felton wrote:


I don't think it has been in production this long becuase it is "salty
looking".

No, but that helps.

I watch these things being built and shipped out all over
the world. These things are built and well thought out.

They have also evolved a bit in design over the years. But as an original concept,
the idea was to design a classic looking boat with the performance of a fin
keeler.... so if they have earned a great reputation for seaworthiness, then it only
proves that a fin keeler can be very seaworthy.


Perhaps it
is slower than it needs be because of the strenght of it's
construction?

Not at all. Usually very fast boats are built to be very strong also, because of the
great stresses involved in sailing fast.


Is that a bad thing for a "seaworthy boat"?

What, speed of strength of construction? Neither, I'd say

By
"scientifically trained sailors", who would that be in reference to?

Graduates of the JAXAshby Advanced School of Scientific Sounding Sailboat Gibberish.


JAXAshby wrote
Bob Perry would say different, but then Bob has publicly called me an asshole,

but Bob has also publicly stated that he has struggled with math all his life,
a statement on his part that I do not doubt.

Actually, I don't doubt either statement

Actually, I suspect that this is no more true than any other of Jax's claims, such
as having sex with various well known actresses or sailing around the Atlantic
looking for the Gulf Stream for a week.

..... Are you suggesting that yacht
design is ultimately a mathmatical exercise and the best slide rule
operator will design the best boat? That would be an interesting
theory to test.

It's already been tested. Ever since the origin of geometry, people have tried to
use math to design better (usually meaning faster) boats. While the use of large
computers has advanced the practice quite a bit lately, it seems that there is more
to it than pure abstract number crunching. As proven by a certain groups highly
advanced number crunched design that also crunched spars.....



I think Bob's success speaks for itself. The boat has been a success,
commercially and out on the water for over 30 years and is in the
Sailboat Hall of Fame. If "scientifically trained sailors" wish to
nitpick, then so be it.

My only nitpick would be that the canoe stern reduces reserve bouyancy, and makes it
awkward to mount hardware back there. Some people seem to think that the Valiant is
similar in more than superficial aesthetics to some kind of historic pilot cutter or
rescue vessel from the days of sail, but it is really a modern (1970s era) design.
In it's day it was not a crab-crusher, rather it was on the light end of the
displacement/length scale.

Fresh Breezes- Doug King