Oz wrote:
I 14 is a cool boat, based on the Javelin which is ever better but
unfortunately all but dead now.

It's kind of like riding a bicycle... I had to fight the instinct to not
overtrim in light air, it's slower to dip a wing than to stall the sail
for a few moments.... it's also surprisingly easy to get a **powerful**
roll-tack.

I sailed Moths for a few years when they were scows. Tried one of the
canoe style ones a few years back. They go like the clappers but fall
over when they stop moving :-)

That happened to me a few times in the I-14... get caught overbalanced
with the sail already trimmed hard... hello human teabags!

I would like a boat that was a somewhat tamed skiff (the knees aren't
what they used to be) that didn't fall over quite so easily. The Johnson
18 is a very fun boat, but not as powerful and definitely too heavy. The
lack of traps makes it simple & tactical, racing on short courses is a
blast. But it doesn't have the skiff's afterburners.

The closest thing I've seen to this is something like an RS-400. Have
you sailed one? I have only seen pictures. You'd probably consider it a
barge


Hmmm, My fondest memories of 420s is getting off em.
I'll never get over getting to the top mark in 20kts, throwing up the
chute and thinking...is that it?

Yep, it's a hankie. But they should have an option for a much bigger
one, maybe a square head main too.

Over here the 420 trainers and intercollegiate boats are built extra
heavy so they can take the banging around. A college club 420 might
weigh 110 ~ 130kg somewhere in there. But then their life is a tough one.



BTW the 29er, designed as a step up for kids aspiring to 49ers has
just been dumped as the national junior trainer because they kept
breaking. Fill in is I believe the 420
29ers had I think 5 boats at the state titles here

I've seen a few sailing here and there, but the class has never caught
on over here. I'd love to see a really good A-sail one design catch on
over here. An idea a buddy of mine had was buying up old 505s and
putting square-top mains and asymmetrics chutes on them.

Fresh Breezes- Doug King