Boat Performance Index

This is why the class and builder specifically did not give a number. The class re-iterated the RYA has a mechanism in place for clubs to issue trial numbers which is what they did. The numbers varied from 1015 to 1045.

The D Zero is going (in fact has already) to have no trouble getting past that first, finger in air minus a bit number. And why, sensible builders and classes will avoid the pressure of naming a number, having learned from (even recent) finger burning exercises. No need to go back to the classes Dougaldog is thinking of.

Originally posted by Rupert The D Zero is going (in fact has already) to have no trouble getting past that first, finger in air minus a bit number. And why, sensible builders and classes will avoid the pressure of naming a number, having learned from (even recent) finger burning exercises. No need to go back to the classes Dougaldog is thinking of.

Originally posted by Woodburner I've owned a Blaze and at my weight the sail area aint a lot of different to the big sail and heavier person that's how it works.[---]It perfectly indicates even all your sad puddle based arguments, that the system is lake weighted in fact I wouldn't even go as far as to say lake weighted it is lake only, no consideration or average applied to consider coastal clubs.

Graeme, you are wrong!

Yes your reduced weight should in theory give you a marginal benefit in the lighter breeze, equivalent to soe increase in sail area for slightly bigger people, but immersed hull shapes dont always change much when you remove weight from the boat, and it could well be that a man of average size in the right position in a Blaze is actually creating a better immersed shape than you dwarf like stature sitting in the wrong place, plus you need to consider momentum and other dynamic effects such as roll-damping.

As jeffers has said the hiking position on the Blaze places your feet only sligtly further inboard than you'd be if you were on a trapeze, so why should it not be close in performance to a trapeze equipped singlehander?

The other comments re: RS600 being similar in performance to a L4000, ISO or 29er, are spot on. The 600 is slower downwind but is such a weapon on the reaches and upind that it can and regularly does finish amongst these boats. If you think this is some inland conspiracy, think again, I have owned a 600 which I have sailed against many two man, 3 sail boats and I dont sail on a lake!

Going back to the RS500 which you seem to think was much faster than it really is, I honestly cannot understand your stance regarding its performance. The RS500 is a relatively stable hull form which seems a bit weight sensitive. If you are even a fraction too heavy it just baulks. Its underpowered even with the big rig (10.5sqm XL, 13.1sqm S) when compared to 29ers, ISOs and Laser4000s so its pretty clear that its not going to be in the PY920 category. If you compare it to the RS400 (14.6sqm) which carries more sail power from its larger fully battened rig on a hullform that probably gives fairly comparable levels of righting moment but is a touch heavier, then its no wonder that the two are pretty even in handicap terms.

Sometimes Graeme you remind me of my Dad. Like you he was a salesman and like you has the gift of the gab, but frustratingly like you he sees technical engineering knowledge as an exuse or barrier preventing further advances. My father for instance still will not believe how turbojets, turbofans and turboprops work even though I have explained the physis behind them and I fear you would be exactly the same!

To get vaguely back on topic, I like the idea but sadly think it is doomed unless it gets the backing of the RYA or a new body to promote it.

We have too many classes. We have too little overarching structure. There are too many voices. We make boxing look unified. Anything that reduces the beauracratic diversity whilst maintains the freedom to chose the boat we like has to be a good thing.