Re: sailboats

Posted by Mark Camp on Feb 17, 2005

Hmm good point. That would explain it.

Having already displayed my brilliance earlier by declaring that Lightning's would be just PERFECT for S and G (Brother John of CLC pointed out that they are actually LOUSY for S and G, and somehow I think he outranks me on experience??) I hesitate to offer more proof.

But: yeah, plank on frame construction kind of "reverses" some of the goodness of wood as an engineering material. At least for dinghy racing. A planked boat tends to deform in a way called (I think) "racking". Glass, cold-molded, or s and g can't do that. To picture it, grab a piece of fiberglass cloth and stretch it, but diagonally to the weave. It looks cool the way it distorts, but its not whatcha call rigid.

In Response to: Re: sailboats by terry on Feb 17, 2005

Replies: