OzOne wrote in message ...
On Wed, 19 May 2004 02:25:07 GMT, "Bart Senior"
scribbled thusly:

Well you hit the main point I wanted to make. The Soling has a
spade rudder versus the Etchells which has a skeg hung rudder.

I find the handling on the Soling to be exceptional. While the
Etchells handles and steers well, it looses out in a steering
comparision.
Also, an Etchells can't put on the brakes like a Soling, which comes
in handy while docking.


Interesting reading the Etchells saga.
Skip Etchells put the boat up for selection and soundly trounced all
but one boat by huge margins.
IIRC he was knocked back and a new selection series was arranged, the
EUs not happy with an American design.
Again the Etchells wiped the floor with the others but was passed over
again.
By this time Skip had had enough, he packed up and went home leaving
us with a class with more Olympic sailors and world champions in
everything else, giving us one of the hottest fclasses in the world
and without the Olympic committees sticking their noses in.

BTW, I think you're wrong re steering the Etchells, they track
beautifully, are extremely responsive and not as fidgetty as the
Soling.
I do agree with the braking, but they are so easily driven that we can
drop all sails 100 metres or more off the dock and just glide in at a
speed so low it is easily arrested with just one hand..


Oz1...of the 3 twins.

I think the Etchells class is a fine class too, albeit an expensive one.

The Etchells rudder is fine for what it is. It is great for keeping speed
up while turning. The Soling is far more manueverable it tight spots. I
used to sail in and around pilings and, I can easily sail one backwards.

Also I've found that when sailing a Soling solo, with my weight aft, and
heeled over and slightly overpowered, using the rudder to counteract the
weather helm would also counteract my weight aft, giving me some life,
and I'd get that boat to surf upwind on a close reach. I nearly passed a
big boat doing this one day, until the wind died and I lost that magic
groove I was in.

The Soling is also slightly easier to singlehand than an Etchells.

I do wish the Etchells had better brakes. You may be able to drop all the
sails and coast in, but I can't when the river is ripping. I should
probably
try to find another place to keep it. If there is no current you are right,
you can scull and Etchells, not as easily as a Soling--both boats are light
enough to be propelled that way.

Bart