New women's Olympic boat

yea but.... dump the 470 from the olympics and the 420 as a youth boat and NO-ONE would buy them surely? 

likewise toppers and oppies - only popular because they're official.  Lasers too probably 'cause they're not actually very nice..

Originally posted by NickA yea but.... dump the 470 from the olympics and the 420 as a youth boat and NO-ONE would buy them surely?  likewise toppers and oppies - only popular because they're official.  Lasers too probably 'cause they're not actually very nice..

Sorry Nick, but that's just not right.

For a start, many classes (505s, 14s, even Lasers) have long known that
Olympic (and to a lesser extent Youth) selection can actually harm a class.
The 14ers were quite explicit about this fact just a week or two ago.

Secondly, ALL of the boats you mentioned were enormous successes well
before they got selected for anything by ISAF. The 470 may not be super
quick, but it's similar in size and speed to the Fireball and the popularity
of the Furball proves how many people like that sort of boat. Considering
the fact that the class has declined in numbers in some places under the
pressure of the Olympic sailors, you may say that Olympic selection has
hurt the class in some ways.

Same with the 420 - it got selected as an International class because it
was popular, it wasn't popular just because it was selected. They sell
hundreds of the "Club 420" version in the USA each year and it's not even
eligible for the Int 420 class or the Youth Worlds. The fact that a non-
international 420 is one of America's most popular classes proves that
the boat appeals to people aside from its International status.

The Laser was the world's most popular adult's dinghy years before it was
selected as an Olympic class. Then when the big rig was selected for the
Games, the Radial grew faster for years. If the class was strong only
because of Olympic status why were there some 150,000 built even
before it was selected and why did the Radial grow faster than the big rig
when the big rig was the Olympic version?

The Laser happens to be cheap and simple, it was designed by a bunch of
Olympians who were mainly 14ers, and is still one of the fastest hiking
non-wing singlehanders, so for a boat of it's type it's certainly not
"rubbish". Among the current and recent Laser sailors near me are guys
who have won or placed in Worlds in FDs, 505s, 49ers, 18s, Cherubs;
these guys know a good boat.

I could never work out what people saw in Oppies. Then when our club
and its training fleet got torched we borrowed Optis for replacements and
now I'm convinced they are a damn good little boat as a basic trainer.
They're not perfect (I reckon kids here should start on a main-only
version of a baby Cherub we have) but what is?

Maybe the best way to work out what makes a class popular is to look
just at the Youth classes - after all if the Laser is only successful because
of its status then why are there 140 Lasers at the Youth nats and less
than 50 29ers, 16 RSX and 7 Hobies? Why are there still 29 420s turning
up even when it's not the Worlds class this year?

Is there any further news on the next trials?? is Weymouth in semptember confirmed?

Edited by 17mika