The most significant factors cited and defended here seem to be boat price migrations, demographics, set up time, and PR.
<br> IF I missed your "most important factor" post it under this thread, and we'll ad it to the "action items hopefully without further debate. Anyone wishing to sign up with ideas/help on any action item is great; if you don't see the importance of somebody else's item, just don't get involved with that factor. This way, you vote with your efforts.
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<br>Boat price
<br>GEastment writes:
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<br><blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr><p>Interesting to hear the different points of view from the different continents, so thanks!
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<br>Thought I would chuck in my thoughts on the Australian scene, as I have observed the decline of the sport here.
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<br>First point to make is that much of the fleets that I sailed in when I was a kid (monos & a little bit of cats) were kids of parents who had started sailing in the post war dinghy boom- cheap home made one-design boats that hit the water in thousands. Mirrors, herons, etc. (Since then the fleets have shrunk and shrunk. I think this is at least in part because the boats became more complex, expensive and it was just harder to 'keep up' if you wanted to be competitive. It is interesting to see the new mono designs eat each other up, while classes like the heron here in aus make a bit of a comeback)
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<br>I think this provided the background for the cat boom in the 70's and 80's- a vaguely sailing literate public saw a cheap way to jump into the sport in the shape of the hobies and maricats etc. Mostly 14 footers that were fun and not too intimidating for the novice. Since that initial period we have gradually gotten more expensive and bigger and faster- now if you want to start in a 14 you almost have to sail alone around behind all the bigger boats- not very inviting! So the same goes for the cats as for the monos; those not going the 'whole hog' get left behind and end up dropping off. cf the thousands of 14ft cats sitting in backyards doing squat. (Exactly the same thing has happened to windsurfing here- when I was wave sailing in the 80's there was apparently 40 to 50 shops here in Sydney selling parts/ boards etc. Now there are two. It got more and more complex and the boards got shorter and the thing just evolved itself back onto the fringes).
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<br>As i reread the above, it is all a bit rambly, but I think there are a few valid obsevations... but what to do? I'm outta time, so might come back... but I believe the answer lies with a focus on clubs, not classes and dealers (though imp), a focus on junior sailing (the future, this is where the strong mono fleets come from, and a focus outside SMOD (single manufacturer one design) racing. One design, yes, but with open rules re sailmaker, parts etc...makes sailing cheaper as there is competition. (Having said that, H16 remains one of the only entry type boats you can but that has a decent fleet etc here in aus, so is a valuable boat for sailing here.)
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<br>Just some thoughts, hope they provoke thought. <p><hr></blockquote>
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<br>I wonder what the original retail price of a hoby 14 was, in today's dollars? I know a website that does the calculations for you... Anyone know the original price, in the original dollars?
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<br>What this Aussie sez makes sense to me as being ONE of several important factors!! His view motivated my original post.
<br>Lets have one sub-thread restricted to exploring this aspect, please.
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<br>PR
<br>I'm working with MM on an "idear" for PR, we'll post more on it as we spin it up, for your collective additions and/or subtractions, right now, it's at that embarrassing "I know, why don't we...." stage.
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<br>Access is something Mark's other thread addresses. We can all weigh in there.
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<br>Demographic changes mean we have to explore new niches;I personally agree with the remarks about 20-30's (at heart) yr old thrill seekers. How to address them? They shop in Sports Authority and its analogs. Whether the dealers on this site believe it's possible, advisable or not, if it is possible I do think we'd get some results if cats had a mass marketable model. Other Ideas for this Demographic? Other remedies for Demographic changes?
<br>Again, one sub-thread would be nice.
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<br>Set up time is cited as a factor in certain demo-psychographic segments. IN ONE subthread, can we press manufacturers to make 'speed kits' optional and somewhat reasonable. Murrays sells a couple o' packages, they get little PR, IMHO they are a pretty good investment.
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<br>I did an informal survey on "on the beach" storage, after a wonderfull time at SHBCC. (around the statue) Everyone was 'hot' till one guy said his 'old boat' rusted out in one season 'on the beach' and suddenly everyone went cool on the idea. Rebuttals, pleeze!!!
<br>Other ideas on Set up time?
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<br>Regards,
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<br>Ed<br><br>