fasi
New Member
I am surprised that a respectable publication should give publicity to a mendacious and misleading article such as that about the so-called “ecoOptimist”.
This boat is not an Optimist and is misusing both the name and the logo which are registered trade-marks of the International Optimist Dinghy Association (IODA).
It is highly improbable that these boats can deliver “the same high performance as conventionally built boats in the Optimist class”. Real Optimists are built to very tight 2mm tolerances which it is impossible to replicate in materials other than those specified by the Class.
Their performance will never be tested in serious racing. Optimist regattas are for Optimists, not copies. And a boat which cannot be raced will have little second-hand value.
The statement that “Much of the current, global Optimist class are imported plastic hulls which enter landfill at end of life” ignores that the “end of life” of most Optimists is a long time away. At any decent sailing club you can find racks of Optimists up to 20-30 years old used for training and still permitted to race in Optimist events.
The IODA “ROPE” program to distribute used gear to develop sailing internationally was a finalist in World Sailing’s “11th Hour Sustainability Award 2022”
“Imported” is used as a slur. It is proposed to distribute the ecoOptimist “around the world” which means it will be imported in most countries. Real Optimists are manufactured in 17 countries on four continents for local markets.
This is not the first and will not be the last effort to jump on the Optimist band-wagon with a manufacturer-controlled copy. It is as well that they can be recycled since most of them will end on the scrap heap when their limitations are known.
This boat is not an Optimist and is misusing both the name and the logo which are registered trade-marks of the International Optimist Dinghy Association (IODA).
It is highly improbable that these boats can deliver “the same high performance as conventionally built boats in the Optimist class”. Real Optimists are built to very tight 2mm tolerances which it is impossible to replicate in materials other than those specified by the Class.
Their performance will never be tested in serious racing. Optimist regattas are for Optimists, not copies. And a boat which cannot be raced will have little second-hand value.
The statement that “Much of the current, global Optimist class are imported plastic hulls which enter landfill at end of life” ignores that the “end of life” of most Optimists is a long time away. At any decent sailing club you can find racks of Optimists up to 20-30 years old used for training and still permitted to race in Optimist events.
The IODA “ROPE” program to distribute used gear to develop sailing internationally was a finalist in World Sailing’s “11th Hour Sustainability Award 2022”
“Imported” is used as a slur. It is proposed to distribute the ecoOptimist “around the world” which means it will be imported in most countries. Real Optimists are manufactured in 17 countries on four continents for local markets.
This is not the first and will not be the last effort to jump on the Optimist band-wagon with a manufacturer-controlled copy. It is as well that they can be recycled since most of them will end on the scrap heap when their limitations are known.
