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