RS500 (Again)

Actually you're both right on the pricing. The launch offer for the openning season is £4995 to include the trolley and cover, so the road base is your only addition.

Next year as the class is more established (there'll be 75 sailing by the time the season starts) we'll revert to the standard retail price of £4995 plus the extras, making an XL spec (the bigger mylar sails) boat with a Combi and Top cover cost £5818.

Delighted to arrange a test sail for anyone interested, the boat is all finished and ready for evaluation.

This message just for information, of course, not commercial

Riki

RS

Originally posted by Xpletive Your wishes may be granted. Check out http://www.tasa.org.uk/

Good initiative, depending what basis it's run on. Could result in some excellent one-off events that the asymmetric trapeze CAs could include on their calendar. Maybe racing could be subdivided into fleets based on PY ranges.

If there's to be a membership fee, I'd like to see a draft constitution explaining how it plans to operate, and it's relationship with the individual CAs. Is it an asymmetric version of Fast Sail?

The committee looks a bit light, a Commodore and a Webmaster ... is the "Commodore" self elected? Anyone know what class Alex Ford and Emma Liddell are from?

Originally posted by Xpletive Your wishes may be granted. Check out http://www.tasa.org.uk/

sounds similar to the Scottish Skiff Racing idea, would indeed be interesting to see how it worked.

Originally posted by shark_bait500 What I was most impressed by was the ingenuity that had gone into the boat, for example, the trapeze bungee that doubles-up as the toe strap bungee to name a few. The full potential of the boat is still in its infancy, but the result I am sure will be exciting.

Ahhhh the ole trapeze elastic, though sadly more of a hinderance than ingenuity.  Perfect for traping feet when crossing the boat.  After crewing one ive since made both the 500s at my club change this arrangement.

Im agreed that this is an under-rated boat but i think you'll find similar reactions to most new boats, just look at the comments for the Vago and Aura (no ones coming to their defence any time soon though).  From my point of view it just seems that the gaps are covered and the holes have been plugged and so when we see another 2 man assymetric with trapeze boat coming out im sure some of us cant help thinking, oh not another one!!

One thing i will say for the 500, is it is possibly one of the easiest boats to handle in its arena.  Ok its slower than the 4000 and 29er, and not quite sure about the V3000 speed but its certainly a doddle to throw around.  A good learning boat for sure. 


Doug

There does seem to be a view from some on this forum that anyone who doesn't sail :

optimists, toppers, lasers, 29ers or 49ers (and maybe the occassional skiff "for fun"),

isn't taking it seriously enough and is disrupting serious class racing . 

However, (unlike the VAGO) no-one has managed to raise a single genuine criticism of the RS500 as an actual boat (except that its non slip is a bit vicious).

Were it not for the dubious singlehandability - I might have one myself.

Come on folks?  Is there REALLY anything wrong with it?