J/30 Class Association Forums J/30 Forum One Design Class Rules White Main OD Keelboat Classes & Composite Main OD KB Classes

It seems that I often read comments about "the stone age attitude" and similar basically insulting & derogatory comments from composite (PHRF) sail supporters towards the class about dacron cloth as used in the class. I take umbrage. In defense of the class management to date, I would like to share with you other classes as judged by participation in their recent North American or US Championships.

Melges 24 2010 NAs
19 boats

Melges 20 2010 NAs
14 boats

J 105 2010 NAs
20 boats (white mains)

J35 2010
12 boats

S2 9.1s have not contested a NAs in years, and when they did it was primarily a Lake Michigan affair with about 8 boats, sometimes a few more.

T10s 2010 NAs
26 boats (white mains)(huge Chicago fleet)

Farr 40 2010 NAs
there were none
last contested by 8 boats in 2008

Melges 32 2010 US Nationals
15 boats

J/30 2010 NAs, the 30th NAs
16 boats (white mains)
2009: 14 boats
2008: 23 boats
2007: 20 boats
2006: 17 boats

Bravo to the J/30 Class! Keep it up. I hope this provides some perspective on solid class management for THIRTY North American J/30 championships. Longest running, most well attended large keelboat OD regatta record on the water, perhaps?

Let's continue to have a positive & productive discussion without the peanut gallery comments, agendas and axe grinding. The class has a great thing going, and actually the class is aware of the risk by changing the white main status quo, which as you can see is working. We must proceed with caution as we discuss this issue.

I can see both sides of this issue. There are merits to both.
DT

It appears that you take umbrage with a metaphor of "living in the stone age" but it's ok to refer to me as being the peanut gallery. Last time I checked the road runs both ways.

Regardless, I stand by what I've said. I don't think the boat is relevent with the current main sail rule. By your own input to me you'll be lucky to put together one OD event in Chicago this year. To get enough boats, you want to do level racing with 9.1's and you've offered to waive the class sail rule to let me come sail. What's the sense of having a main sail rule if you can't (or won't) enforce it.
There are only 61 paid association members out of over 450 j/30 owners. Only about 10% of the fleet race OD and less than that race it regularly. Make the boat compatible with PHRF.
And BTW - the Tarten 10 fleet is seriously considering changing the main rule to allow composite - as a BoG member voting on this, you may want to do a little more research.

RogerJolly does a One-Design Survey of the Top 40 at Sailing Anarchy, attempting to measure class size and activity by counting the number of entries at the North American or National Championship annually and averaged over three years. 2010 OD Survey. 2009 OD Survey. No surprise Laser, Thistle, Lightning, Flying Scot and Sunfish lead the list.

Boats comparable to the J/30 in the 2010 Top 40 include J/22, J/24, Catalina 22, Sonar, Melges 24, Tartan Ten, J/80, J/105, Cal 20, and Santana 20. All evidence online indicates each relies on Dacron mainsails except for Melges 24.

There is also US Sailing & Sailing Worlds One-Design Class Survey based membership reported by classes. That page links to analysis by Dave Reed in Sailing World explaining why for example there is a bump in class membership when a championship is held locally.

The 2010 US Sailing details in pdf reveal a couple keelboats with Aramid mainsails ranking ahead of J/30 (Beneteau 36.7 and Farr 30) and a several behind (12 Metre, Farr 40 and Express 37) along with two (Catalina 37 and Schock 35) that restrict mainsails to Dacron.

It's notable that many of these one-design classes are primarily of regional interest. I was surprised that even J/105 currently has just six fleets active enough to get a vote under their constitution: New England, Chesapeake, Lake Ontario, Lake Michigan, Long Island Sound, and Southern California (Go to the bottom of the page).

Russ might have better scuttlebutt since T-10s are active in the Great Lakes but the only online reference I could find indicates their fleet has had limited discussion with no action. Mainsail T-10 on their class forum.