The Dinghy Market...

It occurred to me we blithely talk about market niches and so on without actually doing the numbers.
So, using the race nubers in last years PY tables, I'm going to post a few percentages...

Single handed, no Spinnaker: 63%
Single handed, sprit kite: 3.5%
Single handed, pole Kite: 1% (Mirror, sailed singlehanded)

Two handed, no spinnaker: 7%
Two handed, sprit kite: 14.5%
Two handed, pole kite: 12%

Three handed, pole kite: 0.1%

(numbers rounded)

Edited by JimC - 02 Nov 15 at 10:21am

PY 800- 899 singlehanded: 1.5%
PY 900- 999 singlehanded: 7%
PY 1000-1099 singlehanded: 23%
PY 1100-1199 singlehanded: 24.5%
PY 1200-1299 singlehanded: 1.5%
PY 1300-1399 singlehanded: 7%
PY 1400-more singlehanded: 1%

PY 700 - 799 two handed: 0.2%
PY 800- 899 two handed: 1%
PY 900-999 two handed: 9%
PY 1000-1099 two handed: 11%
PY 1100-1199 two handed: 10%
PY 1200-1299 two handed: 2%
PY 1300-more two handed: 1%   

PY 900-1000 three handed: 0.1%

(numbers rounded)

Edited by JimC - 02 Nov 15 at 10:25am

I've classified short wings/flare as no assistance and very wide wings with trapeze.

Singlehanded, Trapeze or s/seat: 4%
Singlehanded, no assistance: 63%

Two handed, no assistance: 27%
Two handed, one string: 5%
Two handed, two string: 2%

Three handed, no assistance: 0.1%

(numbers rounded)


Edited by JimC - 02 Nov 15 at 11:08am

The categorisation is still tricky.

In those classes that have significant numbers of foam sandwich home builds moulds/jigs/tooling tends to be passed around from person to person, so is only really an issue for the first of a new design. In the Cherubs and ICs at least there are also building techniques for foam sandwich which considerably reduce the amount of tooling required. But frankly I'd be surprised if home builds make as much as 1% of the active UK dinghy racing population.

Then for a builder, although a proper mould costs as much to build as a complete new boat would, the saving in time in production and improvement in quality is that the tooling pays for itself after very few boats, I bet probably no more than 4 or 5.

I'm sure every class which has less active boats than it would like to think on the PY list will say that it only races in fleets. The converse argument is that the more popular the class the more fleet racing there is likely to be. I have no data to offer an opinion.