contenders
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=13432
Printed Date: 29 Jun 25 at 7:09am
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 9.665y - http://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: contenders
Posted By: NickA
Subject: contenders
Date Posted: 10 Oct 19 at 7:33pm
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anyone know the approximate build dates and the builder of contenders by sail number? I know it went from Ronstan, to Wavelength (Bob Hoare), Wavelength (Chris Somner) then Hartleys (plus the european and australian builders) ... but when did each change happen and why do the sail numbers jump from around 720 to 2000? I might like to buy one, is all and would like to know what I'd be getting! ------------- Javelin 558 Contender 2574 |
Replies:
Posted By: ian.r.mcdonald
Date Posted: 10 Oct 19 at 8:10pm
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The sail number " jump" was after I sold my last boat. Originally Uk sail numbers were just for UK boats which was unfair as it made the class look less popular. The jump in number was because worldwide boats were all taken into account.
Worth speaking to Mark Hartley. Contender sailor, nice guy and as the builder he may have some number records |
Posted By: NickA
Date Posted: 10 Oct 19 at 10:01pm
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I was talking to Mark on Saturday ( his shop is down the road) .. I forgot to ask about the number jump.
He has a beauty for sale, but £11500 is WAY beyond my budget ( or ability! )... Think we concluded I want a carbon rigged Chris Somner Wavelength one. ------------- Javelin 558 Contender 2574 |
Posted By: ian.r.mcdonald
Date Posted: 11 Oct 19 at 7:06am
| Good choice |
Posted By: Gordon 1430
Date Posted: 11 Oct 19 at 7:25am
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There is an Bonetti boat on facebook looks great. https://www.facebook.com/groups/dinghies/ ------------- Gordon Phantom 1430 |
Posted By: PeterG
Date Posted: 11 Oct 19 at 9:16am
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UK boats used to use a UK sail number as well as having an international hull number. Some years ago it was decided the hull number should also be used for the sail number. It gave international consistency, and also overnight increased the apparent number of Contenders by 3-4 fold! ------------- Peter Ex Cont 707 Ex Laser 189635 DY 59 |
Posted By: Dougaldog
Date Posted: 11 Oct 19 at 10:05am
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Nick A - a decade ago now I did the history of the Contender and am just finishing a full rewrite that will come out as a 50th World Championships special. If you hop over to facebook and look for 'Still Hooked On' (the working title of the book - the original of course was just 'Hooked On') you'll find loads of stuff sailors are sending in on the story of the class. I also suggest that you read the latest piece I've done for this Y&Y website on shape shifting as there are some crucial facts set out there on how the 'fast' hull shape developed from the original one penned by Bob Miller (with a lot of help from people in the UK but you'll have to wait on the book for that story). Today - with pro-grip and modern fittings, the Contender is a much kinder boat to sail than it was back in the 1970s, when it could be a right sod (I still have the scars to prove it) but for a hopeful sailor today, you have essentially two choices. Get a real cheapie -say, sub £750 and get the knack of sailing the boat but in the knowledge that you'll end up needing a change at the end of the year. Or, fork out something in the region of £2000 and buy a Wavelength - all grp so little in the way of maintenance issues. Although called Wavelength, they were built by Ian Ridge and are a very quick hull shape, Ian certainly knew how to build quick boats that last well. There's a nice Wavelength for sale at Netley, I was RO for the Contender Open there this weekend and the boat still looks good.....plus a near sister ship had the boatspeed to win one of the races. The Bonezzi's are wonderful and look amazing out on the water but in the early stages, when you're clambering all over the hull - as everyone does - you'll be glad of that grp. Enjoy - a fantastic boat Dougal Hooked On/Still Hooked On
------------- Dougal H |
Posted By: Dougaldog
Date Posted: 11 Oct 19 at 10:15am
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Oh....and as regards the numbering - it used to be on the basis of national fleets, so you would have K160 v I 11 , aussie boats were KA, Rhodesian one (big fleet there at one time) KR and so on. Then came the move to use IYRU plaque numbers instead, so the sail number became that plus the country code… GBR 2349 etc.....though it has to be said that some have been granted permission to keep their old sail numbers - just as with the Finns! Dougal Hooked On/Still Hooked On ------------- Dougal H |
Posted By: ian.r.mcdonald
Date Posted: 11 Oct 19 at 12:45pm
| The Bonezzi hull is a thing of beauty. As David suggests, the combination of a work of art, a trapeze hook and someone getting used to the class is a brave choice to take. |
Posted By: E.J.
Date Posted: 11 Oct 19 at 6:59pm
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As far as uk boat builders go in reverse order; you have our current builder Hartley boat from sail no 2700 in epoxy only, before that it was Chris Somner in epoxy from 2550 and GRP from 2361, before that Bob Hoare in a mix of composite and GRP from SN 667 (uk numbering), before that it was ridge/wavelength from SN 616 (uk) any thing in GRP before that will be Rondar ( 2 marks) these over lapped with The ridge boat until the later 600 sn’s. All uk builder have used variations on the same moulds however Hartleys have completely retooled.
In the uk you will still also find many wooden Bonezzi of all ages as the last forever, epoxy Bonezzi’s from about 2009, and shappi’s ftom Germany. All boats from 600 ish will be competitive as long as they are down to weight with a carbon rig. Uk sail numbers went upto GBR 720 and the started at GBR 2315 in 2006 (although there is small amount of overlap), other countries allow personal number (DEN, NED, ITA) which adds to the confusion. ------------- |
Posted By: NickA
Date Posted: 12 Oct 19 at 9:03am
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Thanks for all the info folks. I have my eye on one now ... but it's a long way from home.
That bonezzi is ridiculously lovely, but I'd be so scared of damaging it ( trap hook score along the deck etc ). I note that the best Danish sailor sails den 1 ... Presumably not the first ever contender then! ------------- Javelin 558 Contender 2574 |
Posted By: boatshed
Date Posted: 12 Oct 19 at 5:28pm
You could use a key ball trapeze harness. I do on my Contender and after a while you get used to it and trust it. Far less lightly to damage the deck and foils. Also, safer. I changed because I managed to get the harness' hook stuck through the centre main jammer's rope lead-eye during a gybe. Fortunately, it was about 6 knots of wind at the time but it wasn't easy to free my self. To this day I don't know how I managed it but one does need to crouch down really low tacking and gybing and the centre main jammer is high up on a tower. Anyway, it got my attention and I changed to the key ball. I think using the key ball with 'tack sticks' probably wouldn't work. ------------- Steve |
Posted By: iGRF
Date Posted: 13 Oct 19 at 3:32pm
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OK so who was it that stole that lovely white Somner at £3200? Not like me to hesitate but I thought it was just too good to be true and it obviously was - Gone. ------------- https://www.corekite.co.uk/snow-accessories-11-c.asp" rel="nofollow - Snow Equipment Deals https://www.corekite.co.uk" rel="nofollow - New Core Kite website |
Posted By: fleaberto
Date Posted: 14 Oct 19 at 2:15pm
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So, the hull plaque on a contender doesn't need to match the sail number? I have plaque number 1720 but a sail number of 620 .... From this thread that would seem perfectly normal then? By the way, the learning curve isn't massively steep so don't be disheartened - just get to some yoga classes to figure out the human origami needed to get under the boom  ------------- Lightning368 'All the Gear' (409), Lightning368 'Sprite' (101), Laser (big number) 'Yellow Jack', RS Vareo (432)'The Golden Rays' |
Posted By: Dougaldog
Date Posted: 14 Oct 19 at 2:29pm
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Fleaberto...absolutely and I can confirm that as 620 is one of my old boats - a late Rondar if I remember correctly.... Dougal ------------- Dougal H |
Posted By: E.J.
Date Posted: 15 Oct 19 at 7:27am
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There are 2 good boats for sale on the Contender website at the moment, 1 is a All GRP Hoare, and the other is a newer composite. ------------- |
Posted By: robinft
Date Posted: 15 Oct 19 at 8:52am
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What about Tony Smith???
------------- Laser number 9 |
Posted By: NickA
Date Posted: 16 Oct 19 at 7:30pm
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Re that lovely white Somner .... Not me sadly iGRF .. that was the one I had my eye on in the hope it would still be available when I was working down there in a few weeks. Hey Ho. Need to sell a boat or two first anyway to make space in my boat berths. ------------- Javelin 558 Contender 2574 |
Posted By: NickA
Date Posted: 16 Oct 19 at 7:35pm
I'm using a waddington flat hook thing at the moment (conventional loop on the boat but a plate with a carefully shaped hole in it). TOTALLY safe, but about to be banned by the RYA who will insist we have trap harnesses designed by someone who has paid them a back-hander (allegedly). I'm not sure the flat hook will work that well on a Contender; if you try to go out on the wire before hooking in you will be short of a hand to push the hook into the plate perhaps. It's not an issue on my V3000 as my hands are so full of jib and kite sheets in addition to a main sheet that has no cleat and the tiller extension, that I have to sit down and re-group to hook in anyway! ------------- Javelin 558 Contender 2574 |