Worth doing! It may be worth noting that the proposal for limiting the fin thickness came from … Graham Bantock. This was when he was the Chairman of the RSD Technical Committee. Graham realised that, in this case, the ability of a professional builder to make something that was so greatly superior to what could be done on the kitchen table was positively harming the class.
An important fact and an opinion:
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Fact: Cougar can’t spell when typing. Never has and never will. But we love him for it
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Opinion: The enthusiastic home builder can build a competitive and cost-effective IOM. We’ve been around this circle so many times. The reason we do not see more of them is, IMHO, just because most people want to spend their time sailing rather than building - and fair enough too. Yes - we’ve discussed many times the problems faced by the amateur in building a competitive keel fin, and sails, and yes, the use of three rigs adds cost, but given the success of the class at present, it’s still doing something right.
I’m an IOM fan, and believe that the class still has a great future.
I also believe that that there is less difference between 80% of IOM designs (in terms of performance potential) than most realize. I consider that an owner would do better to stick with one hull, and maximise his/her skill and knowledge of that boat, than to change hulls every season because some new design is a rising star. Sailing skill and experience, matched with good sails and appendages, will be worth more than the latest and greatest hull. As just two examples, just look at the performances of Martin Roberts and Peter Stollery in the last Worlds. Neither was sailing a “new” design, but both were sailing designs they knew very well and had been campaigning for extended periods. The Gadget finished 4th this time around - and anyone can go out and build their own near sister by building a Triple Crown. We are yet to see a TC take a top spot in a major regatta (please correct me if I’m wrong), but I believe that a homebuilt TC, fair and down to weight, campaigned for a year in the hands of a top skipper, can do the business. This is not limited to the TC - I just use it as an example because it is a near sister of the Gadget - which has proven it’s performance in more than one World Championship regatta.
My point? Second hand boats can be as competitive as the latest and most expensive new boats. Just because a design is a few years old, does not mean it cannot perform well, if matched with good preparation, sails, foils and a good skipper.
Yes - it will still be a more expensive class to play in than the Victorias, RC Lasers, ODOMs etc - but you do not have to spend $4,000, or even $2,000 to be competitive at club, national, or even international level.
But no one class suits all, and that’s the same in big boats as it is in the RC classes. There will always be other alternatives.
Thanks for that bit of info Lester, i did not know that. :bouncy:
over a discussion with people. it came up that there was a problem with sails.
A couple of years ago, there was a problem with black magic sails. the problem was the sail attachment. now we are talking about a simple and cheap way of attaching the mainsail to the mast. can anybody tell me why? this method was deemed illeagle? all it was was a simple wire? very much like a jackline system? we are looking at a class where money seems to rule alot of what we do. I sail my own IOM and i sail “epoch”. now i will be building “kite”. so as you can see. and most of you know. I sail IOM and race IOMs.
why was the problem with black magik deemed illeagle?
cougar
thought illeagle was a sick bird ?
Sure.
Interpretation 2002-IOM-2
INTERPRETATION ON THE INTERNATIONAL ONE METRE CLASS RULES
Interpretation requested by the Model Yachting Association, GBR, as follows:
?= Is it permitted to use the method of attachment at the mainsail luff made of cutouts on the mainsail luff closed (bridged) with 20-25 mm wire?
Discussion
LUFF EYES MADE OF CUTOUTS ON MAINSAIL CLOSED (BRIDGED) WITH PIECES OF WIRE
The ERS does not specify standing as against running rigging beyond including the definition as part of the rig. CR F.5.2(b)(3) specifically includes a jackstay as part of the standing rigging and therefore as part of the rig. ERS G.1.1 defines a sail as being an item of equipment attached to the rig, used to propel the boat and includes, among other items, attachments. Thus the wires on the mainsail luff used to close (bridge) the cutouts on the mainsail cannot be regarded as a jackstay or any part thereof but fall under CR G.2.5© as discontinuous attachments and the opening together with the wire falls under IOM Class Rule G.3.2.
Decision
Provided the cringles/eyes do not exceed 10mm in diameter, they may fall inside or outside the edges of the sail. The wires do not form any part of a discontinuous jackstay and provided that the requirements of IOM Class Rule G.2.5© and IOM Class Rule G.3.2 are met, they are a legal form of eye. The IOM Class Rule G.3.2 requirement for cringle and eye diameter to be a maximum of 10 mm has to be applied to the whole length of the wire bridging
each cutout on the mainsail luff and to the cutout itself. Both wire and cutout form the eye.
What does that have to do with “international class(es)”??? VERY old news!
http://www.rcsailtalk.com/viewtopic.php?t=125&postdays=0&postorder=asc&highlight=luff&start=30
so lester
what you are saying then is the only reason they were consider illegal was that the hole was too large? i think it would make it easier to use . you dont have to use a punch or a grovvy tube. i personaly am not going to try this. as i think you would be making a hole in your mainsail. if bm was to make the wire 10 mm then it would be legal?
cougar
IMHUO yup.
Yes Ian you were quite right, it was away of getting some real discussions. It was not there to play havoc with anyone.
But certain problems entered the fray .One was that I got a a dose of Pneumonia, that layed me out somewhat and then I was committed to got to Tasmania for the Nats, where I was laid out by the accursed lurgy again and I have only got on my feet in the last couple of days. And Ready for our “sherbert” in Feb.
Now Ian I must take you to task about A class being the oldest class. This is not right and supposedly some body should have mentioned this. The 10rater rule is like you told it, for the A class started in 1927 with Major Heckstall Smith. Nevertheless, what you summized about the opening question was right enough. Are we going to get these older classes dieing away? right now it appears we might be having a big shift in Marblehead design. To get back to the orginal intent. it appears they will for various reasons, including complications to their rules etc and what are we to have in place. Your argument was the IOM is striving along (thats True ) except that in you neck of the woods they,(the regos) I believe are actuall falling. Now this is not to pick an argument but to discuss what is possible if we were to use something else other that what we use now?
i think if you look at most classes today. you will find that size is a major factor. I for one am invovled in 45classes(. victoria, us 1 meter,seawind, IOM, 3r). the reason i dont have a marblehead , is that it is too big, same as most of the other classses. most people would rather have thier boat fit into a car, and be at the pond. take maybe 5 minutes to get thier boat assemeble and in the water. all of my 5 boats qualify for that. there is a new class growing here in canada called the mini 12. 4 years ago. i never heard of it. now i have have 2 of the boats in my area. I think you will find that the reason most of the older classes are dying is that the conditions around them have died. we dont live in our own homes much anymore. we live in apartments. our cars are not as big anymore. so we cant fit alot into them. but that is just my opinion
cougar
Hello Coug , Yeah to a certain extent I agree with you but the Car thing , I’m not with you. The car is still 50" across inside.
And if we are talking about moving foreward, let me just throw something in that alignes it self somewhat with what you were saying about smaller living space . At the present we go for our favourite boat (mine as you know in Old Marbs) and we add our three suits of sails an keel and, and… and to get a great collection of stuff associated with it.
I would like to see some move to one boat, one set of sails and probably one keel. This immediately cuts down on space. Now being one set of sails, it will probably be a more a working suit than a very high suit. So we could get a more usuable type of boat thanwhat we have.