Laurent Giles 'Jolly Boat' Exeter |
29er GBR 074 Tynemouth |
J24 (Sail No. 4239) Dartmouth |
List classes of boat for sale |
What features about a boat are important to you? |
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iGRF
Really should get out more Joined: 07 Mar 11 Location: Hythe Online Status: Offline Posts: 6496 |
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Topic: What features about a boat are important to you? Posted: 02 Apr 20 at 11:35am |
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. |
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cad99uk
Posting king Joined: 11 Mar 10 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 187 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 02 Apr 20 at 12:12pm |
Centreboard close to the water when on its side after a capsize.
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Cirrus
Really should get out more Joined: 29 Oct 15 Location: UK Online Status: Offline Posts: 590 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 02 Apr 20 at 12:41pm |
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 )
Edited by Cirrus - 02 Apr 20 at 12:43pm |
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H2
Really should get out more Joined: 26 Jul 17 Online Status: Offline Posts: 749 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 02 Apr 20 at 1:00pm |
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.
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H2 #115 (sold)
H2 145 OK 2082 |
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turnturtle
Really should get out more Joined: 05 Dec 14 Online Status: Offline Posts: 2538 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 02 Apr 20 at 1:29pm |
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. Edited by turnturtle - 02 Apr 20 at 1:30pm |
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skslr
Posting king Joined: 24 Jul 06 Location: Germany Online Status: Offline Posts: 138 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 02 Apr 20 at 1:38pm |
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) |
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By The Lee
Posting king Joined: 06 Aug 17 Online Status: Offline Posts: 114 |
Post Options Quote Reply 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
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davidyacht
Really should get out more Joined: 29 Mar 05 Online Status: Offline Posts: 1345 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 02 Apr 20 at 2:16pm |
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.
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Happily living in the past
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fab100
Really should get out more Joined: 15 Mar 11 Online Status: Offline Posts: 1005 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 02 Apr 20 at 2:29pm |
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 |
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ttc546
Posting king Joined: 15 Apr 05 Online Status: Offline Posts: 155 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 02 Apr 20 at 2:42pm |
This x 100 But thats a whole other topic ....
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