OGA One design dingy

[Romeo]

Looks a bit like a Heron. There is an article in WaterCraft this month. Very smart. Intention to introduce a simple gaff rig in a one design class that can be built at home. Hope it catches on. OGA - OGA Dinghy

Would you? Could you?

 

[Wansworth]

Have you seen the goat island Luger,Australian design ,very simple

 

[Romeo]

Have you seen the goat island Luger,Australian design ,very simple

Think you might mean the goat island skiff. Not seen one, but they are I think lug rig, and not set up to be a one design class. The OGA is intended to be raced as a class. Will it happen?

 

[Wansworth]

Think you might mean the goat island skiff. Not seen one, but they are I think lug rig, and not set up to be a one design class. The OGA is intended to be raced as a class. Will it happen?

Yes,mates bought one apparently great fun to sail and not too difficult to build,but not a one design in the racing sense

 

[srm]

"The single chine hull form follows from the popular dinghies of the 1950s and 1960s: Hornet, Graduate, Scorpion, GP14 etc. but with a more classic appearance with a sweeping sheer and raked transom"

More classic appearance!! - really?

Obviously the OGA's publicist has never seen an Iain Oughtred designed hull, or any other truly classic hull form.

 

[TernVI]

"The single chine hull form follows from the popular dinghies of the 1950s and 1960s: Hornet, Graduate, Scorpion, GP14 etc. but with a more classic appearance with a sweeping sheer and raked transom"

More classic appearance!! - really?

Obviously the OGA's publicist has never seen an Iain Oughtred designed hull, or any other truly classic hull form.

What is 'classic' supposed to mean?
Most 'classic' cars are from the 60s, AKA the era of plywood.

I think creating yet another dinghy class, it's difficult find a USP, this might be the latest attempt at a gaff rig racing class, but does it do anything that other gaff rig classes don't?
I think the simple hull shape would be easy to build and repeatable, whereas lots of other classes, there is much room for shapes to vary and fast and slow boats to result.

But if I wanted a plywood dinghy to race, I'd buy a Merlin Rocket.

 

[wombat88]

If it had been designed with the gaff/yard/gunter almost vertical (whatever you call it) it would get a few degrees closer to the wind. Those of us who sail gunter boats try very hard to get the yard vertical and it makes a big difference.

 

[srm]

But if I wanted a plywood dinghy to race, I'd buy a Merlin Rocket.

Yes, nice boat, but is it still a development class? If so there will be continuous upgrading required.

As for 'classic cars' being from the 60's. In my young days classic cars were pre 1930's, and anything from the1960's was modern and in daily use. Perhaps better to consider design quality and ethics rather than age when deciding if something is 'classic'.

 

[TernVI]

If it had been designed with the gaff/yard/gunter almost vertical (whatever you call it) it would get a few degrees closer to the wind. Those of us who sail gunter boats try very hard to get the yard vertical and it makes a big difference.

If they wanted best performance, they wouldn't start from there.
These days, a two piece mast can be just as easy as a gunter rig.
But for a Gaffers' boat, a gunther that looks like a bermudan from a distance would be a concept failure.

Strangely, a lot of us with bermudan sloop dinghies have been improving windward performance with more and more mast rake over the years.
In the old days, people raced gaff rig boats seriously and their performance could be surprising.
There is a piece in one of the Bethwaite books, where he talks about some of their often misunderstood advantages, in the context of the materials of the day.

 

[AntarcticPilot]

If it had been designed with the gaff/yard/gunter almost vertical (whatever you call it) it would get a few degrees closer to the wind. Those of us who sail gunter boats try very hard to get the yard vertical and it makes a big difference.

I must admit that I too couldn't see the unique selling point of this design. If I wanted a gaff rigged dinghy, I'd find a well known class like a Heron, which (in it's original and still permitted form) is gunter rigged, and, being half-decked is more resilient in a seaway. The Heron can be home built; there are several building methods available within the class rules.

To me, this looks like a Heron without the half-deck!

 

[wombat88]

Raking the mast works on gunter too.

One of the oft forgotten advantages of gunter is that the spars should fit in the boat.

Next gripe...mainsheet...centre sheeting on a cruising dinghy. On a a cruising dinghy you need the space in the middle for people/lunch etc. Far better transom sheet so that the helm can have both sheet and tiller in one hand.

Is that a mainsheet cleat? No comment.

 

[TernVI]

Raking the mast works on gunter too.

One of the oft forgotten advantages of gunter is that the spars should fit in the boat.

Next gripe...mainsheet...centre sheeting on a cruising dinghy. On a a cruising dinghy you need the space in the middle for people/lunch etc. Far better transom sheet so that the helm can have both sheet and tiller in one hand.

Is that a mainsheet cleat? No comment.

The centre main will make life awkward should anyone wish to row it. It also asks a lot of a wooden boom.
But few people learn on transom sheet boats these days.

I can imagine getting a bunch of gaffer owners to agree a spec for a 'One Design' would be a long debate.

 

[wombat88]

I can imagine getting a bunch of gaffer owners to agree a spec for a 'One Design' would be a long debate.

Yes agreed but I suspect a lot of old gaffers will have learnt to sail in leaky clinker dinghies wearing wellies, corduroy trousers, polo neck jumpers and a tweed jacket.

 

[Keith 66]

I see no point in trying to introduce a new one design that is small & outdated & built in plywood, the cost of decent plywood these days is high & its false economy to use cheap stuff if you want the boat to last longer than 5 minutes.
Plenty of good old classes to choose from.

 

[TernVI]

I see no point in trying to introduce a new one design that is small & outdated & built in plywood, the cost of decent plywood these days is high & its false economy to use cheap stuff if you want the boat to last longer than 5 minutes.
Plenty of good old classes to choose from.

It's quite easy to say that about most new classes.
Some people want ot build their own boat, I can understand that, and a stitch/glue kit is a good way to do it.

I think the OGA just want a dinghy with a 'proper' gaff, not gunter, rig. Not many of those about.
One might say there is probably a good reason for that..... but if your 'brand' is gaff rig, so be it.
The best performing, nicest, fastest boats, don't always deliver the best racing....

 

[Romeo]

Yes, nice boat, but is it still a development class? If so there will be continuous upgrading required.

Intended to be a one design class, but measurement rules not published yet.

 

[Romeo]

I must admit that I too couldn't see the unique selling point of this design. If I wanted a gaff rigged dinghy, I'd find a well known class like a Heron, which (in it's original and still permitted form) is gunter rigged, and, being half-decked is more resilient in a seaway. The Heron can be home built; there are several building methods available within the class rules.

To me, this looks like a Heron without the half-deck!

USP is that it is a one design, with a gaff (rather than gunter) rig, and a centre board (rather than a dagger board). Whether that is sufficient SP remains to be seen. Good luck to it.

 

[srm]

Intended to be a one design class, but measurement rules not published yet.

Are we talking about the same 'Merlin Rocket' class. I owned an early one and it was very different to the class boats I have seen subsequently.

This is the introduction to the Merlin Rocket Owners Association website:
"
The ultimate hiking dinghy for two people - refined over 70 years of development.
Now an extremely modern class providing excellent racing throughout the UK.
"
The website gives the impression that the design is still being "refined".

 

[Romeo]

Are we talking about the same 'Merlin Rocket' class. I owned an early one and it was very different to the class boats I have seen subsequently.

This is the introduction to the Merlin Rocket Owners Association website:
"
The ultimate hiking dinghy for two people - refined over 70 years of development.
Now an extremely modern class providing excellent racing throughout the UK.
"
The website gives the impression that the design is still being "refined".

Ah, righto sorry, I was referring to the OGA dinghy in that reply. Must follow the side shoots of the thread better. As you were!