J/30 Class Association Forums J/30 Forum One Design Class Rules 0.5 oz Spinnaker

I also have a 0.5 ounce spinnaker that helps in PHRF when the air is light. It is good when the apparent wind is less than 10 kts and carries better than the 0.75 ounce spinnaker in the light breeze. The fabric is North Sails Norlon 50. The sail was purchased in 2008 and gets used about 6 races per year. The fabric is still very crisp. When this spinnaker is used, it is attached with soft shackles and stripped sheets to minimize weight pulling the sail down.

My comment is this is great for PHRF but doesn't make a bit of difference for OD if everyone is required to use the same sails. PHRF-NB does not penalize for sail cloth, only sail dimensions, thus racing this sail in PHRF is an advantage becuase there is better performance with no PHRF penalty. I am sensitive to the desire to keep OD costs at a minimum. Thus, if the 0.5 oz spinnaker were allowed in OD, everyone would feel the need to carry both a 0.5 and 0.75 ounce spinnaker, increasing the cost for OD. The class rules allow a backup spinnaker if the primary spinnaker is destroyed. My backup is an older 0.75 oz class spinnaker that is well used but serviceable. For the "arms war" reason, I would not be in favor of adding the 0.5 ounce spinnaker to the OD sail inventory.... but could see a rules change similar to something proposed below.

Are there any PHRF districts that penalize a OD boat if they change sailcloth? Those districts would have a problem. If there are a significant number of boats that do get penalized for using non-OD sail cloth, perhaps my approach of changing the class rules below would accommodate this.

Existing Class Rule:

5.12.6.1 Minimum cloth weight is 40 grams or 0.75 oz. nominal and 0.9 oz. actual weight. Spinnakers must be made of nylon. Airex 650 is one of several approved spinnaker cloths that meet this requirement.


Proposed Rule changes and interpretations:
Allows the use of a 0.5 ounce spinnaker as a class sail, only when specified in race documents. This is intended to maintain the spirit of one design configuration, but provide flexibility for those who desire to carry a lighter spinnaker for PHRF racing without being penalized for carrying a sail that is not OD compliant.

Potential Class Rule:

5.12.6.1 Minimum cloth weight is 40 grams or 0.75 oz. nominal and 0.9 oz. actual weight. Spinnakers must be made of nylon. Airex 650 is one of several approved spinnaker cloths that meet this requirement.

The class authorizes a light air spinnaker that may only be carried on a boat if specifically authorized in race documents for one design events. This sail shall be considered class legal and may be carried for any PHRF races. Minimum cloth weight is 32 grams or 0.5 oz. nominal and 0.74 oz. actual weight. Spinnakers must be made of nylon. Airex 500N and Norlon 50 are two of several approved spinnaker cloths that meet this requirement.