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Look at the arrangement on the K1 singlehanded keelboat. It compromises of a jib boom, a jib pole and a couple of lines to control sail and pole angle. A lot simpler than it sounds and works really well. I had a quick go in one a few weeks back. Well impressed.

You could do both. Give an overall result first pass the post and then extract the handicap results and award prizes for both.
On a separate note does the number of 12s currently for sale on Apollo Duck  given the size of the class give cause for concern?

I see that some Grad sailors (is this a class we can learn anything from?) have adopted Gnavs presumably to free up cockpit space. Their latest mainsail shape looks interesting too.

Back in the eighties when I sailed a Cherub,  I recall there was a move from deck stepped masts to hog stepped.  Rather than buying longer masts the boats were fitted with spigots ( effectively a mast extension at the foot) If it was thought that a taller rig might be the way forward to give more boom height in the cockpit, then this might be cheap retro fit for older boats.

I should clarify why I feel our 12 no longer meets our needs.  My wife who crews for me finds having to move around the boat quickly, particularly when the boat gets unexpectedly headed in a blow, difficult. (Low boom, high thwart, kicking strap etc) It is worse when wearing winter sailing gear. In light winds she is sat up the front on the floor and if the roll tacking is too enthusiastic she ends up sat in a puddle of water despite the boat being self draining. To put it frankly she is not enjoying her sailing in the boat added, to which we have been marginalized by the PY changes.  
I think going back to an older twelve would be a retrograde step and so we agreed a fresh start would be best. We tried an Enterprise  last year and really enjoyed racing together in it . Finally the right boat has come along and we are both feeling positive about sailing again.
I suspect the issues we have with the twelve are shared with others and if they could be addressed and applied to not so new  boats then I think the class will move forward again.

I think most potential new N12 sailors will join via 2nd hand boat route and will not consider too greatly what the rules say. In my experience most casual onlookers find my boat attractive but clearly not suited to their personal needs. The usual comments are about its stability, lack of room, complexity etc.
I do not believe that the price of second hand boats is  a barrier and right now there is loads of choice. 
Perhaps the rules do need changing so that the focus of development is channeled to optimizing new boats for the real world conditions we sail in week in week out and not Burton Week.
I have reluctantly put my boat on the market as it no longer meets our needs. After 20 years of 12 sailing it was not a decision took lightly but on Monday we collect a boat with blue sails and join a. growing fleet at our Club.
I would be tempted back if there was a boat available that carried the weight of normal sized people, had a bit more headroom, good all rounder particularly in very light winds, perhaps a deeper cockpit , but not odd looking like Paradigm, keep it self draining, a top batten that does no stick, less string to faff with and doesn't cost an arm and a leg.
Apologies if this is a bit random but time is short and I wanted to get something written to keep the debate going..

The class association list of suggested handicaps for older boats was in existence long before the fast track system of py adjustment was introduced by the RYA. If the class could suggest a PY for the early double bottomed boats without winged rudders which prospective owners could show their Clubs it might just help kick start the 2nd hand market and get some of the excellent boats currently for sale moving into new and active ownership.
Unfortunately not all clubs are confident enough or willing to play around with PYs themseles and reasoned guidance such as this would be beneficial.

 
A prize is given out to Non-foiling boats.  I think one thing we cannot criticise the class over is there attempts to keep people happy by handing out prizes.  The list of different prize winners at Burton Week is pretty long...
 

 
I also turned up in my hopelessly uncompetitive Paper Dart to the Inland Championships 2012 and took away more prizes than any other boat - 4th AC, Oldest (surviving) boat, and first GILL event.  Best weekend sailing I've ever had.

Which is all very laudable but does not address the problems faced by the class at Club level.

Might help if the class suggest a revised handicap for the double bottomed boats that precede the DCBs. I for one have been struggling to be competitive in handicap fleets during the last few seasons and the latest 9 pt drop is going to hurt.
I would also politely suggest that the new Icon should be a wake up call for the class. A simple 2 sailed boat that carries weight.

I recently saw a Miracle dinghy kept in a fairly exposed position  at the seaside tied down to concrete filled buckets. In the recent high winds they did not work, the boat had blown over and it looked like one of the buckets had damaged the underside of the boat.
I have successfully used dog restraints set in scrap car tyres filled with concrete for many years which have a much greater surface area than buckets.
To be fair though our dinghy park is fairly sheltered and the restraints are shared on either side of my boat with a GP 14 and a Supernova which provide cover and extra weight. 

I had good result from a glue called 'stormsure' I think.
Cheers

Yes, l repaired a torn drysuit foot with that.  Not tested it in anger yet, but it looks ok. Available from Ebay traders in various quantities.

According to RYA website our new PY is 1077 for 2013.

I asked the question at that time because I wanted to do some repairs to the tip of the board.  I still couldn't see any obvious way of getting the board out so I effected the repairs with the boat on its side.

This weekend when I launched the boat I discovered that the board was no longer pivoting in the case. The board was quite easy to remove and we discovered that the pivot bolt is permanently fixed into the centreboard case and that there is indeed a straight slot cut in the board just aft and parallel to the leading edge. Unfortunately the leading edge in front of the slot has come away and will need repairing. I suspect it may have broken before because there was a rather bent screw passing through the leading edge accross the slot into the main part of the board. This must have been put in with the board in situ from the underside of the boat.

The timber that has broken off is quite small so I don't think there is enough surface area to glue it back on successfully. We have an engineering workshop at work and also a carpenters shop so I will let them see the board later this week as they frequently come up with novel solutions for such problems.

In the meantime does anyone have any suggestions on the best way of going about a repair?

Did anyone see the GB versus Russia match race in the Elliots today. Superb, reminded me of one of our Club races in Nat 12s! 

Having previously owned one and biased I would have to say Foolish unless you are vastly over the normal weight range.
Whatever you do though negotiate hard for a price reduction. If the secondhand boat list is up to date some of the boats on it have been hanging around a long time now which would suggest to me its a buyers market if they are truly serious about selling.