What classes will survive ?

Originally posted by getafix

Originally posted by getafix

kite surfing is boring in no wind.... but I don't see any 

lack of uptake in that sport! when I was 14-18 wind surfing was massive, 

we all bought boards and learnt to sail them but only ever bothered when 

it was blowing 15knts+, 

Many of the arguments people use for new boats are similar in some 

ways to the arguments they used for new boards. In windsurfing, the 

sport dumped most of the old gear- but it didn't benefit from it, it has 

shrunk to a tiny fraction of what it used to be. 

If the "we must change" line didn't work for windsurfing, why would it 

work for dinghy sailing?

.so what if "skiffy" boats are rubbish on inland ponds in no wind or 

completely un-controlable on open water in 9/10ths of a gale - it's the 

big grin you get out of them when it's not doing either of these that 

attracts.... wings, wires, assy spinnakers and carbon sticks all add to 

sailing enjoyment, not detract IMHO.

 If traps, wings etc add to your enjoyment that's great - but it doesn't 

mean that they are necessarily the way to go for the future of the 

sport.

I don't believe that if you offered visionairies of the past (I know I miss-

spelled that!) like Uffa Fox or Jack Holt modern materials, rig technology 

and sail-making know-how that they'd dismiss it and stick with stitch-

and-glue ply or wood/ally sticks and cotton rags....

 But Uffa, and especially Beecher Moore (Holt's marketing man) wrote 

a great deal about the need for and appeal of boats that even in their day 

were not leading-edge performers. The GP14 was never a really quick 

boat, but Uffa and Beecher and Holt and many of their contemporaries 

respected them and knew how they could help the sport.

That's very different from some people today, who say that the sport 

should just aim at a single vision, full of assys and trapping off 

wings.

 why does entrenched class loyalty in the dinghy sailing world colour 

people's views on the future?  you might LOVE the class of boat you sail 

now, and if that's the case I say great, if there are a huge (or small) group 

of enthusiasts who share your passion all the better.  I have sailed several 

classes for 5yrs+ because I like the people who sail them and I like the 

scene but I wouldn't argue any of them represents the future.By survival 

we're talking about factors outside of design - manufacturing, 

proliferation, class assoc's, support, funding, standards of competition, 

accessibility.... but if we're talking about where dinghy sailing should go 

in the future then "changing rooms" make overs of old designs like the 

470 isn't the answer.

 But why change all the boats? The first two one-design dinghy 

classes ever created are both still racing today. The very first international 

one design dinghy is more popular than the Moth, which is similar in 

length. It's not as if good older classes have to die, or should die.

If you look for the future of the sport, wouldn't you look at the popular 

and biggest-selling classes that are not suffering slumps in sales? That 

list would be topped by the Opti and the Laser, from the '40s and '60s.

Maybe dinghy sailing isn't like other sports; maybe we don't have to 

chuck all the old boats. Considering that sailing  is very successful in 

some ways (despite little support and expensive gear, it's a very popular 

sport) maybe we're not doing it wrong?

Edited by Chris 249