Roses to Andrea Livingston, our Youth Committee Chairperson, who has gotten underway a move to have a multihull class in the Orange Bowl for kids. This is an annual International event.
One of two of the powers of US Sailing is all for it but doesn't think there is a good boat for Youth in the U.S. So, he has suggested to the Orange Bowl and to Hobie Cat that it be the Dragoon.
Hobie says they may be able to send 5 Dragoons. Meanwhile, regatta organizers are saying there has to be a minimum of 15 boats.
Since we will be hosting the Wave Nationals here in Key Largo only weeks before the event, we should have no problem supplying 15 Waves for the event.
My question is: How could Art Stevens (one of the two in US Sailing) not know there is a great boat for youth built in the U.S. -- Yes! The Wave? How could he not know that we could easily supply these boats to the Orange Bowl?
Some may feel the Wave is fine for really young kids, but not much of a rush, nor not much tech for the older youth. That is where I must tell you of my prototype developments on the Wave.
I have put a spreader bar between the bows and a bow sprit, then added a Hooter. At the Steeplechase to Bay Week this year, I beat every H16 and all but one TheMightyHobie18 boat-for boat, and won on handicap overall by 11.5 minutes.
The boat has speed when you give it more power.
Murray Marine and I are working on setting up an add-on that would give the Wave a small jib, Hooter and double trap.
So, there would be the Wave and Wave for Youth. Relating that to monohull youth boats..; the Opti/Laser and 420.
I am not even sure if this takes a vote, but just for the hell of it I would like to propose that NAMSA adopt the Wave and subsequent add-ons as the Official Youth Boat
I ask for discussions on this issue and a consequent vote of the Board to take this position.
Rick
Are there any other classifications that have an official youth boat? the Laser? Optimist?
Are we talking about a singlehanded or doublehanded boat? I clearly remember making several double takes at you and your hootered Wave while you were on the tail, and making ground at times (!), on my 5.2 in the Sandusky Steeplechase! However, I wonder about the confusion that might be had if we select a "non-factory" platform. I do believe that the stock Wave is an excellent choice for a singlehanded youth boat.
Good point about the factory stuff, but the IWCA (International Wave Class Assn) has no ties with Hobie except for the use of that platform. I am sure the IWCA would adopt the new configuration as a recognized class.
Thus we would have the standard uni-Wave as an entry level Youth boat, and then moving up to the Super (or whatever) Wave would give the kids all the tech stuff they will see in the advanced boats, i.e., Tornado. They would have a jib and spinnaker to play with.
And the cost would be far less than some of the other offerings for Youth boats. At this point the Dragoon and Mystere 4.3 are those offered.
I doubt that the Mystere will take off -- they did use them for the Youth Nationals in Port Clinton, but that was because Mike Fahle was such a strong catalyst and is a Mystere devotee and dealer
The Dragoon is built in Europe and is mysteriously not available -- seems to only be a few in the country. And it is considered a hotter boat to sail than the Hobie 16.
On the other hand, the Wave is a U.S. built in the U.S., is practically indestructable, it is inexpensive, hard to capsize, easy to right, etc., etc., etc.
My thoughts are that if our association covets the class it might be taken more seriously
Rick
Rick,
Part of my thought is that a kid's parents can go to a Laser dealer, buy one, and their kid can be on the water tomorrow class racing with everyone else. If we choose the wave with a jib, or with a hooter, etc. the process gets more complicated. The parents will first need to purchase a boat and then find someone that offers and/or can install the upgrades to be class legal. For a sailing savy family this would not be a big deal. However, I think that part of the focus for building a strong youth program is to bring new folks into the sport and in order to do that we need to consider the needs and resources of the 'less sailing savy' family. I reiterate that I think the Wave with a jib is an ideal platform for a youth boat but I think we need to find a way to get the NAMSA youth boat publicly offered and pre-assembled as a 'youth class package' at the same places the boat is sold.
Another advantage to the Wave (besides being able to take a lot of abuse) is that Hobie has the better dealer network. Perhaps after totally mis-predicting the success the Wave Class Association has had thus far, Hobie will listen closer to our suggestion for a youth boat configuration.