Minimum hull weight rule?

odegaard

cAPTN oDIE
Seems we have new Class rules effective 1/1/21 but still pending World Sailing approval. No problemski here, except new rule C.6.1 setting a minimum hull wt. of 121 lbs. This could ?? open a controversial "can of worms". Many yrs. ago, there were 2 NE events where weigh-ins were attempted: 1} at Bolton Lake, Ct, just for curiosity and 2} at Little Lake Sunapee, NH -a participation req'mt. The hulls @ BL ranged from ~115-180 lbs (Ugh, my slow x- Worlds boat}.; The NH regatta set a min for combined hull + crew wt. -- Lightweight Paul Fendler had to carry around heavy sand bags and surprisingly, finished well down in the results. Bottom line, hull wt. has been discussed for yrs. but many questions always arrise--like:
o Will boats now have to be weighed at santioned events? If so how and when? Won't this be an extra burden on the Class Measurer/organizers?
o Could a DSQ result from being underweight?
o Is the rule practical and enforceable? If not why do we need the rule?
o Is hull wt. a non-problem today?
o etc. etc. a can of worms, better not addressed?

Healthy discussion solicitated here-------
 
A minimum weight makes little sense in an SMOD class. It's something that should be the manufacturer's, not the sailors' headache.

But if it's a rule, it has to be enforced. In practice, it means that it's controlled at regattas at a level that the class association decides. In other classes it's usually world, continental, and maybe national championships. Of course that means extra work for the organizers.

If a boat is underweight, there should be an official method, such as adding lead correctors, to make it legal before the boat starts racing. Disqualification would occur only if the correctors were found to be removed or otherwise tampered with during the regatta.

Controlling hull weight in an SMOD class would be justified if it were a widespread practice for sailors to somehow lighten their hulls. If not, then it's pretty pointless. Enforceable, yes, practical, no.

Has ISCA stated any reason for the change?

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I know less than nothing about racing sail boats and rules but seems like if they are bound and determined to do it I would suggest they do it like horse racing. Dont do it before...when the race is over, only the winners head straight for the weigh station. If over weight, they are DQd.
 
It does seem like an odd thing to make a rule... if you bought a new hull and it is underweight, is it your fault? And how do you fix it to make it class legal?
 
It does seem like an odd thing to make a rule... if you bought a new hull and it is underweight, is it your fault? And how do you fix it to make it class legal?
Hopefully class leadership weighs in (clever, eh?). Maybe LP has agreed to this weight??? Their Laser building shows they are not the best at agreeing to follow construction manuals - or at least they don’t like to let people see if they are conforming.
 
With hull thickness being a minimum in Sunfishes, it's hard for me to see how you'd shave off some weight. With carbon fiber being about 15% lighter than typical fiberglass layups while also being stronger, I could see a couple pounds eliminated there. Is there anything in the class rules about materials used in "repairs"?
 
Imagine the process for weighing 50+ boats at a Nationals...
A sure way to really annoy (or worse) our Class Measurer and participants.
 
Is there anything in the class rules about materials used in "repairs"?
Yes. "...repairs may be made in a manner as close as possible to the methods and materials used by the Builder(s)" (From CR 3.9, emphasis mine.)

Imagine the process for weighing 50+ boats at a Nationals
That's what most "old-established" classes do, routinely. For example, there are usually some 50 to 60 boats at the Lightning Worlds, and they're all weighed. Of course, it takes a whole extra day + workforce + expenses. The "SM" in SMOD should mean that sort of thing isn't needed.

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