Personally, I am disappointed that more boat makers do not post. There have been several threads started where people were asking about how to design their own boats. They were looking for information like how much rocker to design into their boat and what best beam for a boat might be. Since none of us (as far as I know) are boat builders with a proven record of fast designs, none of us are qualified to answer such questions.
I’m sure there are a lot of tricks of the trade for producing fast, nice looking boats that you can only learn after building 10 or 12 boats. I do not have the time to build 10 or 12 boats to learn those tricks and since no one with that experience is here to share with me how to do it, I am sunk.
Specifically (I hate beating around the bush, so I am not going to do it) with regard to Doug’s posts, lets look at the facts. Doug does not produce boats that compete with other builders an any recognized class (yet). His X3 and F100 boats will fit into those class rules, although the F48 is not really a class yet, and the F100 class has a foothold only in europe, I think. The spinnaker 50 is a one design class where he is the only builder, so he is not competing against other builders. Therefore, none of his advertisment posts have anything to do with gaining some sort of competitive edge in the marketplace.
Frankly, it you are going to buy one of Doug’s boats, you are going to buy it because it is a really cool toy - not becuase you are going to win races in a recognized class. For those of us who are intrigued by Doug’s toys, we like to hear how they work. Many of the technologies he is using can be applied to our own boat designs and those of us who are aspiring boat builders like to discuss these ideas.
I have talked at length about some of my ideas for a US1M boat. I intend to build this boat. Does that make me a boat builder and therefore mean that I should refrain from talking about my design ideas here? Others have discussed their techniques for building boat molds. Therefore they intend to make more than one boat. Can we assume that they intend to sell those boats and therefore they should not post here either?
I have sailed full sized boats for almost 30 years. It is standard practice in full sized sailing to invite a sail maker to hop on your boat for a race or even a practice session and have them give you pointers about sail trim and rig setup. You often hear about boat builders sailing in a fleet where they build boats (the Melges boys in the Melges 24 class is a great example). These guys freely share their expertise about building, tuning and sailing boats. Having been the recipient of such knowledege sharing over the years, I have benefitted greatly from their insight. I think it would be a disservice to all of us if these “professionals” kept their expertise to themselves.
The same is true here. We are all benefitted by learning from the pros. There are many examples in our sport of guys willing to share. Bob Sterne puts out his sail tuning video where he gives away many of his go fast secrets. I would love to see him posting here talking about sail design. Does that mean he is advertising for his sails? I don’t think so, but inevitably his posts would include statements like “When I build a sail, I do such and such to get a good shape”. Some would see that as an advertisement. I would see that as sharing valuable information that help me understand my own sails.
I am not sure if anyone is making a living selling RC boat gear. I don’t know if Bob Sterne or Rod Carr make enough money to live on. I tend to doubt it. I think these guys do it because they like to do it and they found a way to make a little money on the side. The fact that most of these guys are willing to share their expertise when asked is great. The fact that Doug is willing to share the technical information he has gained over the years is wonderful. The fact that Doug has some good ideas and is not only willing to try them out himself (and sell them) but also to teach others how to do it benefits us all.
If anyone finds Doug’s posts too self promotional, then there is a simple solution: don’t read anything he has to say. The rest of us are going to continue discussing, debating and developing new ideas. We don’t always agree and we may not always be civil, but we are always willing to share. I see nothing wrong or unseemly about that.
Will Gorgen
