I believe we are long past that point.

The unstayed rig have gotten more pro's on its listing since then :

-1- Easy to homebuild for much smaller costs then a conventional mast with a sailtrack
-2- Collapsable and easy storage.
-3- Easy homebuilding of the mainsail, sleeved sails are easier to make and recut then sails with bolt ropes.
-4- Less parts required and therefor cheaper
-5- Ability to completely weathervane the rig, that is a safety issue both on land and on the water





But these are so beautiful when you look at how the forces and stresses are transmitted through the platform. Gone is the requirements for having a dolphinstriker or even carbon beams. Gone are the stringers inside the hull and subdecks to make the bows stand up to the forestay loads. Gone is the reinforced bulkhead in the bow to take the bridle fitting. Because of the trampoline tension counteracting the loading of the push rod against the hull, the local reinforcement of the hull can be much lighter and simpler. When needed the same reinforcement can be used to fit the external daggerboard to. And so on and so on.

I know you feel the push rods are very ugly and you have always said so. It is why we diverged on the project. I looked at it from an engineering point of view and saw how nicely it solved many issues in one go.

Recently I visited the owner of the Semprit Skippy and he told me that he and his daughter actually liked these rods as it gave the crew (child) something to hold on to. It gave them an added sense of security. Not I don't believe everybody feels that way, but it is certainly worth taking into account.

Afterall esthetics only go so far, if it makes alot of engineering sense then one should use it even when it is not very esthetically pleasing.

Wouter