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Originally posted by ianwat2212 Thats obviously why Julian Bethwaite went for the single wire option when he designed it, part of the beauty of the 29er is how well it makes the skiff concept work with 1 trap.

To be fair there were numerous classes (all but one solely antipodean) that had the skiff concept on 1 string quite nicely sorted on one string long before the 29er.

I've never regarded the 29er as being especially radical performance design wise. However I do think it's a superb exercise in talented production engineeering. To get the price down to what the parents are prepared to pay, still have a reasonably durable boat and keep the handling is an oustanding effort. You'd expect those to be "pick any two from three" options...

I guess it demonstrates the differences between the one design and the development class designer's challenges. To design a faster boat than the 29er within a 29er sized box is really quite doable. To design a boat that will sell better for all the other reasons is a *considerably* greater challenge. It seems to me that Topper, RS and Laser have introduces new boats that are more or less head on competing with each others but not so much direct competitors with the Bethwaite boats.

Incidentally I don't remember hearing about larger rigs or two strings from early 29er prototypes, but the first one was a fair bit smaller and probably quite a lot more twitchy...



Edited by JimC

And the next one ?  

It's little player, double tea-bagging is more ambitious.

OK then try this one... (bet it don't work...)

some of my mates did it at northampton open in 2001 i think, they were very good and found it unsailable (it was very windy) because the 29er was so twitchy. they didnt win any of the races against single wire. looked pretty amusing tho.

I am sure there were a couple of kids sailinga  twin wire 29er last year at Grafham...