Why do some boat classes florish while others don't? What builds a successful fleet?

Someone buying me an FX-1 would help that particular class Karl! <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

It's people

Rum! <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

It seems to be about what everyone else is doing. My dad bought our first H16 because thats what his friend had. It was a great starter boat and all my dad ever wanted. I however after my first ride on a TheMightyHobie18 had to move up. Again a friend had one and let me sail it often. My need for speed and additional challenge brought me to buy a Fox. I now think the F16 is were I would like to go because finding willing crew for the Fox or the 18 when the wind is blowing the way I like it is almost impossible. In my area those that can afford it are on F18s or I-20s, those that can't race 16,17 and 18s. Its about exposure and expense.

Karl, if you've got the time, you should go to the US SAILING One-design Sailing Seminar Nov 16-17 in Columbus,OH.

US SAILING One Design Class Council web page

In addition to great speakers, there's a lot of people to meet and brains to pick at these events. I've been to the last two and was a speaker at the one in New Orleans last January.

Critical Mass.

Usually there is a group of very enthusiastic and competitive individuals that promote the class and help build the fleet through a lot of different activities (volume discounts, fleet trailers, etc.). Everything has to come together for the class to establish a foothold; the boats need to be solid, the competition needs to be good, and things need to be affordable within a certain range. Once all this is done, the fleet has to hit a critical mass before it will self propagate. F18 has done that most recently and if you look at the F18HT I think you'll see a fleet that, among a few other issues, never quite reached critical mass and it quickly died.

Karl,

This is still a good read Tale of Two Classes
Without the Thistle boys to help us out we'd have never pulled off this Daggerless Results

Individuals with a vision to build a class and make it a success. First you have to persuade people with the money to sell what they have and buy a new boat. Folk can be wary of buying a boat that no one else is sailing - so you have to perusade a few people to go for it at about the same time. Then you need a supply of cheaper used boats to get others into the class - and sometimes this comes from those promoting a class buying a new boat every year or two to create a trickle down of used boats.

Chris.

Ask the boys in CRAM how they do it. It seems they change boat styles about every 5 years.

Lots of good stuff there and here in the thread.

My favorite paragraph -



Exactly the philosophy of a formula class.

I keep thinking about the Hobie 16 when this question comes up. It is undoubtedly one of the most successful one design classes in all of the sailing community. However, I think the equation for a successful class has changed over time. The Hobie 16 was born in the "hayday" of catamaran sailing and emerged the clear winner and I think a lot of it's current popularity is still due to the size of the class that is a result from it's early beginnings.

Today's emerging classes have a different struggle in that the base of active sailors who can actually purchase a new boat is considerably smaller and the boats have to target a more specific need. This is why we've seen a lot of growth in the formula classes because they have found a way to meet several various, and previously conflicting, sailor needs and desires. Versus 1970, there is certainly a different balance now with regard to the equilibrium between development and stagnation and I think this balance changes over time with various influences in our social practices and economics. This is one of the reasons you see some classes come and go. At the same time, it is also very difficult to take a particular class and modify it's balance between the two without alienating the base of sailors that are already established. I don't believe you could ever take the Hobie 16 and open it up for increased development without killing the class. Likewise, I don't think you could take the A-class or the F18 fleet and lock down future development without killing it. It's a ballet to build a class and keep it alive that depends largely on society.