New Boats 2005

Well a Contender sailor just had to answer the last post regarding the RS700

If you look back at the start of the RS600 everyone thought it would kill off the Contender - but it didn't. And it now looks like the 600 will be the one that does not survive. This is because the RS700 has taken sailors from the 600s.

The RS700 also has competition from the Musto Skiffs. The difference here is that the Mustos are marketed differently and seem to have more of a European coverage. Only time will tell if both boats can "survive" and be successful.

Well but the beauty of those boats is you can just sell it on for the new tech. boat every couple of years.

Yeh i think i agree with the fireball being big, we're thinking of getting one after the worlds 2nd hand, there should be some good deals then, or an rs200.

Will the Contender survive?  Yes, probably even if its just as a trainer for the higher performance single handers.  I know that's hard to take for a Contender owner but I used to sail a Scorpion and at the time there was only one non-trapeze boat that was faster.  Look at the Scorpion now, a lovely boat but slow.  The same goes for the Contender a lovely boat but slow. 

However there is salvation for the Contender and also for many of the older designs.  The modern designs are faster in a blow but often not faster in the light stuff (just compare a 5o5 with a Laser 4000), so be prepared for the Contender to be called fast in the light stuff (hard to believe, I know).

I have sailed a Contender and its nice and steady and reputedly good on the sea.  What I didn't like was having to go so far aft during the tack and also touching your nose on the floor to avoid the boom as it came across.  Fabulous boat upwind in a 4.