I can't believe that there are still some centerboard racing classes that
are not self-rescuing; some don't even have positive flotation. WTF are
they thinking?


Maxprop wrote:
I wasn't aware that some still don't have self-rescuing capability.

Yep. Flying Scots probably the most obvious. Lightnings are
only 'self-rescuing' if one puts a very loose interpretation
on the term, and the crew is skilled & strong.



.... Snipes
went through a decade-long metamorphosis from positive flotation to
self-rescuing (self-turtling, in the early iterations) as a result of class
rule changes, and I assumed most other smaller racing classes had similar
requirements. Considering the nature of the sailing in such classes, it's
doubly surprising.


Inertia and old-fogeyism. At least we don't have splintering
gaffs hurtling around any more.



Some people hate foam core, though.


I'm curious--why?

Because, man, it's CORED! It isn't 3 inch thick solid
fiberglass like Mamma used to make... you know, back in the
good old days when they didn't really know how strong the
stuff was.


It provides hull rigidity, it's closed-cell meaning it
won't absorb water like end-grain balsa or ply, and it's temperature stable.
What's the downside?


It can delaminate if overstressed or not bonded correctly in
the first place. It needs to be cut back in the way of any
thru-bolted fittings.

Aside from that, it's too light, when everybody knows that
boats should be heavy!



..... I decided then and there I'd
never own a Bayfield or a Gozzard, if only because he was a jerk. g


I might own a Gozzard if they weren't so flamingly
overpriced. To me, Bayfields seem like just a more
piratey-looking version of a Morgan Out Island.

I've met a lot of boat designers over the years, the boat
show is not a good place to talk intelligently to them.
They've just been thru a wringer for the past X weeks (maybe
months) getting ready and now they're all jazzed up to try
and move product. A few notable exceptions were Roger
Dongray, the Cornish Crabber/Shrimper designer, and Jerry
Douglas the chief designer for Catalina (he introduced me to
his friend Frank Butler, whom we've met on several
successive occasions). However I'd like to note that while
Jerry Douglas seemed quite interested in the Johnson 18 and
came up with several ideas on the boat, Catalina/Capri never
implemented any of them and let the class die.

DSK

"DSK" wrote in message
...
Maxprop wrote:

Some people hate foam core, though.


I'm curious--why?

Because, man, it's CORED! It isn't 3 inch thick solid fiberglass like
Mamma used to make... you know, back in the good old days when they didn't
really know how strong the stuff was.

Ah, gotcha.

It provides hull rigidity, it's closed-cell meaning it won't absorb
water like end-grain balsa or ply, and it's temperature stable. What's
the downside?


It can delaminate if overstressed or not bonded correctly in the first
place. It needs to be cut back in the way of any thru-bolted fittings.

Aside from that, it's too light, when everybody knows that boats should be
heavy!

Even with the foam core my boat has a disp/length ratio of over 400. I hate
to think what it might have been had the hull been 1" solid FRP.


I've met a lot of boat designers over the years, the boat show is not a
good place to talk intelligently to them. They've just been thru a wringer
for the past X weeks (maybe months) getting ready and now they're all
jazzed up to try and move product. A few notable exceptions were Roger
Dongray, the Cornish Crabber/Shrimper designer, and Jerry Douglas the
chief designer for Catalina (he introduced me to his friend Frank Butler,
whom we've met on several successive occasions). However I'd like to note
that while Jerry Douglas seemed quite interested in the Johnson 18 and
came up with several ideas on the boat, Catalina/Capri never implemented
any of them and let the class die.

I met Frank Butler at a show about twenty years ago. He was amiable,
informative, excited about is products and eager to speak with potential
customers. A few years ago I heard him speak at a seminar in Chicago. He
was cynical, obnoxious, and appeared depressed. Perhaps success isn't all
it's cracked up to be. ??

Max

Aside from that, it's too light, when everybody knows that boats should be
heavy!


Maxprop wrote:
Even with the foam core my boat has a disp/length ratio of over 400. I hate
to think what it might have been had the hull been 1" solid FRP.


It should change the D/L ratio because it shouldn't change
the designed displacement. It would however reduce the
ballast and increase the average specific gravity (as Jeff
noted).

These discussions go 'round & 'round with the crab-crusher
folk who think a boat should be like a steam-roller. Most of
them can't seem to realize that a boat hull has only a given
amount of immersed volume, and that increasing weight for no
purpose only subtracts from the weight which can be used to
serve a purpose.



Maxprop wrote:
I met Frank Butler at a show about twenty years ago. He was amiable,
informative, excited about is products and eager to speak with potential
customers. A few years ago I heard him speak at a seminar in Chicago. He
was cynical, obnoxious, and appeared depressed. Perhaps success isn't all
it's cracked up to be. ??


He has some health problems, the last time we met him (about
4 or 5 years ago) he was more eager to speak about health
issues with my wife than about boat issues with me. But I
still found him to be a nice guy, don't know about dealing
with the public. Another possible factor is that he's become
more of a CEO than a boatbuilder, and he may find that a lot
less fun than, say, Michael Dell does.

Fresh Breezes- Doug King