Hi, I’m new to this and moving to the UK later this year.
At first I thought the Footy class was perfect, however after watching some videos on YouTube it seems these small boats get thrown around with even a small amount of ripple. They look difficult or frustrating to sail and the races look chaotic.
Here is what I am looking for, and hopefully it exists but I’ve overlooked it, in no particular order:
Able to build a competitive boat out of wood or fibreglass for less than $200/Pounds/EUR
One-handed operation (two channels only?)
Good sailing characteristics.
Able to transport two boats in a regular car
Take part in competitions in the UK
So far the closest I have found is the RG65 class, however it seem hardly anyone is using these in the UK. I can’t even find the contact details of the registrar (Chris Jackson?). There doesn’t appear to be any competitions.
I would have thought the above list of requirements would be common. Is there a class I’ve overlooked that fits the bill?
Micromagic, Soling 1M and pre-owned IOMs all have the problem that there isn’t any scratch building involved. Building is a significant part of the fun for me.
It seems to be affordable I have to choose between scratch building OR competitions for the UK.
BTW you should be happy you are not in Yuma. It’s hot hot hot here in Tucson now…
I built a Triple Crown IOM (free plan from UK MYA), glass over balsa. The hull cost was under $40. How much you make vs buy dictates the rest of the cost. I made the foils, bought the sails, ($ 150 per rig - - need A & B, C can wait) radio and servos, made the mast fittings. Sailed well, cost under $600 total.
Now building an EMO IOM (free plan from Frank Russel). Built a glass over balsa hull, and used that as a male mold for a glass hull. (working on it today). Will add purchased CF foils ($200), and will spend another $600 on sails and fittings.
I appreciate your reply, however I put in my first post what is affordable for me. I have to build two boats. I wish I had your kind of budget, but unfortunately I don’t.
If you are willing to make your own sails (materials $20 per suit), and build all the parts, you can do an IOM near your budget, however the radio and a couple of servos add to the cost. A rudder servo is $15, and a Hitec 815 (fast powerful arm winch) is $50. You have these costs in just about any boat. If you build a hull, and use it as a male mold for an FG copy, then you end up with two hulls for little extra work.
Given that there are IOMs in your new area, you may have a source for used sails and gear to help bring down the costs.
But for your budget and the desire to ‘build’, then I suggest a Soling 1M. It is an inexpensive complete kit. Just add ballast and radio gear. It is big enough to sail well, as even the MicroMagic at about 25 inches, is ‘twitchy’.
You may find the UK Fiesta class is what you’re looking for. There are indeed few RG65’s, but the Fiesta boat is very similar both in size and performance. It is however a “one design” class and boats arre only available from the official manufacturer. http://fiestayachts.homestead.com/ (it’s also legal to race in the RG65 class)
If the compact sixe is not such a big factor, there’s no doubt that the IOM has by far the biggest following.
PS On checking the UK RG65 registrations, the two main areas of activity seem to be: http://www.webspawner.com/users/johndmeadowcroft/index.html (about 30 miles SSW of London) and http://www.sedgemoormbc.webeden.co.uk/ (about 125 miles west of London)
I’ve been thinking about this myself too. a very simple flat bottom skiff shape, not too wide, and with some rocker in the profile of the bottom for good steering on all points would be very cheap to make. there aren’t any one design classes where you get to build it yourself out of wood other than the star 45 which is a little large and complex (I think CLC makes another similar one). One design boats I like better in my view as long as the rules keep all the boats the same at the beginning. My personal view is the simpler a boat is the sooner it can go sailing and it will sail darn close to the complicated expensive ones. Single panel sails could be made by the builder much more cheaper too and in less time. Hard part is a cheap quick keel bulb. perhaps fishing sinkers?
Maybe if we can show them how to build it and how cheap they can build it, they will build it. There’s nothing more satisfying than being able to say “I built it myself!”
Building from scratch I mean
If I had the time I’d take a crack at designing this
There is also the ‘Wee Nip’, it fits the Strathclyde 70 class, una rig(but some guys down in OZ have changed this to a sloop rig)
It was designed by Graham Bantock, and there are free downloadable plans on the web,or you can get them printed out for a price.
A quick Google will find plenty of info.
I don’t know where you are coming to in the UK but we now have a fleet of 7 RG65s sailing at Kingsbury Water Park in the Midlands http://www.kwpmbc.co.uk/
