50S

Originally posted by davidyacht

   Theres are interesting contrast between sportsboats and dinghies here. Sportsboats seem to have a half-life of 2-3 years, which means writing off £100 grand every couple of years. An industry insider mate explained it thus; the rich corinthian guys get hacked off that the pros have got into their latest toys and taken all the fun out of it. So they collude and move on to the next big thing. The pros follow them (‘cos that's where the sales are to be made). Rinse and repeat, ad infinitum.
This is how iGRF would like dinghies to be. If he had Thanos’s bejewelled glove he’d click his fingers and every two years, every dinghy would pixellate and disappear and we’d all start again. But I’d wager 80% of dinghy owners spend more on their berthing fee every year than on their boat. And that half the boats in dinghy parks have not had £100 spent on them in the last five years. A big contrast to sports boats.

Dinghies are where there’s persistent class racing. Dinghies are where heritage and history bring cachet. Win the 505 Euros or Worlds and you have you name on the same trophy as Paul Elvstrom and many other sailing legends (no one cares that you don’t care about these things Graeme, most do and that’s what matters). This stuff creates virtuous circles for classes; the competition is hot, which attracts more top sailors But who gives a flying @#£& if you win an Alto championship in a field of 5?

That hypothetical finger-click would not result in everyone buying a replacement, even if presented with the cash to do so. And even if they did, Merlins and GPs and Solos and RS200s would blossom again. They all work well in their niche. So would 505s, not Altos. The Weekender/Laser/Kirby-Torch/ILCA, maybe not, but the *ero holds little if any greater attraction to me personally.

Oh, and anyone buying (or not) any boat on the basis of it’s PY needs to get a life, frankly. 