Dinghy development: Class Popularity

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Class Popularity

Printed From: Yachts and Yachting Online
Category: Dinghy classes
Forum Name: Dinghy development
Forum Discription: The latest moves in the dinghy market
URL: http://www.yachtsandyachting.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=11360
Printed Date: 14 Jul 25 at 6:01am
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 9.665y - http://www.webwizforums.com

Topic: Class Popularity

Posted By: JimC
Subject: Class Popularity
Date Posted: 26 Feb 14 at 7:56pm

Three measures of relative popularity of thirty of the most popular classes, all expressed as percentages. The table is taken from classes that are in the PY table.

The PY Finishes% column is the percentage of the total number of races used in the PY calculation. This represents roughly the number of races done by boats that finish in about the top two thirds of the fleet.

The Nats Entry % is the percentage of the total Championship entries for all the classes achieved by each class

The SJ Starts% is the percentage of the total number of event starts by members of each class in the SJ series

Class Name    PY Finishes%   Nats Entries% SJ Starts%
LASER             18.5          1.5          7.2
SOLO              10.4          3.3          4.7
TOPPER             5.7          7.2          3.6
LASER RADIAL       7.2          3.7          5.5
RS 200             3.9          2.8          3.3
OPTIMIST           1.2          8.6           -
MERLIN-ROCKET      1.5          1.8          6.5
RS 400             3.4          1.2          3.9
29ER               0.4          2.7          5.2
FIREBALL           1.6          1.4          4.1
ENTERPRISE        2.7          1.3          2.8
PHANTOM            3.4          1.4          1.5
MUSTO SKIFF        0.6          1.2          4.3
2000               1.7          1.1          3.1
BLAZE              1.2          1.1          2.9
RS FEVA XL        0.8          2.7          1.7
STREAKER           2.4          1.4          1.3
420               0.2          2.0          2.7
GP14               2.2          1.4          1.0
LASER 4.7          1.3          1.1          2.1
International Moth 0.0          2.0          2.2
SCORPION           0.9          1.2          1.9
RS 800             0.8          1.4          1.9
FLYING FIFTEEN     1.3          1.2          1.5
ALBACORE           1.3          1.4          0.7
RS Tera (all)      0.5          2.8          0.1
NATIONAL 12        0.5          1.1          1.7
WAYFARER           1.3          1.4          0.6
CONTENDER          0.9          1.2          1.1
SUPERNOVA          1.5          1.6          0.1

Replies:

Posted By: alstorer
Date Posted: 26 Feb 14 at 8:18pm

I'd love to have data on class racing at clubs- but I imagine that obtaining that would be harder than getting PY data...

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Al

Posted By: JimC
Date Posted: 26 Feb 14 at 8:25pm

I would have thought that the most popular classes would be the ones most likely to have class racing available and the least likely to be in PY races, but I don't know that I can see that in the data.

I suppose another index of popularity might be the number of boats of each class advertised on Apollo Duck...

Posted By: iGRF
Date Posted: 26 Feb 14 at 8:30pm

I seriously don't know why so much credibility is given to the Sail Juice series, it has little to do with grass roots club activity.

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Posted By: Presuming Ed
Date Posted: 26 Feb 14 at 8:32pm

How many classes still require qualification for Nationals?

Posted By: JimC
Date Posted: 26 Feb 14 at 8:38pm

Originally posted by iGRF

it has little to do with grass roots club activity.

Completely agree, and one of the striking things about the numbers was that compared to other figures some classes seem over represented in SJ entries, and other pretty popular classes were completely absent. In my Cherub days we used to have pretty big turnouts in the major winter events, and now the class has very few: its just what the folks in the fleet fancy at any given time I guess.
But the reason I put the SJ figures in was that it is a different sample of popularity. No way its practical to do a proper statistical survey of what classes are sailed where, so I thought it was interesting to take 3 utterly different samples...
In general though they roughly agree, and I reckon the top 6 on that list probably are the 6 most popular classes in the country. thereafter its a bit more random.
Reckon the Laser Association needs to sit down and think about why its full rig Nationals are so very unpopular though...

Posted By: craiggo
Date Posted: 26 Feb 14 at 8:50pm

The answer to your last question Jim, is surely that the Laser association encourage pure competition and very little social activity. This is not appropriate for the vast majority of club sailors who also want their Nationals to be a bit of a holiday.

Posted By: 2547
Date Posted: 26 Feb 14 at 8:58pm

All the people who did the SJ series will also be club sailors ... probably just the keener ones who fancy a bit of winter action. It is not like the don't sail in the summer.

On the PY figures what is the split between inland and coastal?

Posted By: 2547
Date Posted: 26 Feb 14 at 8:59pm

BTW for Lasers you have to factor in the masters nationals / circuits ...

Posted By: NickM
Date Posted: 26 Feb 14 at 11:40pm

Interesting stats Jim, (and well done for processing them - must have taken a bit of time...)

I think what the SJ stats show, unsurprisingly, is that it is entered by "keener," younger club sailors who have more technically demanding boats, e.g. the Merlin, 29er, 'ball, skiff etc., and who are happier than many ordinary club members with winter sailing.