V Twin

In return for having lighter boats you may have to have a different attitude to handling them in terms of things like not letting the hull touch shingles, but then again that becomes easier with a lighter boat. And personally I can't see why anyone would put a racing boat on the ground because the chances of scratching are high no matter how good the construction, aren't they?

But it's a far step from saying that slightly lighter boats can be popular, to saying that we need to dump weight restrictions and old classes.

But the fundamental thing at issue here remains the 'culture' of dinghyists for clinging on to their 'minimum weight'.

I take the point about rig tolerances on boards, but point out that point loading from mast foot pressure and heel dents are different yet still stress issues that had to be dealt with. There was a proto M1 built by SP systems with aluminium honeycomb, would easily take a rig, that was 1980, it was close to 300 ltrs and weighed sub 18kgs. The other boards you referred to used heat presses to apply ABS protection to epoxy I was looking at them on the beach last night some are thirty years old and still look a lot fresher than this Laser EPS I've just acquired.

The discussion re rigs, other than the fine example set by the C2 rig for the byte, I've not seen anything where a company matches their *mast to a sail, although I accept there are myriad factors that dinghyists can apply to screw up any luff curve and the chances of them setting an appropriate bend curve to match that of a sail are pretty remote, I also accept it's the way things are done, however it doesn't mean it's necessarily right and correct to overcomplicate things just for 'effect' which I fear does go on a lot.

* I accept I could be wrong here my experience is still very limited and even now I might be pleasantly surprised this afternoon with my EPS set up. On the other hand my experience with the RS100 shows just how horrendously wrong they can get stuff even when they set out to achieve what we've just talked about.

 

Interesting ...

 

Previous post ...

 

Originally posted by G.R.F. ... although I'm not doing this for any commercial ends, ....

The majority of dinghy sailors sail one-design classes, whether in class or menagerie racing. In racing, the objective is racing against others not simple-minded speed-freakery-going-fast. If the appeal came solely from speed we'd sail cats or boards, Zarquon help us. But we don't 'cos it don't. So reducing minimum weight just adds cost to no tangible, worthwhile benefit. The same principle pretty much applies to some dev classes too, Moth and Cherub being obvious exceptions. But even then you are missing the point - velocity is relative: there is nothing speed-exciting about sitting in a jumbo jet at 550mph at 35,000ft  after all. The fun comes from being on the edge of control and that can happen as much in a firefly (try run-to-run gybing one in a F6 and a big sea alongside 60 others -  and don't get all condescending on something you've never experienced, such behaviour is simply pathetic) as anything else.

Even you have just admitted to a domestic over buying your EPS: why would the rest of the dinghy world be immune? "Darling I need to buy a new boat, so we won't be going on holiday this year. Why? Because Graeme Fuller thinks my boat should be 10% lighter, to no real benefit to anyone but we must all bow to his wishes." You may want to to start chopping down all Kent's trees, 'cos the lynch mob will be there anyday now.

Your motivation may be different from the rest of us, which is fine, but please to not try and impose your personal values on every one else.

And as for luff curve not matching mast bend, I think you've just libelled a whole industry. Their class action against you for suggesting they are negligent should be fun. Have you not noticed, even now, that design is a compromise when a boat/mast/rig has to perform in winds from 2mph to 35 mph and in sea states from flat to whoa, scary? Ye canna change the laws o' physics. Not even through the Y&Y forum.

Now I happily accept my top batten on the 100 wants to hook a bit in 4 mph, but I'll deal with that for it to work in 25+. Everyone else with a 100 has the same issue too and the principle, almost by definition, applies equally with many other SMOD rigs. Otherwise, i'd say the 100 sail and mast are matched fine: there are no over bending or other creases as you would get if the sail and mast fought each other. 

I was of thought some dead weight in the hull would help.  In my experience the lighter boats with big rigs tend to be the biggest PITA for shoredump launches, look what happened at the 600 nationals a few years back.  How many snapped masts???