OzOne wrote:

On Wed, 09 Aug 2006 07:53:58 -0400, DSK
scribbled thusly:


"Bart Senior" scribbled thusly:

What are the best boats for one-design racing?


One-design classes....

Seriously, there are so many different ones because there
are so many different desires people have. I happen to
dislike Flying Scots but it's a great boat for big people
who don't want to hike or trapeze. OTOH I love the Lightning
but it's complex & expensive & hard on the crew.



The categories a

1. Performance Dinghy

OzOne wrote:

Intrnational 14


Great boats but they're really not one-design. It's a
demanding boat but also very rewarding.


Yep, I raced a Javelin here for a while.

Don't know that one... is it like this?
http://www.javelinuk.com/


Same story, highly restricted development class but waaaay cheaper
than the I14


I thought the idea of using a slightly de-hotted I-14 as the
basis for a strict one-design class was a good one, never
caught on though. Here there was one called a "Gran Prix 14"
which was a double-trap A-sail boat such as the I-14s were
around 1990 or so.



How about a singlehand dinghy?


My Favourite is the Contender....a Laser on steroids with a trap
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contender_(dinghy)
Blindingly fast!


Seen them around, there are a few in the U.S. Not many and
I've never been offered a chance to sail one.

Ever sailed an 18sq Int'l Canoe? They're pretty cool.



Farr 40


Haven't seen enough of one to say. They have a reputation
for being kinda fragile.


Not really so.
The top guys break em because they sail em like madmen.


The ones I've seen have had rudder & mast problems, I
suspected mishandling more than overpowering. The fastest
race horses bite, too


5. One man catamaran

Hobie

Yuck

Yeah, but tough and fast in the right hands.


I assume you mean the old 16s, the banana hulled wonder?
They're nice in they rarely break anything and you can sail
them right up the beach. But I don't like the heavy helm,
lack of steering in general, and the unwillingness to tack.
The 17s, 18s, and Miracle 20s are much much better boats IMHO.





Reynolds 33
Volvo GP 40


Considered the Reynolds but it just ain't pretty from any angle.


True and they have shown an alarming tendency to flip right
when there's an audience!



Bonus: Your pick for the hottest one-design class in the foreseeable
future.


The Laser

Yep, they're booming here atm the simplicity of a sailboard in a
dinghy with incredibly competitive racing.
They're being used here as fitness machines for we older sailors.


I keep putting off getting one... maybe I should get racks
to tote one along on the tugboat?

DSK