Some anon knucklehead on the old forum was making alot of noise about the Tiger not being one-design, so I thought I would start a civilized discussion over here.



What is the difference between a One-Design Class and a Formula Class? Everybody wants to draw the line in different places. When, in the end, there is no real difference.

A Class is a set of rules which govern the configuration of a boat. Some are very strict, some are very loose, some are controlled by mfgs, some by Class Associations.

KH was trying to make the point that a Tiger was not One-Design because of the recent changes made to the Class rules (self-tacking jib, new boom, mast rotator, etc.). Obviously KH has never been around Hobie 16 Class racing, the Holy Grail of strict mfg One-Design, or they would have seen many subtle variations in the boats. How many different jib sheet upgrades has Murrays sold. They made a living selling parts to MODIFY Hobie 16s. Now if even a CLASS LEGAL Hobie 16 can have OWNER modifications, what boat is truly mfg One-Design?

Then there is the Tornado. Many call it a One-Design because the rules are strict and the hulls are almost all identical externally. But other parts have extreme variations and anyone can build one in their backyard. It's rules tend to make all of the boats perform almost identically under all conditions and crew weights.

F18 has very strict rules and anyone can build one, but the hulls vary a great deal. Different F18s have different strengths and weaknesses under different wind, water and crew conditions.

The A Class is very similar to the F18 in variation but has less strict rules.

The 18 square meter is often called a Developemental Class, but what draws the line?

It seems the this One-Design, Formula, Developmental Class label has just become an excuse for the less informed to start an argument.

WHAT DIFFERENCE DOES IT MAKE if a mfg or a group(Nacra 6.0w/spi?) wants to sponsor regattas and race together and refer to it as a One-Design.

All of this noise over the definition of a few words which have no "official" delineation.

It is just "poor cousin" jealousy.



I am assuming they actually have a boat to race.