What features about a boat are important to you?
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=13577
Printed Date: 29 Jun 25 at 12:56am
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 9.665y - http://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: What features about a boat are important to you?
Posted By: iGRF
Subject: What features about a boat are important to you?
Date Posted: 02 Apr 20 at 11:35am
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Not just because we're bored, but it's interesting to know what particular features about a boat/class you like and why.
Personally I like: Fully retracting centreboards not just because of the beach but because of the less liklihood of damage to the case running aground particularly in races like the round island. (Ditto kick up rudders) Adjustable Forestay, so the rig can be raked to depower on the fly, I think this is almost as important as the kicker, but many classes outlaw it stupidly imv. Carbon Everything if for no other reasonthan it doesn't hurt as much when it hits you. But seriously better gust response and stiffer not as likley to bend permanently if you fall on the wiggle bits. Semi Soft rigs, not all together struck with full batten rigs that power full on, or off and make start lines tricky for incompetent boat handlers like moi. Trapeze capable, now I've managed to master it a bit, it's less punishing on the knees, not quite as less physical as you'd expect, nowhere near as natural as a windsurfing harness, particularly when gusty, but it's a great option to have on long beats on big courses. Oh and being light enough not to put my back out lifting it, which wipes out most boats these days. ------------- 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 |
Replies:
Posted By: cad99uk
Date Posted: 02 Apr 20 at 12:12pm
| Centreboard close to the water when on its side after a capsize. |
Posted By: Cirrus
Date Posted: 02 Apr 20 at 12:41pm
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Fast enough to be 'easy' ... too many designs increasingly load-up when the breeze gets lively and handling quickly goes to pot. I don't want to wrestle the thing for half the time. Efficient shapes are more easily driven and don't hit the wall... and also you really do not need acres of sail. Speed really is your friend imo ! (If I was happy to go slow all the time I'd just stick with our Shrimper ... a very different sort of thing altogether
 ) |
Posted By: H2
Date Posted: 02 Apr 20 at 1:00pm
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For me its whether the boat was designed to carry my natural size - I run 25k a week, like the gym and weigh 95kg. Too many boats were designed for people who were much smaller so it needs to be big enough to carry me and have enough sail area to make it go. Comfortable to sail, not a fan of scrabbling around in the bottom of a soap dish on my knees. Good looking with the ability to put my personality on it by having it in a colour that is not grey. ------------- H2 #115 (sold) H2 145 OK 2082 |
Posted By: turnturtle
Date Posted: 02 Apr 20 at 1:29pm
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other people to race properly against- which preempts the follow: broad competitive weight range broad effective wind range simple, cost effective and not overly technical to appeal to newbies and old hats alike anything else is secondary. |
Posted By: skslr
Date Posted: 02 Apr 20 at 1:38pm
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Daggerboard/Centerboard close to the water when capsized
Double floor (To continue sailing after a capsize immediately– fortunately knees are still o.k.…) Alumnium mast (after one carbon mast failing on the water due to UV…) Proper boom stiffness and vang purchase instead of traveller Rear sheeting (less grunt needed, more space) Semi rigid main sail (cannot be bothered to fight a fully battened main sail) Designed to carry 90 kg/180 kg for doublehander and comfortable boom height (being 6’3’’ tall) Good layout for basic controls, no excess strings for mast rake etc. Trapeze(s) if our little lake would be bigger... Looks (hard to explain) |
Posted By: By The Lee
Date Posted: 02 Apr 20 at 2:12pm
| For mean the boat doesn't matter it's about the quality of the racing and the size of the fleet. That being said affordable and cheap to run |
Posted By: davidyacht
Date Posted: 02 Apr 20 at 2:16pm
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Not sure about trapeze, I would go for wings, but not too wide. At that point it becomes a sitting out boat, in which case double floor, with footwell. Light is important. At which point a Hadron ticks all the boxes. Shame that we have a healthy fleet of Solos ... for me one design fleet racing trumps everything. ------------- Happily living in the past |
Posted By: fab100
Date Posted: 02 Apr 20 at 2:29pm
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I think I've gone off on a wants list here too, but what the hell...
I like it when there is a good craic in a class - the 100s have this; reminds me of Lark sailing in their heyday. I like classes where success is not a function of chequebook depth. I choose to sail at a club where a trap is untenable, 'cos it's rather shifty. But hiking boats are not all made equal. The RS100 is the most comfortable hiking boat I've ever sailed. And there's no kneeling down required either, which is a double-bubble bonus. The Laser also gives me no knee issues either but in contrast, a windy day in my RS200 always resulted in painful knees afterwards. I'm with Graeme (eek, what am i saying?) on the pivoting boards, carbon spars and semi-soft sails. I want the entry to spinny chutes to have an embedded metal bar so the retrieving line does not carve grooves in the fibreglass. I want a mainsail that does not have an unavoidable hook to windward at the top batten in light airs (which the 100 and Laser suffer from) but still works in a blow. I want sails to have the windows in the right place so I can actually see someone coming (yes you RS200 jibs) I love the way a 200 planes in a blow with the kite up and I reminisce about the same in a 470 when I see videos of them in windy-day action I want Boris to repeal the EU rules that new road-bases must have those evil shin-gouging bars. I want to be legally permitted to tow my dinghy at 70mph and go in the outside lane of a motorway to pass ar**holes "cruising" in the middle lane when there is no one in the left-lane. Actually, I want a remote-control to a cattle-prod under the driver's seat of middle-lane hogs, but maybe that's going a bit far. I want weather forecasters to give probability factors for their forecasts coming true, and their 30 and 365-day historical accuracy record, which might dial-down the Wind-guru effect, when they have to admit they are as often wrong as right. Finally, I love my 100 and struggle to imagine having anything else as my main dinghy ------------- http://clubsailor.co.uk/wp/club-sailor-from-back-to-front/" rel="nofollow - Great book for Club Sailors here |
Posted By: ttc546
Date Posted: 02 Apr 20 at 2:42pm
This x 100 But thats a whole other topic .... ------------- |
Posted By: Rupert
Date Posted: 02 Apr 20 at 2:54pm
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Deep cockpit for the knees, can be perched on for the back and hips and bad leg, but still want to hike when in one piece.
Centreboard nice but not a deal breaker. Aft or centre main, preferably a choice. Soft sail, short or no battens. Old clunkers in the secondhand market which can be brought almost up to speed. No rip off sail prices, spares available from anywhere. A friendly online presence for those if us who rarely travel to keep in touch. ------------- Firefly 2324, Puffin 229, Minisail 3446 Mirror 70686 |
Posted By: tink
Date Posted: 02 Apr 20 at 3:51pm
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More generally: Equal, competitive racing at an economic price.One design, not a class that calls itself one design but changes drastically of a relatively short period of time. Suitable for where sail and a fleet of them More specific: Simple controls, want to spend time sailing rather than bimbling and worrying if my lowers are right for these conditions Daggerboard, who need the hassle of a slot gasket, I can take it home and keep it in good shape and can pull it up before I can see the seagulls legs. Capsizes aren’t game over, means I can push myself. Nothing carbon, really we don’t need it ------------- Tink https://tinkboats.com http://proasail.blogspot.com |
Posted By: tink
Date Posted: 02 Apr 20 at 4:05pm
Spot on in spades Plus I don’t know why they don’t look at what actually happened and adjust future forecast to that data. I sailed somewhere that if it was a SWly above 15knots it was always 10knots above forecast speed. Tested the theory for a good two years it was accurate every time. ------------- Tink https://tinkboats.com http://proasail.blogspot.com |
Posted By: fab100
Date Posted: 02 Apr 20 at 4:05pm
Except tin masts give you a hernia, relatively speaking, taking them in and out (I travel a fair bit). And if I was sailing a Laser seriously still, I'd have a carbon top section that springs back when you roll in to windward on a run, rather than an ally one that bends permanently and unfixably on impact. As GRF and others have said, getting whacked by a tin boom is far worse than by a carbon one ------------- http://clubsailor.co.uk/wp/club-sailor-from-back-to-front/" rel="nofollow - Great book for Club Sailors here |
Posted By: tink
Date Posted: 02 Apr 20 at 4:08pm
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Clearly no one knows what they are talking about, little mention of speed and no hydrofoils - believe the hype real sailors want to be flying at 50knots, yeah. ------------- Tink https://tinkboats.com http://proasail.blogspot.com |
Posted By: fab100
Date Posted: 02 Apr 20 at 4:14pm
They don't even look out of the windows and tell you accurately what it's actually like outside right now. When it comes to wind, with coastal or inland, I don't think they are really bothered or capable of the localised complexities. The general public want to know whether to take a coat & brolly or wear a T-shirt. Wind speed is irrelevant to 99% of forecasters' audience so they don't give a hoot. But offshore, they do think about it a bit (and it's easier I reckon) because the fishermen and commercial shipping would give 'em hell. here's a weather forecasting fact - Michael Fish made up the famous 1987 "a lady called into today to ask if there is a hurricane coming" line. There was no such call. But he still got it wrong nevertheless ------------- http://clubsailor.co.uk/wp/club-sailor-from-back-to-front/" rel="nofollow - Great book for Club Sailors here |
Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: 02 Apr 20 at 4:18pm
| I have a book that claims that until recently the most accurate forecast was to assume tomorrow’s weather will be the same as today’s. |
Posted By: tink
Date Posted: 02 Apr 20 at 4:25pm
Yeah in certain circumstances it has its place, I’ll except that ------------- Tink https://tinkboats.com http://proasail.blogspot.com |
Posted By: fab100
Date Posted: 02 Apr 20 at 4:34pm
Speed is indeed relative nonsense. In the UK we are spinning at around 600mph as the earth rotates and doing 66,000mph as we orbit the sun (1.6 million miles per day). The solar system is rotating around the galaxy's centre at 483,000 mph. Chuck Jaeger eat your heart out.
I've never felt even a slight buzz from such speed. Although I am imagining iGRF thinking we could go a bit faster yet if he tweaked a few things On the other hand, you'd never get me in a Skipper 14 or Laser 16, either would be too much for me PS Why is the formatting here playing silly devils today. Preview looks fine, posting losses all the carriage-returns unless I faff about like crazy trying to fix it ------------- http://clubsailor.co.uk/wp/club-sailor-from-back-to-front/" rel="nofollow - Great book for Club Sailors here |
Posted By: H2
Date Posted: 02 Apr 20 at 5:19pm
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Good point Fab - is that why I go better on one tack than the other? Is it because on one tack I am with the world rotation and the other tack I am against the rotation? Can I get a lift on my board from earth spin? What can we call that?? ------------- H2 #115 (sold) H2 145 OK 2082 |
Posted By: iGRF
Date Posted: 02 Apr 20 at 5:25pm
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No, you go better on one tack than the other for exactly the same reason you ride goofy or regular on surfboards, snow or skateboards.
If you're left foot forward (regular) then Port likely is your strongest natural tack. ------------- 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: tink
Date Posted: 02 Apr 20 at 5:29pm
So port tack, in salt water, in the northern hemisphere with a white painted boat I’ll become a bandit. ------------- Tink https://tinkboats.com http://proasail.blogspot.com |
Posted By: Sam.Spoons
Date Posted: 02 Apr 20 at 5:38pm
It's called 'lee bowing the cosmos' ------------- Spice 346 "Flat Broke" Blaze 671 "supersonic soap dish" |
Posted By: fab100
Date Posted: 02 Apr 20 at 5:39pm
 ------------- http://clubsailor.co.uk/wp/club-sailor-from-back-to-front/" rel="nofollow - Great book for Club Sailors here |
Posted By: iGRF
Date Posted: 02 Apr 20 at 5:48pm
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There's a caveat to this, for years I practised really hard at windsurfing, mostly our beach was starboard tack, back in those days I'd never really heard of sidedness whatever it's called. It was prevalent in skateboarding but that was never my game, nor surfing which I could do, but never got 'in' to it, it was great in Hawaii, but sucked in Kent.
So, it wasn't until I started snowboarding that it became apparent, something else also happened, the sport of windsurfing over the years became quite 'atheletic' and although I kept up as best I could, given time constraints of work and the passage of time, I never could land a trick called a back loop, on my home beach on starboard, until 1993 when two things happened, I finally cracked snowboarding and a chance visit to Klitmoeller and a big Port tack wave following a young Danish Kid, I just went for it, landed and sailed away first time.. Port tack.. rarely get to sail it locally, and it proved beyond anydoubt in my mind. The practise had buried the natural skill to the point I was pretty good on starboard, yet the first time I went for something new and tricky the natural 'handedness outweighed all the practise. I've never really mastered fakie (riding wrong foot forward) on a snowboard but am pretty even handed still on a windsurfer. I don't have a prayer sailing dinghys, try as I may one tack transition is pretty damn good, but totally eludes me going the other way if I don't have the benefit of a cleat to deal with the bloody rope as I transition. I first felt comfortable immediately on the port tack trapezing, easy peasy lemon squeezy. On starboard however not so, which is a bloody nuisance and has caused some issues and much amusement at times off the start line. Maybe it's worse because I now think about it, even riding a downhill bike and which pedal forward I lead into a jump, but it is what it is, maybe best not to think about it, it can mess with your head, like me - nutter. ------------- 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: ClubRacer
Date Posted: 02 Apr 20 at 9:35pm
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-Decent class as I'm addicted to big fleet racing. -Decent freeboard as I'm long legged and don't like sitting in the water going up wind. -Asymmetric spinnaker because I never did master the whole angles thing by the lee. -Single manafactured one design -2man as I need the second person to motivate me. -Able to go out in 30+ knots without it falling to pieces
Edit: What on earth is up with formatting on this forum
 |
Posted By: zeon
Date Posted: 02 Apr 20 at 11:04pm
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I want a one design. 13 to 14 foot long. Una rigged. About as deep as a laser , not bothered if it’s self draining or not. With a carbon rig that’s more controllable than a laser. Oh fu@k, does anyone have a D-zero with a number between 190 and 280 they would like to sell me when all this virus stuff is over with
 |
Posted By: zeon
Date Posted: 02 Apr 20 at 11:09pm
PS am right handed and always go better on a port tack lol
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Posted By: 423zero
Date Posted: 03 Apr 20 at 6:32am
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Earth rotational torque bias, that's why planes are faster coming back from US, nothing to do with jet stream. ------------- Robert |
Posted By: maxibuddah
Date Posted: 03 Apr 20 at 7:35am
Nope you are wrong, the earth is flat  The reason why planes are faster from the States to here that its faster going left to right, hence why its faster on port than starboard ------------- Everything I say is my opinion, honest |
Posted By: turnturtle
Date Posted: 03 Apr 20 at 7:58am
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they also fly with red lights not green lights pointing due north. Red ones are faster than green ones.
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Posted By: Neptune
Date Posted: 03 Apr 20 at 9:08am
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Ergonomic, well balanced and manoeuvrable, ‘feels’ fast and brings a smile to my face. After that good racing because it doesn’t matter how good racing is if the boat is a pig! ------------- Musto Skiff and Solo sailor |
Posted By: Do Different
Date Posted: 03 Apr 20 at 9:30am
With you there Neptune.  I like a bit of racing but I like sailing more. I guess that makes me a loser on this forum but a winner every time I go afloat.
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Posted By: 423zero
Date Posted: 03 Apr 20 at 9:36am
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If you are prone to stalling, put a bit of top on. ------------- Robert |
Posted By: Rupert
Date Posted: 03 Apr 20 at 10:01am
Huh? ------------- Firefly 2324, Puffin 229, Minisail 3446 Mirror 70686 |
Posted By: 423zero
Date Posted: 03 Apr 20 at 10:15am
Snooker term strike the top of the ball it causes ball to spin, when it strikes something, spin causes it to restart, you can also put bottom on, this causes ball to either stop dead or run back towards you after it has struck, you can also put side spin on, sign of a misspent youth  ------------- Robert |
Posted By: turnturtle
Date Posted: 03 Apr 20 at 10:37am
nope - not all. If you're smiling, you're winning.
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Posted By: 423zero
Date Posted: 03 Apr 20 at 11:26am
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Never been able to just sail, I race, I can sail to somewhere or mess about throwing a sponge in a game of 'tick' but can't get the boat out for sailing for the sake of it. ------------- Robert |
Posted By: Do Different
Date Posted: 03 Apr 20 at 11:44am
Ta  , different strokes for different folks, I was going to say horses for courses but not quite appropriate. |
Posted By: Sam.Spoons
Date Posted: 03 Apr 20 at 11:53am
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I like to do both, I'm a racer at heart but happy to just potter/blast too. ------------- Spice 346 "Flat Broke" Blaze 671 "supersonic soap dish" |
Posted By: Do Different
Date Posted: 03 Apr 20 at 12:03pm
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Off thread so sorry but I think my favourite for fun is to go out with another boat for some crossing tacks up the lake and then deep reach gybing back down across each others wake.
edit add. I guess that sort of speaks about the features I like in a boat. |
Posted By: Rupert
Date Posted: 03 Apr 20 at 12:59pm
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On a honkingly windy day I often prefer blasting about to racing. And a cruise on a new big piece of water is great. Otherwise, racing or practicing. ------------- Firefly 2324, Puffin 229, Minisail 3446 Mirror 70686 |
Posted By: iGRF
Date Posted: 03 Apr 20 at 2:31pm
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Got to say in all honesty I don't much like boat sailing as a source of exhilaration it does pale a bit in the face of the real thing, other than that little Farr 37, I have taken that out just for a blast on the odd sunny breezy saturday afternoon, but it to is really to heavy to be out casually alone with no rescue boats or more importantly folk to help hump it back up the beach, that's the thing about other sports like wind and kite surfing the practicality of the kit in launch and recovery and ability to self rescue.
And Anyway even these are boring without marks and folk to race against.. When are we ever going to get out again? I'm going mad! ------------- 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: 423zero
Date Posted: 03 Apr 20 at 2:37pm
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Autumn, if we're lucky. ------------- Robert |
Posted By: fab100
Date Posted: 03 Apr 20 at 2:37pm
Who wants to go first on this one? ------------- http://clubsailor.co.uk/wp/club-sailor-from-back-to-front/" rel="nofollow - Great book for Club Sailors here |
Posted By: 423zero
Date Posted: 03 Apr 20 at 2:54pm
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------------- Robert |
Posted By: NicolaJayne
Date Posted: 03 Apr 20 at 4:20pm
a bit like the old ' if your shears are pinking you need to adjust the timing ' pinking shears being the scissors that cut a zig zag line in cloth to stop it fraying before you can do the edges / seams |
Posted By: 423zero
Date Posted: 03 Apr 20 at 4:59pm
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Pinking, that takes me back, used to have a 'Capri' that did this. ------------- Robert |
Posted By: zeon
Date Posted: 03 Apr 20 at 5:29pm
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You need to retard your ignition. . God that takes me back. Don’t think anyone under 40 would have any idea what we are talking about lol
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Posted By: tink
Date Posted: 03 Apr 20 at 5:37pm
When we worked on cars property someone tried to steal my MKII Escort, they couldn’t get it started, I was working on the cylinder head that was in the basement. ------------- Tink https://tinkboats.com http://proasail.blogspot.com |
Posted By: Rupert
Date Posted: 03 Apr 20 at 8:11pm
40 in dim and distant in the rear view mirror, and I have no idea what you are talking about. ------------- Firefly 2324, Puffin 229, Minisail 3446 Mirror 70686 |
Posted By: zeon
Date Posted: 03 Apr 20 at 10:22pm
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Come on Rupert, your not that young . You remember a world with points, feeler gauges, manual choke and carburettors before every car had electronic ignition and engine management systems
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Posted By: Rupert
Date Posted: 04 Apr 20 at 7:05am
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Age isn't the problem. So long as a car could tow a boat, and could be fixed using bits of scaffold pole and wire coat hangers, I really didn't have any clue as to what was happening under the bonnet. Just glad cars have reached the point where I sometimes struggle to remember how to open the bonnet to put windscreen washer in there. ------------- Firefly 2324, Puffin 229, Minisail 3446 Mirror 70686 |
Posted By: iGRF
Date Posted: 04 Apr 20 at 7:14am
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There lyeth proof of my oft used quote... Never let a dinghy sailor near an engine. ;-) ------------- 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: E.J.
Date Posted: 05 Apr 20 at 8:18am
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For me it has to be a single hander, one design. Not bothered about much else, Modern enough for Carbon is preferable and with not too much to adjust.
Fleet racing is critical, and a class that has proper international events that are open to amateur sailors, now I have experienced a few of these I don’t think i could go back to a class where the nationals is the main event of the year. It has changed my life in such positive way. I also like the asthetics of a boat which is of course completely subjective, but somehow not. ------------- |
Posted By: ttc546
Date Posted: 05 Apr 20 at 9:41am
This. I would like a 'Solo' version of the Aero. A boat that is a little less athletic for us older and (now) weightier people - but maintains all the design principles of the Aero - lighweight, looks good, has great support from the builder and fleet racing etc etc (though I love my Aero as is) (no offence to Solo sailors ;-) ) ------------- |
Posted By: E.J.
Date Posted: 05 Apr 20 at 11:25am
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Interestingly, I hadn’t considered the Aero when I wrote this as I sail a Contender, I was thinking of boats like that and the OK but I can see the Aero now has this as well. Let’s hope it doesn’t get too professional or Olympian, from a purely selfish perspective. ------------- |
Posted By: Peter Barton
Date Posted: 07 Apr 20 at 9:59am
For those who didn't want to see the RS Aero professional and Olympic the RS Aero Class lost the singlehanded selection quite successfully by winning the World Sailing trials report and then losing the vote. So no Olympic cigar to choke on for now. https://members.sailing.org/tools/documents/EQCSP4biiiMenWomenOnePersonDinghy-%5b24944%5d.pdf" rel="nofollow -
Equipment Evaluation Panel Report
For inclusive international events for amateur sailors looking for travel and holiday with some good racing too, check out the RS Aero reports from Lago Maggiore and the 100+ Garda Europeans last year; https://www.rsaerosailing.org/index.asp?p=results&rg=Europe%20" rel="nofollow - RS Aero European Event Reports (click on 2019, see June & Aug) We have an informal European circuit of 9 major RS Aero events across 8 counties over 6 months this year, plus the USA World Champs in August; April - France May - Ireland June - Italy July - Germany x 2 August - Sweden & UK Sep - Czech Rep & Holland https://www.rsaerosailing.org/index.asp?p=events&rg=Europe" rel="nofollow - RS Aero European Calendar 2020 We will see how that all plays out... |