It occured to me a few years ago that model yachting doesn’t appear to have any amatuer built one design classes.
Model yachting is made up of 3 types of classes it seems.
1 formula based rating rules ( A,10 rater)
2 restricted type /development in a certain window types ( M ,IOM etc)
3 manufactured one designs ( Victoria,soling etc)
Why no amatuer built one design classes? these types are very common in the full size world.
The only possible exception seems to be the Star 45 class
perhaps a simple plywood sharpie type hull ,panel shapes can be checked with templates.
a simple non shaped keel strut with ballast bulb that can be removed for weighing.
a simple rig with simple sails that we can all make at home.
rules on servos used and battery types.
There would be other restrictions as well to ensure that all the boats are as alike as possible.
This could make a nice simple/inexpensive one design class.
pro builders would also have the chance to manufacture kits or finnished boats for those who either don’t have the time to build or the skills.
This is something model yachting doesn’t have…why not?
i see this class going somewhere like the minitransat boats, where there is many levels of competition.
one for amatuer, built vessels,
one for production built vessels,
and top-end prototype vessels,
that’s where it seems like it’s going.
am i wrong?
Here is an example of one class where home building, ease of construction could be coupled with tight building rules to offer a home built one design class.
Oh - but wait … :scared: that would mean it would be necessary for home builders to actually build a boat - not buy one premade. Yikes !
Take a close look at the building plans (free download) the hard chines, the simple rig and one piece sails, the r/c controls and most importantly for those who seem to want “small” versus “big” - the final size.
pitched the idea of builder’s open over on boatdesign.net … spirit of it was:
owner designed
owner built
owner raced
it got some folks excited but never really picked up traction, the idea may be more suited to individual events as opposed to a class itself … ie: a footy builders regatta, an IOM builder’s regatta
Could be a good idea to make it fit within the Strathclyde 70 restricted rule - or else Barratt’s proposed M505. From the point of view of latching onto an existing class, the Strathclyde 70 is probably better.
Got to be careful. One of the problems (see Optimist, Mirror, Enterprise, etc) is making the tolerances wide enough for the amateur builder without giving the professional the scope to design his own boat.
There is a wealth of interest and knowledge out there, but there is also the fact that spending time designing and building a boat to an unknown set of rules - or to rules that have little interest to others, just doesn’t make economic or cost sense.
You reference a catmaran rule as one of your links, and I can assure you there are three (3) major classes of catamarans - the 1 Meter, the Mini40/F-48 and the 2 Meter.
Nothing prevents local adoptions of rules that eliminate the high cost of building a multihull - it’s just that most sailors want to buy rather than build - witness the explosion of “plastic boat” classes. Secondly, there is an issue of transportation, when some country’s - unlike the US - usually have small commuter type cars - not big SUV, Van or pickup trucks.
Would you spend time building to a rule not knowing if anyone else is building? The free sotware has been out there for some time, and we only have the FOOTY class to show for it, and many of them are following the original designs offered at the initial start of the class.
I guess I am still seeing a lack of building - especially in the IOM and 1 Meter classes - let alone the design side of things. To expand to yet another class is a pretty ambitious effort.
I started in the AMYA ( about 1985) when the USOM was mostly a scratch- built class. Is that what you mean by ameteur?
Since then, a number if builder have made the hulls & kits readily available and very affordable to the masses. This was also about the time when resins and carbon fibre became available, affordable, and popularOtherwise, I probably would not be sailing, except for VS 2000, and the sport would not be what it is today.
I am happy that radio yachts are available through mass- manufacturers, but trying to get them to make good boats is a totally different story. The bottom-line is what drives them, not the quality or competitive feasilbility of their boats. :sad:
Yikes ! 