from the RYA squad system, just training from the best independant sailing club in the UK.

RYA?= Not fit for purpose.


Edited by iGRF - 22 Jul 20 at 12:15pm

I struggle to see much of a space for a new class.

The Aero, like it loathe it or indifferent (like me), has nicely filled the updated moderate performance boat spot, and with three rigs hits most of the sailor weight variations. High performance is dead, there's nothing to go there. Judging by "what boat should I get" questions the only thing approaching a significant hole in the market is "first proper racing singlehander that's also suitable for two handed sailing with partner/kids" and for all the reasons advanced that's a very hard if not impossible design proposition.

Innovation ought to be happening in the development classes, but they all have their rules problems that makes them tricky models. The Merlin is rule bound in a very odd (bizarrely successful but still odd) and expensive alley. The N12 is really too small for modern sailors and the rudder foils are a distraction. The I14 and Cherub have gone for the extreme end of the performance spectrum in an age that doesn't appear to be very interested in extreme boats. The Moths are obviously on a path of their own that doesn't involve the mainstream or mainstream budgets, and the International Canoes are also never going to be mass market, and both of them are extreme performance as well. There's never been a successful mainstream development singlehander in the UK, and yet that's where all the interest is at the moment.

I'm at a loss for ideas.

Originally posted by epicfail Does it matter, what developments do you want? It's sailing, find a boat you like and sail it.

Well yes it does, because after a while you just get fed up and do something else if you can't find what you want.

Originally posted by JimC There's never been a successful mainstream development singlehander in the UK, and yet that's where all the interest is at the moment. I'm at a loss for ideas.

I often wonder why that is, Is it that there's never been a 'box and sail' rule or motivation to achieve it, or have boats like the Moth just demonstrated what extremities eventually folk will go to?

I liked that idea that was being expounded on here a while back around the PY discussions for an 'Open' single hander class with limits at say 420 and 10 sq mtrs racing scratch.

But yet again, there's no body of folk, not already tied to a class association that would be invested in the idea of promoting such a class.

I've been thinking of 'extending' the Farr 3.7 for example, 420 would better suit my purpose, but the moment I did it, I can go nowhere, it becomes a none class, can't race it with no Yardstick, can't use the old yardstick.

Or I'd like a Contender I could lift without getting a hernia, I genuinely tried to get one built, they wont, they are physically constrained by class rules.

And people wonder why I say the Class system is constraining dinghy deveopment to basically RS sailing and the odd Insider with a track record like H2 and that is very risky.

You see the problem?

Originally posted by JimC The N12 is really too small for modern sailors and the rudder foils are a distraction.

Would be interesting to see a shape changing Hull, shape is adjustable to suit single handed or double handed, plus change shape to suit beating, running etc.