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As the owner of a stock 41-year-old Hobie 33 in an area with at least one questionable 33 (and one I will immediately protest when we race against it), I don’t think equitable OD racing would be possible. This post from the forum is a good one…- ed.
We’ve had a recent influx of boats into a one-design class at our club. The issue is that the design (and all the boats) are 40-something years old and not all have been treated the same in that time. Realistically, the difference between the best and worst boats in that fleet is probably ~10 sec / mile.
I like OD racing as much as the next guy, but ostensibly OD fleets should take the “boat factor” out of the equation and let the best skippers rise to the top and I’m not sure that is a realistic proposition with old beercan level boats. At the top of the class for major regattas, nationals, worlds etc. the boats can be remarkably close across the fleet, but at the local club level they are generally not.
Now, first, I have no dog in this fight. I’m just curious to hear others’ opinions and thoughts. Second, I have read the forum discussions on how to try to keep things level in inexpensive OD fleets (e.g. new sail limits, round-robin boat assignment etc.).
I realize that whether OD or handicap racing, boat condition is not accounted for and those with deep pockets or a knack for boat maintenance have an advantage. Here are the things I am wondering about:
1. Is it worth racing these things OD for Wednesday beercans, or will it always be too big a spread between boat condition to make for close racing?
2. At a small club that can scarcely get a dozen boats on the start line on Wednesdays anyways, is it worth having a separate OD fleet? Would it be better to just lump everyone together (and the OD boats could have their own separate scoring if they really want)?
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