Published Hull Weights

Polyester phantoms were always made from foam sheets but bonded with polyester. The variances in weight came about from Jeff Vanderborght experimenting with the internal construction of nearly everyone one of the first few getting better with each one. By internal construction this meant bracing, etc to get the strength where it was needed. 

Originally posted by Chris 249 Yep, it's a pretty Australian attitude, but it also seems to be a pretty American attitude (not just the USA, but all of it) and as far as I know a European attitude as well.

I've certainly seen classes get into a sort of rule change frenzy where they change the rules what feels like every two or three years, and that seems to me a very bad thing.

For sure there are equal and opposite errors. With a development class you can see classes stagnate, and be so well established in one corner of their box that there is no real devlopment going on. They can be successful like that, but seems to me you might as well be a one design: bit of a waste of a development class. And then of course there tends to be enormous effort devoted to really rather minor things, and even getting excited about proposals for ridiculously trivial rule changes... Of course if it works for the class, that's OK, its their ball, play with it how they like.

It seems to me about every 20 or 25 years is frequent enough for rule changes: that gives you an opportunity to respond to developments in materials and techniques which really ought to influence the shape of the box you play in, but means that there's only really at most two populations of active boats, which is quite enough. Otherwise you descend into a sort of anarchy where no-one knows what boat is what.

Interestingly we get the same kind of anarchy over here with the multi specification SMOD boats that come with half a dozen or more different rig combinations. No-one really knows what variety of Topper Topaz or whatever has turned up on the startline, nor what handicap to give it, nor even what class name to put down on the handicap return to the RYA...

You're probably right about how in some ways the multiplicity of classes helps... In a bit of a breeze I can have pretty much as much fun racing an RS600 with my Canoe as I can racing another Canoe, and in lighter airs, well,maybe something slower is a challenge to beat.

Not many classes publish the all up weight although there are a few


So how much weight can be saved if the class goes to carbon boom and mast + other non-hull alterations? 

Update

The problem with published hull weights is that they are like car manufacturer's 'curb weights' or similar such manufacturer supplied 'data' - I'd favour a system where a boat's weight is hull with all fittings, foils, spars and ropes (including sheets).  Long as you keep the mast down, relatively straight forward to weigh consistently and reasonably quickly at regattas.