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I don't quite understand why, if you are coming up with a whole new design that is for children, you would want to make it a Formula instead of a One-Design. One key to success for kids' boats is that all the boats be identical so they know success is dependent entirely upon their skill, not on their boat being a little bit better or lighter or faster than the other boats.

And since parents will be building the boats (theoretically), it would just become an adult competition to see who can build the fastest boat. How does that benefit youth sailing? And wouldn't it be sending the wrong message to the kids?


That is an excellent point Mary.

I'd envision a scenario such as this. A group of sailing club parents pick a home build design of a degree of difficulty they want to attempt, within a certain budget, such as a simple cookie cutter design, of hulls being built over a weekend specifically for the purpose of having three or four similar boats for the youngsters, within that club, to play with.

As you have eluded, nothing is keeping another group from expending considerable effort and time in building a more complex design.

That in itself precludes the two neighboring groups from getting together for a competition. Wow, we're really taking a LOT for granted here and moving this forward quickly.

As one primarily on the side lines of this I can only hope for a hull design that is modern and performance oriented, but is easy to build, definitely that is a trade off.

I can also predict some argument here on the degree of difficulty involved before a first "kit", if you will, is decided on.

What is to preclude naming specific hulls, and emphasizing not letting adult thinking to spoil children's competition, allowing competitions to be of specific kit designs within the formula? A part of class association rules? Possibly the box rule can somehow limit physically the capability of the hull, i.e. large radii and such? But how would you measure this? Is there a "junior" F12 set of rules and an "open", traditional, developmental, F12?

Whew!!! Again thanks.

John H16, H14