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Demise of Dinghy Innovation? |
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davidyacht
Really should get out more Joined: 29 Mar 05 Online Status: Offline Posts: 1345 |
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Topic: Demise of Dinghy Innovation? Posted: 22 Jul 20 at 7:11pm |
I would love to see a narrow waterline, wide sit out single hander with a boomed self tacking jib ... for personal enjoyment.
IMO it is a shame that nobody has really grasped one of the older two man two sail one designs and given it the makeover that Winder/Speed did with the Solo. To be frank, as was posted elsewhere today, keep it simple stupid ... most “improvements” add to the cost, which takes away from the enjoyment of the masses.
Edited by davidyacht - 22 Jul 20 at 7:26pm |
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Happily living in the past
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iansmithofotley
Far too distracted from work Joined: 16 Mar 04 Location: Otley, West Yorkshire Online Status: Online Posts: 209 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 22 Jul 20 at 7:11pm |
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ne_rlswt1B8
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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: 22 Jul 20 at 7:16pm |
I wonder if there were plans for something modern yet hand build, wether it would get much uptake. I mean you could design something say small fireball style wash through unirig, flat panels you could buy and assemble like flat carbon foam sheets, instead of ply, Carbon rig, sail plan available for any builder.
I was surprised the number of Farr37 home builders, that once built as enjoyable to sail as the Farr is/was, lack anything to do with it and a total worthless handicap number so it could never compete and is probably a bit undersize for todays average clinically obese weight levels most of y'all seem to be... If you had say a box rule, a sail plan, a set of budgets, could it get off the ground? Probably not |
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Chris_H
Far too distracted from work Joined: 13 May 20 Online Status: Offline Posts: 237 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 22 Jul 20 at 7:29pm |
Home building is a very limited enthusiast area IMHO. Times have changed. Instant fix is what its about.
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davidyacht
Really should get out more Joined: 29 Mar 05 Online Status: Offline Posts: 1345 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 22 Jul 20 at 7:36pm |
The OK is having a bit of a renaissance with kit build plywood boats being competitive with FRP off the shelf product. Home build seems to still be deriguer in the Antipodes where it is no longer the case in the UK.
The great UK development classes have boxed themselves into a bit of a corner with regard to difficulty of build and complexity, with some notable exceptions. Merlins, 12s, 14s and Moths all had a substantial band of home builders, now this appears to be a daunting proposition if you don’t have quite specialised resources. So I would suggest that any development singlehander would best go down a plywood prepack route.
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Happily living in the past
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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: 22 Jul 20 at 7:50pm |
The big problem I see, is the outrageous rig costs we all get conned into paying. Carbon masts shouldn't be two grand, sails shouldn't be a grand. It's a joke, but there's such a cartel of closed shoppery screwing all and everyone, and no significant volume to leverage better deals. Another fault of the classes not combining. If a few of them bought into a mast style, the prices could be leveraged down. Carbon is cheap these days, but 'they' all live off the past experiences when it was thought of as exotic.
Edited by iGRF - 22 Jul 20 at 7:53pm |
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davidyacht
Really should get out more Joined: 29 Mar 05 Online Status: Offline Posts: 1345 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 22 Jul 20 at 8:35pm |
I think the problem with the price of carbon spars is that there there is a performance gain to be had by spending more ... higher modulus carbon allows for lighter and narrower sections, and better detailing costs more. So it is very prone to an arms race. With no disrespect to my learned colleague a typical dinghy mast has more material, more detailing and does not benefit from the volumes that were available in the windsurfing industry ... where I sold a fair few.
A bigger problem is that nobody seems to hold stock of carbon masts, in some classes it is harder to get a mast than a boat!
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Happily living in the past
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Daniel Holman
Really should get out more Joined: 17 Nov 08 Online Status: Offline Posts: 997 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 22 Jul 20 at 8:45pm |
I think the days of garage builders in ply are long gone in UK. It would only ever be niche. I know professional engineers who are afraid to change a wheel on a car. My observation is that the antipodeans are very much more boat proud, have more of a have a go attitude regarding that sort of thing than us brits - most UK sailors are middle class working in the tertiary service economy and the cultural precendents for making stuff in one's garage is long since dead, plus the opportunity cost of doing it oneself rather than paying a grubby boatbuilder is too high. And yes all development classes in their own way require skills / knowledge and investment in tooling well beyond even a competant amateur could achieve.
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Daniel Holman
Really should get out more Joined: 17 Nov 08 Online Status: Offline Posts: 997 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 22 Jul 20 at 8:47pm |
Exactly there is a fair bit of commonality in the tools (mandrels) but outside the OEM stuff the volumes are too small for even batch building. A 430 windsurf mast is a couple of kg and thousands get made each year. most dinghy masts are double that, have all sorts of brackets and fittings etc and are built in sub cottage volumes. |
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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: 22 Jul 20 at 10:00pm |
So design the craft around a windsurfer mast then.. Simples They carry up to 12 mtrs of sail area and work a lot more eficiently than anything I've seen adorning the dross I've owned to date.
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