BSC Monohull Fleet Information

I have added a section for the Monohull fleet, my perogative as Mono Fleet captain. If anyone has any usefull information for the fleet in general or specific classes then send it too me at tom@oceanhippie.net

Active Classes

 RS400, one Design 2 person Asymetric Hiking Dinghy

• Builder: LDC Racing Sailboats
• Mast: Proctor. Dyform Shrouds.
• Fittings: Mostly Holt
• Sails: Hydes, Fully Battened Mylar Main, Dacron Jib and Spinnaker.
• PY: 898

Notes: Very nice hiking boat, probably the fastest non trapeze mono around. Set up well mostly works well. There are 2 ways to rig the spinnaker halyard, and 2 sorts of kicker, other than that they're identical, even down to the colours used for sail controls.

Tips and Tricks: Fit quick release shroud pins. These boats have a lot of power, and need more mast rake in a blow. Watch the gasket on the Centerboard, once damaged say by gravel, they then tend trear off, this has a massive effect on the boat. Keep the bungee on the toestaps in good nick.

Spares to carry: Jib Batten, they are easily broken, insulation tape (to cover fittings to prevent spinnaker rips).

Class Association

 Laser, one design 1 person hiking dinghy (inc Radial & 4,7)

• Builder: Laser Center
• Mast: 2 Peices of alluminium tube suplied by laser.
• Fittings: Mostly Laser one offs, new boats have uprated sail controls by holt
• Sails: By laser but bootlegs are avalble. You will not be penalised for using a "fake" at bsc.
• PY: 1173

Notes: These are one of the most retentive one design boats, many custon fittings, all supplied by laser. Recently the've allowed adequate sail controls, these are however very expencive. Plastic Self bailer things rarely survive contact with the beach. Despite the very restictive one design there are certain things you can change. Tiller and extention, toestrap. Alternative versions of all these are avaible from rooster sailing.

Tips and Tricks: If you can't affored the "propper" sail contols, use eyeletts knotted in ropes to increace purchase of cunninham, kicker, and outhaul. If you do buy the new kits be very carefull to fit them well as the mast base fitting will just pull out of an old boat if not reinfoced. Keep gravel out of mast foot, other wise the mast will grind its way through the boat.

Spares to carry: Bung, easy to loose and oftern stolen if left in the boat.

Radial and 4.7: are idetical in all fittings bar the Top Mast and Sail.

Class Association | Radial Tuning Guide (good for all) | Spare Parts | Rigging Manual

Bonito 1 person hiking dinghy

• Builder:Pearson Brothers
• Mast: 2 Peices of metal tube
• Fittings: Mostly one offs, or unidetifiable.
• PY: 1202

Notes: From a search on google: 14 ft 6inch long, 18 ft 9inch mast, 88 sq ft sail 118lbs hull weight Originally built by Pearson Brothers (Arundel, Sussex). Flexible, 2-part alloy mast with a sleeved sail (like a Laser). Not many around anymore. A fun, single handed, sailing boat - but with space to take a passenger for a quick blast if you wanted to. The last Open Meeting for them was held at Ardleigh Sailing Club in about 1978 or 1979.

Tips and Tricks: Send me some.

Spares to carry: Anything you can, or you'll be making them.

 MX Ray 1 person hiking dinghy

• Builder: I belive they are an american import
• Mast: 2 peice carbon mast ( windsurfer style).
• Fittings: ?
• PY: 1020

Notes: Launched with a massive fanfare, in about 1999, last seen 2000 ish. Has 3 rigs, both our boats have the standard rig. Claims to be the "fastest single handed mono hull anywhere". I frankly doubt it, I suspect the RS 600 and 700 and musto Skiff's might have somthing to say about it too.

Tips and Tricks: Send me some.

Spares to carry: Anything you can, our you'll be making them.

Uk Class Association (do not repsond to email)

 International 14, development, twin trapeze, 2 person Aysermetric

• Builder: various
• Mast: various, on Pennultimates Super Spars M6
• Fittings: Various, oftern custom built
• PY: 898 (Penutimate)

Notes: High performance racing dinghy. Increadibly fast in the right hands (not mine). One of the fasted sailing dighies in the world. The class is divided into three sections the "New Rules", the current boats, "Penultimates", Pre 1996 rule shake up, and "Classics". Clasics are single trapeze with a symetic spinnaker, penultimates are aysermetric twin trapeze carbon or wooden boats. These are very fast, but ver cheap. New rules boats are increadibly high tech, carbon nomex and other exotic matererails, one of only 2 regular classes to be fitted with hydrofoils. BSC's only boat is a penultimate.

Tips and Tricks: Respect the boat, they are very powerfull and very unstable. Never stop, their stability is based on planning hull shape. Don't even try in strong wind till you've pacticed.Ask tom for a ride

Spares to carry: Tape and bungee, complex sail conrols need to be tailed properlty, epoxy. filler and carbon fibre.

Class Association

 Laser 3000 one design, single trapeze, one or 2 person Aysermetric

• Builder: Laser Center
• Mast: Proctor
• Fittings: ?
• PY: 1030

Notes: Modern dinghy with aysermetric. Judging by the new Class Association web site and non-listing on Laser Website I suspect this boat has been dropped by laser. An all too common factor with the big manufacturers. Seems like they're alive and well.

Tips and Tricks: Respect the boat, they are very powerfull and very unstable. Never stop, their stability is based on planning hull shape. Don't even try in strong wind till you've pacticed.Ask tom for a ride

Spares to carry: Tape and bungee, complex sail conrols need to be tailed properlty, epoxy. filler and carbon fibre.

Class Association

 Topaz mix an match rig, 1 or 2 person hiking dinghy

• Builder: Topper / Perception
• Mast: 2 piece custom aluminium tube
• Sails: Small Dacron unbatttened main, or larger Mylar race main
• Fittings: Some fittings from the topper
• PY: 1240 (Race) 1255 (Uno)

Notes: First of a new generation of rotomoulded Sailing dinghy's built with a new technique a bit like foam sandwich. making it stiffer than traditional plastic boats. Its hull is actaully made by our own Rear Commodore's Kayak company in uckfield. Can be fitted with any thing from 1 tinny topper sail, through to a 3 sail aysermetric rig. The boats at bsc are all in single handed configuration 1 with the little dacron main the others have the much larger mylar main. The race main is 6.9 square meters barely half a square metter smaller than a full laser rig. For light helms these boats can be remarakly pokey for a plastic baot.

Tips and Tricks: Shares many fittings with the topper, so the rudder probably falls off and sinks. Tie it on.

Spares to carry: Bung, easy to loose and oftern stolen if left in the boat.

 Topper, 1 person hiking dinghy

• Builder: Topper
• Mast: 2 piece custom aluminium tube
• Sails: Dacron unbatttened main
• Fittings: pretty much all special topper fittings
• PY: 1288

Notes: Probaly the most famous kids and training boat of all time and virually unique injection molded platic boat. Has ver simple sail and contols. hundreds of thousands of em arround. moslty sailed by children

Tips and Tricks: The ruddes fall off and sink. Tie it on. The fittings cannot take an a serious adult if you sail it hard in strong winds you wll break the boom or topmast.

Spares to carry: Bung, easy to loose and oftern stolen if left in the boat.

Class Association