J24 (Sail No. 4239) Dartmouth |
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The rise of the OK |
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Sam.Spoons
Really should get out more Joined: 07 Mar 12 Location: Manchester UK Online Status: Offline Posts: 3398 |
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Topic: The rise of the OK Posted: 02 Dec 19 at 11:25pm |
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On single sail boats you need the boom over the quarter (as opposed to centring the boom as you would on a two sail boat, which you obviously know). A traveller of some kind, allows you to set the boom angle independent of sheet/leech tension (to a point). In the Blaze we never use kicker upwind, the transom bridle allows the boom to be over the quarter and the sheet to control leech tension/twist, this wouldn't work on an OK with the boom needing to be on the deck upwind so the traveller simply allows the sail to be sheeted down without pulling it too far towards the centreline (as you said, a pre-selected sheeting angle). When I sailed an OK everybody had a centre mainsheet if the class allowed it these days the skiff style off the boom or Laser style hybrid systems are in favour but some of the old classes (Enterprise) have finally allowed centre mainsheets so a measure of their effectiveness might be gleaned from knowing what percentage of the top Ent helms use a centre mainsheet compared to aft mainsheet.
FWIW I have a centre mainsheet on the Spice and was going to stick with it on the Blaze as that was what was fitted when I bought it but I gave the off the boom system a try and was converted before the first tack. I don't think I would use the traveller to trim the sail, it seems to be an added complication that I can live without though it clearly works in some classes.
Edited by Sam.Spoons - 02 Dec 19 at 11:30pm |
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Spice 346 "Flat Broke"
Blaze 671 "supersonic soap dish" |
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iGRF
Really should get out more Joined: 07 Mar 11 Location: Hythe Online Status: Offline Posts: 6496 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 02 Dec 19 at 10:44pm | |
I need to talk a bit more about sailing with a traveller.
Is it a sort of pre selected sheeting angle thing? Can it be used to sheet in and out sort of micro adjust or is its raison d'etre simply to replace the upwind functionality of the kicker on sails that don't like to be 'kickered' upwind? And why is it no longer featured on modern designs? |
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ColPrice2002
Far too distracted from work Joined: 25 Nov 08 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 222 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 02 Dec 19 at 10:30pm | |
"thanks, hadn't spotted the traveller, so can Solo's be sailed in the same way?"
Basically, yes. The traveller doesn't need to be full width of the thwart on the Solo, but is adjustable (mine has control line each side, some have one continuous line that controls distance from centre). As there is still the final block mounts on the plate case, it's not quite a simple system - sheet in hard and you tend to centre the boom. Coli |
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sawman
Far too distracted from work Joined: 04 May 11 Online Status: Offline Posts: 205 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 01 Dec 19 at 9:38pm | |
I notice there are a few older OKs advertised on facebook/ebay at present, how much effort and cost would be needed to make these reasonably competitive?
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KazRob
Far too distracted from work Joined: 22 Oct 16 Location: Scotland Online Status: Offline Posts: 245 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 27 Nov 19 at 5:07pm | |
We're probably talking about different cloths though. You're right that in the old days when F/A mast bends on rigs like the OK were much higher than they are now, sails made from stretchy 3.8oz 'finn cloth' would be noticably slower after a hard season (the original Laser sail was from very similar cloth and we all know how long they last). The newer carbon rigs have much less F/A curve and the cloth is much stiffer, especially for full radial cut sails. I have a North radial main that's seen 5 years of use and I'm still more than happy to use it at club level with little sign of being blown out. The full radial design no doubt helps as well I wasn't in the OK class when they chose to stay with Dacron but speaking to some of those involved, including several sailmakers, the reasons above is what they gave. I've certainly had several laminate sails on similar boats where they shrunk alarmingly - probably 4"-6" on the luff over a season or two.
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OK 2249
D-1 138 |
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jeffers
Really should get out more Joined: 29 Mar 04 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 3048 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 27 Nov 19 at 4:39pm | |
I would beg to differ on that. I used to find Dacron sails would stretch after a couple of seasons use (if not much sooner for some classes). By contrast that class I sail now which has a nice laminate sail made by North the sails just keep going on and on. My original sail is still competitive after over 5 years of use with a club mate.
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Paul
---------------------- D-Zero GBR 74 |
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KazRob
Far too distracted from work Joined: 22 Oct 16 Location: Scotland Online Status: Offline Posts: 245 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 27 Nov 19 at 4:02pm | |
Yes they do have carbon rigs now and so much better for
it I think. They are quite conservatively built and could no doubt be a lot lighter
but they are absolutely bullet proof because of that which is a good thing for
many. I understand the class didn’t want to encourage the sort of arms race
seen in the Finn and Europe Olympic campaigns outside dimensions are controlled with
reasonable +/- tolerances, no ultra-high modulus carbon is allowed and the mast has weight and
C of G limitations. It’s the same with the sails – still limited to Dacron as
they wanted to avoid excessively expensive sails appearing (£1700 for a 3DL
Solo sail I seem to remember), Dacron doesn’t shrink like laminate sails do and
they last much longer for most sailors. |
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OK 2249
D-1 138 |
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L123456
Really should get out more Joined: 30 Apr 12 Online Status: Offline Posts: 500 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 27 Nov 19 at 11:39am | |
Plus of course the OK has no stays so running gives loads more options.
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KazRob
Far too distracted from work Joined: 22 Oct 16 Location: Scotland Online Status: Offline Posts: 245 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 27 Nov 19 at 11:20am | |
There’s no doubt the Solo and OK do both pretty serve the
same market (adult singlehander racing), one locally in the UK and one more
widely spread around the world. I did have a Solo at the same time as my first
OK and the idea was to get better fleet racing up here in Scotland. Unfortunately
I didn’t get on with the Solo. It seemed really cramped at the back with the
way the centreboard case extends far back in the boat especially with the
kicker on. I also hated that coffee table centreboard capping and ended up
getting badly bruised shins every time I sailed it. It also felt quite ’dead’
compared to the OK. Not sure if it was the fully battened main or whatever but
I found and still find the OK really engaging to sail. There’s lots of subtleties
to it and while I seem to go a tad better every year it’s really hard to say what I’m
doing better. In short I just find the OK fits me better, the sailing style
suits me better and it puts a smile on my face every time I sail it which is
something the Solo never did for me. Plus I’ve always loved sailing at events
with people from other counties (and not just Brits on tour to somewhere nice
like Garda). And to be clear that's not to knock the Solo in any way – it
just didn’t suit me and there’s room for both. If anybody’s interested the
class does have a demo boat which is currently at Stokes Bay but can move
around the country if anybody wants to borrow it. |
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OK 2249
D-1 138 |
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L123456
Really should get out more Joined: 30 Apr 12 Online Status: Offline Posts: 500 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 27 Nov 19 at 10:58am | |
Change the record ... The OK is popular because it is one of the few true international classes that offer the opportunity to sail in international fleet all over the world ... that is an attractive option for some. There is a Solo fleet in NED but not much beyond that as far as I know.
Edited by L123456 - 27 Nov 19 at 11:13am |
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