Is there a database of the oddballs that race that could be used to determine one off Portsmouth numbers? Such as an Inter20 without a spin, or a TheMightyHobie18 with a spin of say 350ft or a h20 with a 270ft spin or any combination of commonly raced boats with commonly available modifications. I raced once against a N5.8 with a 350 spin single-handed and a 10ft beam that still had a number around 63. (I know US Sailing has the common numbers.) What do they do with the rest? I am not whining only looking for some sort of base to work with. If this could be done nationally then some of the length classes might be able to rate boats better and start racing them against each other (20 ft boats, 18ft boats, 16ft boats.) I am not looking for opinions only if someone knows if the raw data is available to make real modifications to the portsmouth numbers.
What you are asking for is the Texel rating system where each rating is simply (well...not really) a calculation based on the boat and sail parameters.
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I'm sure you'd have to ask the US Sailing Portsmouth Committee for a copy of their database. My guess is they won't show it to you. Portsmouth Numbers are like hot dogs - the less you know about what goes into them, the happier you'll be.
Your best bet might be asking individual clubs to forward you their results. However, you're gonna need an awfull lot of data to do any meaningfull statistics on the 'oddballs'. Based on my fleet's data alone you'd think that a squaretop makes a boat go slower, and a smaller jib makes a boat go faster.
Thanks all, I have decided to do a Custom database of the boats that race in my area and keep track of thier results and then ask the individual racers if they mind having their numbers personally handicaped with bias given for number of years racing. I am only likely to be the RC for one race a year (not a big deal).
Just remember Mark: If I can see you ahead then I know I've beaten you on corrected time!