International 14 Mailing List
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From: Craig (craig@oceangraphics.com.au)
Date: Wed 27 Feb 2002 - 17:35:26 GMT
----------
From: "Sydney Yachts" <custom@shoalhaven.net.au>
Date: Wed, 27 Feb 2002 09:46:29 +1100
To: "Craig" <craig@oceangraphics.com.au>
Subject: Re: [I14] Foils and All
Craig,
I totaly agree with what Craig has to say on learning from the other skiff
clases in Australia and the measure that clubs and clases have taken to keep
people on the water.
I the case of the 18' we had seen even bigger budgets more on the way to
half a mill. Currently the legue 18 costs $70K to put on the water. The
measures that the club has taken to keep the boats going has been extreme
and to the piont that no Australian is still capable of owning an 18'. The
club leases the boat to the sponsor for $30k a season for a two seson deal
and covers the running cost. The boat is then on sold internationaly at $30k
to develop the fleet worlds wide. Its working bloody well to.
There is no more $$$$$ races other than in sails. Development has been in
the form of a board that make desisions internationaly.
Anyway I jumped on this 14 talkback show to find out a little on getting
into a 14's and persue the international flavor.
The talk has put me on hold, foils look amazing and a must to have a go at
but if I where to put my dollars into a 14 I'd like the foils on hold for a
few years.
The worlds in Bermuda looked liked very health racing, savour that for a few
years. There is plenty of scope to still potter on new things for your boat
within the rules.
Chris Caldecoat
Kringle
----- Original Message -----
From: Craig <craig@oceangraphics.com.au>
To: <maillist@i14.org>
Sent: Wednesday, February 27, 2002 10:50 AM
Subject: [I14] Foils and All
<p>> The following is a reply to Andy, Daves and Victors emails. These are my
> opions only, not and Australian one!
>
> First, lets sort out Andy. Andy, after speaking to Jason and Sam about
your
> comments, we have decided that on your next trip to the land of Aus you
will
> be placed in our boat-people detention centre for the entire carinval. I'm
> sure you have all read in the papers what's happening down here. Who says
> Australians don't have a sence of hummour?
>
> Next comes Victor. Victor, I first met you on the bottom of Sandingham
boat
> harbour and I mean the bottom of the harbour, as the boat you had
chartered
> had sunk. Boy had they set you up with a clunker. No wonder you are trying
> to changes the rules so much to get back at us. I felt so sorry for you I
> took you saling for the rest of the series, must say it was fun sailing
with
> you.
>
> Victor, I don't think the Aussie fleet is against any changes to the boat
> for the foreseeable future. What we are against is the demise of the
Aussie
> fleet in the foreseeable future. In Australia we have been sailing against
> other skiff fleets (12, 16, 18s) for over 60 years and have seen what rule
> changes have done to some of those classes. 10 or so years ago the 18s
were
> sailing out of 2 clubs, the Leagues at Rose Bay and the Flying Squadron at
> North Sydney. The boats sailing at the Flying Squadron had the big
budgets,
> some as high as $300,000.00 per year, changing the rules as they went
along.
> They also kept getting wider and wider. I think they ended up at about
20ft
> wide. While the dollars kept coming in the fleet also got bigger, while at
> the Leagues Club nobody wanted to sail a boat that was only 14ft wide so
> there fleet nearly died. After a couple of years Australia was hit by a
> ressession and the dollars dried up. The Flying Squadron boys tried to
> finance there boats out of there own pockets, I think this lasted about a
> year. In the meantime the powers to be at the Leagues Club got smart,
> designed a new 1 design 18 and got it on the water for $32,000.00. These
> days I don't think there are any 18s sailing out of the Flying Squadron,
> while at the Leagues there fleet is growing hand over foot, as Victor
would
> know as he was sailing his 18 there at Xmas time.
>
> The 16s also went down the same track as the Flying Squadron boats with
the
> same results. Now they are nearly all one design with a freeze on hull
> designs for seven years. Once again there class is very strong again.
>
> The only class that stayed strong though these times was the Australian
14ft
> skiff because of the rules we had in place to stop out of control
> development and costs ie: sail nos. masts and foils (1 of each)
>
> Australia has a history of over 100 years in 14s and in all that time the
> development has been carried out within the 14ft long, 6ft wide rule.
> Why change something that isn't broken
>
> I honestly don't think that by puting foils on rudders and making the
boats
> wider we are going to get new people into the class in Australia.
>
> On the other hand Victor I don't think Australia has a hope in hell of
> banning the foiled rudder. It is also the first time I am having doubts
> about where the class I love so much is going?
>
> Now Victor (and this is my view only) your idea of the use of the foils
> being put back (if they get passed) to after the worlds in Japan makes a
lot
> of sense to me. It would give us all time to find out if:
> 1: They are actually a benfit to the class ie: cost
> 2: Do they make the boat go faster or maybe those who are using them are
> just as fast without them
> 3: Are they a pig to steer with
> 4: And finally It would give everyone a chance to go to the worlds in
Japan
> sail without them, but see and talk to those who have been using them to
> find out which is the better design, and also by that time cost might not
be
> such an issue.
>
> Finally Dave: Look after that crew of yours because without him we
wouldn't
> have a webmaster for the 14s and no one would know what was going on. Come
> to think about it Dave how about finding a new crew!(Aussie joke)
>
> AUS400
> Paddy Wagon
>
>
>
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