Is that it then?

Originally posted by 423zero really OLD design, does it need to be got rid of?

Well lets make a critique of a typical 50s design without naming classes.

Hull shape - unsteady at speed, not very manageable gybing. Favours lighter crews than 21stC average population.

Interior Layout - even though somewhat updated in recent construction is outdated and expensive, and having originally being designed with old school family sailing and construction in wood in mind has poor ergonomics.

Rig - old school rig has poor gust response making the boat unnecessarily difficult to sail in gusty conditions. Small roach and long boom make the boat more challenging to gybe than it might be. Sheeting angles not ideal, sheeting positions forced by jib shape (itself not positioned as designed) not ergonomic.
Batten layout tends to cause end batten poke and sails lose performance faster than necessary.

Foils. Unsophisticated shapes geared around plywood or sheet metal less effective than they could be, also increasing handling difficulty.

Hull construction in general. Many detail features left over from original design in wood, unnecessarily complex and expensive to build. Heavier than would be needed if layout were optimised for modern construction.

Probably no single old school class has all of these issues, but most of them have most. Now you might say that no current class fixes all those issues, and I fear you'd be right, but it doesn't mean it couldn't be done.

The trouble is there are other problems too. If you solve everything on that list, and especially the weight carrying, which means length, you end up with a boat that is a lot faster than its 50s equivalent, and may well be fast enough to make the boat unappealing to a sizeable chunk of its potential market. But if you deliberately slug the hull shape to bring the speed down, it loses the crisp feel of a throughbred and starts to feel like an unappealing barge.

Its not easy!


Edited by JimC - 23 Nov 21 at 8:10pm

Griff, tell me a better boat than a Enterprise? Light, easy to use, plenty of them, really OLD design, does it need to be got rid of?

Not sure if I am alone Graeme but I enjoy buying into a class, learning how to make the boat go well, make a bunch of mates, travel to events, have a laugh, be known and have some fun with people I get to like. Not really interested in moving every couple years, but maybe thats a "me" thing?

True performance dinghies haven't been selling well for years, especially adult ones. I expect the RS800 is as popular as any and the highest sail number I spotted in their 2021 champs results was 1247, and in the 2018 results 1232. 5 boats a year. Damn, I bet people are just queueing up for a share of that action.

What the sport needs is some 20 to 30 year old designers and boat builders to design and build what they want, not boats for dinosaurs like us.