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What classes will survive ?
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winging it View Drop Down
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    Posted: 24 Jun 08 at 1:36pm
I think there were plenty of toppers around before the RYA put the yoof into them, and many were sailed by adults with great enjoyment. 

Jim is C is spot on with regard to the 470 - go abroad and they are everywhere, whereas a fireball is seen as an oddity.

A key criteria for Olympic selection has to be international status or availability of that class enabling countries worldwide to take part..
the same, but different...

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Posts: 1037 		Post Options Post Options   Quote gordon Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 24 Jun 08 at 1:57pm

The 470, as a French design, was pushed hard by the FFV at a time when they had a great deal of influence. Rmember the Olympics don't have to choose the best boat (though in the case of the Finn and the Star they did!), but the one that gets the most votes.

The killer argument against the Fireball was that the class was intended for amateur building and so tolerances were far too great to be considered a true one design.

Paradoxically, there are probably far more Fireballs sailing in France now than 470s. Ill have to check

 

Gordon
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Originally posted by NickA

If the RYA didn't put yoofs in toppers or oppies who on earth would buy one -

What a ridiculous statement!!

What singlehanded boat other than an optimist would you have under 10s racing?
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Posts: 120 		Post Options Post Options   Quote kevg Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 24 Jun 08 at 2:46pm
Originally posted by GarethT

Originally posted by NickA

If the RYA didn't put yoofs in toppers or oppies who on earth would buy one -

What a ridiculous statement!!

What singlehanded boat other than an optimist would you have under 10s racing?

RS Tera??? I bought a Taz for my son two years ago and he loves it. If I was buying today I'd get a RS Tera as a, better handicap and b, likely to become very popular.

 

Kevin
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GarethT View Drop Down
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Posts: 714 		Post Options Post Options   Quote GarethT Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 24 Jun 08 at 2:53pm

I got my son's first oppie for £150 - there are so many around that they give an accessibility any new design will struggle to match.

 
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Posts: 6662 		Post Options Post Options   Quote JimC Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 24 Jun 08 at 3:46pm
Originally posted by GarethT

What singlehanded boat other than an optimist would you have under 10s racing?

Easy, Spence's Firebug. very neat little boat...
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My daughter had an Oppy and got really disillusioned with sailing. I bought
her an Open Bic (less expensive than a decent Oppy) and now she's always
nagging me to go sailing!

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Posts: 344 		Post Options Post Options   Quote Philsy Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 24 Jun 08 at 3:52pm
[QUOTE=Philsy] My daughter had an Oppy and got really disillusioned with
sailing. I bought
her an Open Bic (less expensive than a decent Oppy) and now she's always
nagging me to go sailing!

www.openbic.com
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Chew my RS View Drop Down
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Posts: 790 		Post Options Post Options   Quote Chew my RS Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 24 Jun 08 at 4:00pm
In addition to the Oppie and the Open Bic, there is also the P Class (popular in NZ) and the Nippa (in Oz).  These days there is also the small Topper sail. 
http://www.sailns14.org - The ultimate family raceboat now available in the UK
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Nick Peters View Drop Down
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Posts: 192 		Post Options Post Options   Quote Nick Peters Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 24 Jun 08 at 5:46pm

 

 

Just to follow up on the exchange with James (Turnturtle) on this thread, we had a good chat this am and went over in finer detail his experience with the Vareo: I think it was really useful all round - one always learns something from someone of James' enthusiasm and experience. I explained that we have always been honest and done our best with the knowledge we had at the time. We hope to see him again in an RS - or maybe a just a Tera for the family - (picking up on the thread above).

Anyway, the problems all happened at the end of 2006 and into the spring of 2007:  We are well through that tough time now, affected boats either fixed and now successfully sailing, or destroyed. After wearing our hearts on our sleeves and suffering a pile of sleepless nights, I believe we retained the goodwill of the vast majority of our customers. Even the RS Vareo class, the worst affected by far, has bounced back and is enjoying a good year of sales - just over 50 have been built in the UK since this time last year.

 

 
Nick


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