By David Goebel
This is a question I'm often asked. Though I currently own 5 boats (4 in distinct classes),
I've only sailed my Victoria (the smallest in dimension) in AMYA regattas.
SO, where am I going with this?
I thought I'd ask the AMYA Mailing list for their perspective.
The replies posted here in NO WAY mean endorsement of one boat
over any other, of one Class over any other, this is just information.
Newest entries are at the bottom.
Click here for a photo page by size of each class
| From: AMYA Web Master Subject: AMYA: Anyone seen it? To: AMYA List <AMYA/#/intellisys.net> Let's talk boats, indeed. No bashing in the replies, I've addressed many of the manufacturers as a Blind Courtesy Copy in this message. If they want their comments forwarded to the list I'll do that. Some accept that their boats fit a very certain niche and positively excel in that niche. Has anyone seen something like an All one meter (metre) regatta or one meter (metre) Only race? Have we had US1m's, IOM's, Soling 1m's, ODOM's, and all the other commercial 1m's ever compete as a group? Or JUST for FUN! How'd they do? Inquiring minds want to know. NOW, Not to belittle any one boat over another. I LOVE my RC Laser, every time I have it on the dock, someone just has to check it out. I have five boats of varying sizes and people love to gawk at all of them. THEN they start checking out the other boats as well. The question's been raised, how fast is a Victor MP Aussie II compared to a US1M? Which raised the issue, how fast are all the 1m's compared to each other. As a matter of fact, how do 36/600's, Traditional 36's, and CR-914's stack up against each other? Positive replies please, I believe each of our classes has it's merits and don't want any negative boat or manufacturer bashing. Not even humorous or snide replies please. Just the unvarnished facts, I think it might make for some interesting reading for new skippers who just have no local skippers to align with.
Editor's note: The BEST boat is often one of what the other local skippers are already sailing, because being the only local owner of a different boat usually becomes boring pretty quick. (Unless you convince others to switch to your new class...<g>) I always recommend to new skippers without a boat yet to check into what the local skippers are sailing first, then look at what's available, then make a decision.
From: Tom Causin tcausin/#/adelphia.net The Maryland Model Yacht club has a "One Meter" Start. All one meters are welcome! What is happening is, the ODOM's kind of rule right now! Any other "one meter" with more than one entry will find it's counter on the course and those boats end up in contention with one-another. Its self fixing right now! Tom Causin
From: Doug Hemingway DougHemi/#/aol.com That's the way they run several regattas in Toronto, as well as our own Monday nights in Buffalo. Usually the S1m gets hosed big time as it don't have the HP (or sail area), but once in a real blow, when the tall US1M rigs were getting hammered, the Soling was the boss. Doug Hemingway
From: Bert Pirson hpirson/#/buffalo.veridian.com Since I was the S1m that Doug said usually got hosed, I thought I would respond with my story. I bought the S1m as my first boat because I wasn't ready to scratch build a 1m and I didn't want to pay the big bucks for the kits I looked at (I didn't find out about the ODOM until later). I built the S1m knowing that I wouldn't be competitive with 1m's or 36/600's but I could get stick time while I built a 1m. It didn't work out that way because as Doug said I got hosed almost every race. At the first mark I usually had lost contact with the fleet and was sailing alone. It reminded me of most America's Cup races. You don't learn much about racing sailing alone, and the fleet had to wait for me before starting the next race. I decided to build the rig for my 1m first and strapped it on the S1m while I finished the new hull. The improvement was amazing, I can't remember if I won any races but at least I usually stayed in the middle of the fleet. I now race my 1m against 1m's and drive about 60 miles the Rochester, NY to race my S1m against other S1m. It's amazing how much faster my S1m seems to be when its racing against S1m compared to when its racing against 1m's. Oh yea, that one evening when it was blowing like stink and all the 1m's with their A rigs were horizontal, it was great to have my Soling. Bert
From: David Ramos dramos/#/bayst.com Hi Dave, Interesting question. I have two US 1M, two EC12 meters, and as you know, a few CR-914s. It is my experience that in comparing the CR-914 and the US 1M for performance only, the main factors that come in to play are the strength of wind and the water sea state. All of the above are my observations and opinion and I enjoy both boats for different reasons. There is one thing to consider with the above however, a hot sailor who knows how to get the most out of his or her boat, can sometimes beat a faster boat sailed by a less experienced sailor. It's not over until it's over.. Hope this is of some help. Dave Chesapeake Performance Models
From: Joseph Naber nxtdoor/#/worldnet.att.net Our club in St. Louis, Mo. has roughly 6 ODOM's, one or two US 1M's. We all race together and the US 1M is generally faster in the light (very light) air we usually run in, but the races generally end up about even, due to the work or lack of by the skippers. I have been racing my ODOM down here in Florida for a month, and although I am not a very experienced sailor, my boat does pretty good upwind but loses ground to the IOM's and EC-12's going downwind. I can usually stay ahead of the Soling 1m's but I am building one right now so I can race with them as an equal. That we I will know in my mind whether it is the boat or the skipper. Joe Naber
From: Bill WestrickWWESTRICK/#/aol.com As far as VMP 1M's go, I have built several VMP Cup Series boats and sailed against US1Ms. The US1M normally will walk all over the VMP boat, when both boats are sailed to their normal rules and sail plans. (VMP boat using stock rig). I had good success following a conversion of the boat to US1M standards, new keel, rudder and rig. The VMP hull is actually pretty good. In fact, was faster than several US1M boats at times, but always in there. In normal configurations, I would put my money on the US1M over a VMP 1M Cup Series. That is assuming equal caliber sailors at the sticks. I have also seen that the VMP Cup Series boats are faster than the 12M series from VMP. Better hulls shapes and sail plans. Bill Westrick
From: Dennis Desprois dddsct/#/yahoo.com Dave, Good questions concerning the one meters...too many of the same boat if you ask me. As far as comparing the 36's. A Traditional 36 is nothing more than a 36 class that has banned swing rigs. They are mostly old 36 's that are no longer competitive. 2 Cr-914's have matched up with our fleet of 36's [very competitive boats) and was OK in some conditions but over all was close to a mark behind at the end of a race. We took one (CR-914) and used the hull with a Whirlwind winch, carbon mast, 60 inch Amen sails, 36(/600) fin and bulb and it was competitive with the rest of the fleet. Dennis Desprois
From: Bob Sterne rcsail/#/ca.inter.net
From: Jim Linville We race all kinds of one meters together in our "Metric" series, but we give separate trophies for each class. So far we've been limited to US1Ms, S1Ms, a single ODOM, and a single IOM. We all start together (pure bedlam) and race the same course. The US1m seems to "rule," but S1ms have won heats.
From: Steve Pratt, Jr.SPrattjr/#/aol.com How does the Soling 1M compare to the US 1M? In a blow (10-15 Knots) the Soling handles pretty well where the lite US1M lay over and are hard to handle. I have seen Solings win such heats. In light air the US 1M will win hands down if properly tuned and in the hands of a good skipper (not my type).
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From: Rick Moynahan Rmoynahan/#/yahoo.com
Hi, David!
I was reading your web page on "How do they compare". We race once a month here and we usually have IOM's, ODOM's, Fairwind and Victoria's out on the pond at the same time. A lot has to do with the sailor but they generally finish in the order above. We end up giving the Victoria and the Fairwind a big lead. The races I have watched over in the San Jose area where they sailed IOM's and ODOM's in the same race had the IOM's clearly ahead and the ODOM's in a pack behind.
I enjoyed reading what others have said, thanks for the web page.
Rick Moynahan
From: Rob Davis onemetre/#/comcast.net
Please update your how does it compare page with the Jim Linville authored articles found in the latest MMYC newsletter.
[Ed Note: Rob is referring to Jim's excellent Minuteman Model Yacht Club newsletter of August 2001 at /club25/news/mmyc0108.pdf ]
Thanks,
Rob
Thanks Rob!
Rob's note made me search through the MMYC newsletter where I found tidbits about several multifleet races and how well IOM's (some even very old designs) competed against other boats in all ranges of wind. MMYC seems to have a far greater breadth of meter sized boats that consistently compete all together. The write-ups of these multi fleet regattas again convinces me of the GREAT sportsmanship that RC Model Yachting provides.
Dave Goebel
From: meades/#/w3az.net">Mike Eades, WVRCM
Our Club, WVRCM, Litchfield Park, AZ introduced a "One Meter Sport Class" to race kit built 1-meter boats and encourage new skippers to get involved. We have held four regattas in which the main participants have been Seawind's (growing in number) but have included Voyager cup yachts, CR 914's, and a Soling 1-meter.
Seawind's have included kit built unmodified and kit built modified with after market sails, rigging, even including carbon fiber spars. Seawind's are definitely king (which accounts for the growth) but the differences between modified and unmodified seem more due to trim and skipper performance than any key mods, hence the move to develop a one design class.
In one regatta we had a couple of ODOM's present. Since they were not kit built it was decided to send them off 1 minute before the main fleet. After a couple of races in which the leading Seawind's overtook one or both ODOM's we switched to sending them off 1 minute after the other fleet - go figure!
meades/#/w3az.net Mike Eades - WVRCM, AZ
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