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    Posted: 09 Aug 20 at 8:34pm
Originally posted by tink

1000 tones is the clamping pressure of the injection moulding machine. I have designed a plastic parts requiring a few £M of tooling so come with a little knowledge (my ex boss in the team that developed the Topper tooling) . Perhaps if you had two colours you would get cost increase of somewhere north of £50. Increase the number of colours and the increase will skyrocket. 
Makes you wonder how anyone affords a Hobie sail ;)
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Posts: 500 		Post Options Post Options   Quote L123456 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10 Aug 20 at 2:31pm
I had a yellow one and a couple of blue ones ... they also used to do limited editions in odd colours like tope and grey ... so it can't be that big a deal changing colours.

Also - it used to be class rules that the 3 middle panels on the sail had to be coloured; now they are all white ... 

Shame to turn it into a one colour only class.
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Posts: 8956 		Post Options Post Options   Quote Rupert Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10 Aug 20 at 4:02pm
I liked the stripy sails, just a nod to it now.
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Posts: 789 		Post Options Post Options   Quote tink Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10 Aug 20 at 4:50pm
As a counter poise, the Tera Pro is styled to look like an adult dinghy. If you’re going to increase the cost of the Topper there are probably more appropriate and appealing ways than striped sails. 

Also roto moulded dinghies are generally the same colour and it costs nothing to change the colour of them compared to an injection moulding (not sure many people here understand what an injection moulding machine is)
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Posts: 3420 		Post Options Post Options   Quote 423zero Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10 Aug 20 at 4:57pm
Still a couple of pink boats at my club, one recently sold.
Robert
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Posts: 500 		Post Options Post Options   Quote L123456 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10 Aug 20 at 8:20pm
Originally posted by tink

As a counter poise, the Tera Pro is styled to look like an adult dinghy. If you’re going to increase the cost of the Topper there are probably more appropriate and appealing ways than striped sails. 

Also roto moulded dinghies are generally the same colour and it costs nothing to change the colour of them compared to an injection moulding (not sure many people here understand what an injection moulding machine is)

I understand what an IJ machine is; the Topper was the largest ever injection molded panel at the time ... very innovative. The mold cost a fortune.

The used to change colours frequently so why not now?
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Posts: 8956 		Post Options Post Options   Quote Rupert Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10 Aug 20 at 8:26pm
Originally posted by tink

As a counter poise, the Tera Pro is styled to look like an adult dinghy. If you’re going to increase the cost of the Topper there are probably more appropriate and appealing ways than striped sails. 
Also roto moulded dinghies are generally the same colour and it costs nothing to change the colour of them compared to an injection moulding (not sure many people here understand what an injection moulding machine is)


Plenty of adult dinghies had stripy sails when the Topper did. In fact, theTopper was as much adult dinghy as kids' boat.

As the fun went out of beach boats as they became racing machines, so the colours became a bit boring - or grown up - or less uncool - depending upon viewpoint.

Note less uncool. Windsurfing was cool, kite fooling, cool. Uncool will still be there when cool has moved on.
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Post Options Post Options   Quote Guests Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10 Aug 20 at 9:18pm
Not many white windsurfer sails.
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Posts: 789 		Post Options Post Options   Quote tink Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 Aug 20 at 5:35am
Most of the new Toppers sold will be at the more serious end of the fleet and I doubt one single new purchase has been lost due to hull colour choice. So rather than add cost for no benefit for their customers the actual racing kit has been upgraded and a Topper offers a highly competitive package in a decreasing and competitive market.

The change of colour is not quick and easy, lost production, multiple part need producing to purge the old colour (these can be recycled but not easily back into Toppers but a lower grade product) inventory control of the plastic, I doubt they master batch so a silo for each colour, storage of the different colour hulls which is uncontrollable do to customer demands - the list of hassle goes on and on. Standardisation brings benefits for everyone. 
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Post Options Post Options   Quote Guests Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 Aug 20 at 9:24am
Hmmm, seems arrogant to suggest that there is no customer benefit to offering them choice.  The cost of different coloured sails is trivial and could be a costed option.  Hulls, granted, may be more hassle than it’s worth but it used to happen and they’ve always been cheap.  
If the majority of buyers are top end racers then that would explain a big drop off in sails.  The topper is the ideal holiday/training/family boat - there will never be more more than 100 or so serious racers but there are countless more below that level for whom £3k is an affordable toy.
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