Excellent -in all regards , great intent .
Don,t forget the Catyak -
Don,t make fun of 14 s either ,-they are great.
Great John , Mary good ideas as always ,Carl B good rules outline !
This sounds GREAT ,-good basic simple rules for all 14s
some 15s ?
have a SC 15 ,-its really a fun boat ,-I,ve taken it out in high wind conditions and weather on the little lake we're on and just had the best time with it pushing it to its extreme limits ,--where it would pitchpole ,-flip , etc etc ,-If you really want to know and understand a particular boat take it out {wear some padding} and good pfd and test it to extreme ,flip it pitchpole it stand out on the bows and submerge them in seas ,-it eliminates apprehension and builds confidence in knowing the limits and not being afraid of pushing to hard or a capsize if you make an error . Highly recommend doing this ,take a football type friend along . A 14 -15 can be an amazingly fast seaworthy craft with proper proportional sail area design and balance and crew not afraid of it.
Take this F-14 -15 type class rule and think of applying it in larger context -
if you would --
Should this type of racing and class be encouraged in each length category ? YES of course it should ,-what could be more fun and get more people out and involved .
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In the 14 proposed F class how do we assure fair fun competition and that boats race equally and have a chance to win given diverse existing 14 designs ? --
Just as proposed !! ,- set basic Length beam weight and sail area ,-then define minor design options and variables from there , add spin snuffer systems ,get a new class designated same size sq top main if desired then options per design within outlined rules concerning wings boards foils etc -
If we used a design measurement rating system that uses Length beam weight and sail area this would largely already be accomplished !!!
ISAF for cats is a good one
-improve it a bit for use in N A and use the best aspects of other rating ideas and systems ,--then temper this by checking times periodically per P rating system of comparing relative times --but by {equal ability crews} . --But again the main goal is to define classes by design measurement and encourage them to race in equal measurement groups {like 14s}.
Our priorities should be towards sport ,-not promoting one brand over another .If boat mfg. and one type brand boat dealer{most now sell a number of brand types} really want to increase their sales what better way than to increase total market ,-With the classification and modification target available per max sail area and spin snuffer system a new market potential opens ,-old boats become interesting new ones ,-younger people have an opportunity for an economical starter boat that still has all the bells and whistles {they can now add} and are encouraged to do ,-plus the move up and new market becomes more active due to total increase and partisipation .
The aspect of being able to get older existing boats out and revamping them very inexpensivly IS A GREAT ONE -
I found the S cat that had been parked under a tree in a neighbors backyard for approximately ten years ,-it was not recognizable due to moss and mold that had covered it ,ripped tramp ,-mice had eaten holes through the sails ,but the mast and rigging looked good as did rudders though all lines and sheets needed to be replaced ,blocks were good as was misc hardware . It turned out to be a SC 15 ,--promptly purchased for 100 bucks ,-SOLD !
-I called Tom {great guy} at Aquarious Sails Supercat and ordered a set a almost new sails very inexpensively and a new halyard system , Don at Salty Dog made a custom tramp with storage pockets and spin bag built in and picked up new sheets ,-Lots of cleaning , a little ding repair and a few rudder bolts later and we were sailing at a coat of about 600 total !!
I tryed a larger spin snuffer system on it ,but need to order one the correct size ,-What a great boat
I also have a H-18 I,d like to do the same with and race with snuffer spin ---in a more open 18 spin type class -
maybe a sub class of F-18s
And race the Inter 20 but would prefer a Formula 20 class
as per Formula 20 forum .
Thinking of using a Nacra 6/0 platform --basic hulls boards etc and using the Inter 20 cf mast and sailplan on it ,-- racing the Atlantic 1000 as a Formula 20 -
suppose some might call it a Nacrinter 6/0 .
Similar combinations of hulls mast and rig rudder board componants are possible in any boat in any length category .
I have 3 boys {our own fleet} if we all got a singlehander ,-and would like to get them going more this season on inexpensive boats they can work on themselves .
Many catsailors out there, based on this 14 class concept, would enjoy the same ,it seems it is very much the preference of most .
