More dinghy speculation...

[Bodach na mara]

The Flying Fifteen may have a cast iron keel, but it does not weigh much and the boat needs to be sailed like a dinghy, with the crew sitting out to keep it upright. Thus the reason why most dinghies have much the same mast height (and sail area) is that is the limit to what two people can keep upright. Most dinghies of the two-person type have a sail area of just over 100 square feet (except the International 14 at 125) unless they were intended for lighter crews (like the National 12 at 90 sq ft.) Oh, and my 12 had a 24 ft mast!

 

[Greenheart]

Good advice, thank you.

I am indeed speculating about whether the best compromises are the boats already out there, or if perhaps a bit of subtle re-drawing might produce a really quick, stable, responsive, robust and beautiful dinghy that will challenge an athletic crew yet allow them to ride out strong breezes without spectacular mishaps, and make picnics under way a little less hit and miss.

I've seen some recent designs that attempt to combine aspects of skiff performance, with a family-friendly, non-extreme style, and no-maintenance materials; but jeez, they're ugly! As Seajet has said, the old Osprey still does almost everything better than almost anything else, so I suppose it's still my ideal. I'll just need a longer garage!

I don't s'pose I'll ever stop thinking what might make a slug slicker, or a speedster more comfortable. I'd like to see a trapeze on a Wayfarer. I'm surprised non-racing W owners don't fit them, just for fun. Such a simple improvement - why aren't there any, so-equipped?

 

[Kelpie]

My first W had fittings for a trapeze, not class legal of course to use one but I think it may have been for training purposes.
With two people already hiked out on a W you can keep full sail in some pretty gnarly conditions. If you were trapezing, I'd start to worry about rig failure...

 

[Iain C]

My club has a couple of Waaytooslow Worlds which have asymmetric spinnkers and trapezes.

Trapezes won't induce rig failure. There is nothing wrong with significantly widening your shroud base provided that the rig is adequatly supported at deck level and kept reasonably in column. In fact, in many years of dinghy sailing I've never known a rig let go with someone actually on the wire at the time.

 

[ianat182]

As you will be aware the mast height is not the only consideration by the designer of the dinghy, but crew weight and likely use. As a result Ian Proctor Masts(pre-Selden) produced masts of verious shaped sections labelling them A,B,C,D, etc giving different moments of inertia bending characteristics for the different classes/weights.
His designs of Merlin Rockets, National !2's and Wayfarers, Wanderers,Tempests,Typhoon and Osprey have specified sections recommended for the craft concerned.
The Star class is an example of overcanvassing, requiring extreme mast bending characteristics to control this area and not a sailing choice for many crew

ianat182