IdaSailor rudder blades; hatch track; etc.

Posted By: Bob Pr. S2 6.7 #81, "The TARDIS", Topeka, KS
Date: 6/11/04 1:24p.m.

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Thanks for jogging me on that, Dave. I'd been in touch with them earlier (about making replacement hatch tracks) but then a virus wiped out my computer, many of my S2 class files, and my involvement in class affairs for several months. So your post prompted me to call them again. I'm sending them some hatch track (courtesy of Law Powell, 6.9, Colorado) and it sounds like they'll be able to make replacements for 6.7s, 6.9s & 22s. They'd also like our rudder blade business and are willing to work with us so that our class remains the distributor. (They also make tillers, pintles, and gudgeons.) Our present class replacement rudder blades duplicate OEM rudders in construction and shape -- a FG shell has a slurry of epoxy resin and microspheres poured in and allowed to harden. Our class paid for the tooling, we own the mold, we pay for "one ahead", and we have a two tier price structure -- $100 cheaper for those who've been class members for 6 months before ordering. I think we have about $1,000 invested in it, maybe a little more. After we sell one more rudder, then we have our investment paid for and may start realizing a profit on each blade. The rudders IdaSailors make are computer-milled out of High Density Polyethylene (somewhat like "Starboard" but with slightly greater density). It sounds like we could offer rudders from them for a much lower price. IdaSailors is willing to work with us on a similar two-tier structure (of our rudders sold by the class). BUT there are several thorny issues we'd have to settle first. One is that IdaSailor is willing to make rudder blades for our boats with any particular NACA foil -- for racing, for recreational boating, etc. What are our standards? Would we allow that? How do we make that decision? What does this mean for those who race? For those who sell or buy one of our boats? A second is that while IdaSailor makes replacement Catalina 22 rudder blades, Catalina 22 fleets in Idaho do NOT allow IdaSailor rudder blades to be used in OD racing. Apparently, the IdaSailor rudders are a little faster -- or the Catalina 22 fleets fear they may be faster?. Again -- What are our standards? Would we allow that? How do we make that decision? What does this mean for those who race? For those who sell or buy one of our boats? This goes to the heart of a HUGELY important issue in all one design classes: how much variation is allowed and how is it controlled? There are two competing One Design class philosophies -- on the one hand, those classes (such as S2 7.9; J22; J24; Vanguard 470) started by manufacturers and, on the other, those classes such as Snipes, Stars, Lightnings, Windmills, FDs, 505s, etc., that are started by a naval architect/designer and either home built or made by several different mfrs. In the former (mfr) case, there's an emphasis on allowing little or no variation and the mfr. is often the only legitimate supplier. In the latter (NA/designer) case, there are class rules specifying min/max for hulls, masts (& their weight and flex), rudders, etc. No one mfr. is specified. I FAR prefer the latter approach but I may be the only one. And I think we have to give our strongest consideration to those of our class members who are active in racing. I've posted before on these issues. Here are a few old threads that discuss some of these issues: http://bbs.trailersailor.com/forums/s2/index.cgi?read=7782 http://bbs.trailersailor.com/forums/s2/index.cgi?read=7269 http://bbs.trailersailor.com/forums/s2archives/index.cgi?read=6549 http://bbs.trailersailor.com/forums/s2archives/index.cgi?read=6355 Comments?