eBay .. again

[antony (Guest)]

An early Crusader that might go cheaply:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/National-12-crusader-design-ready-to-race-inc-road-trai_W0QQitemZ290049544939QQihZ019QQcategoryZ98955QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

and an old boom if anybody needs one:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/National-12-boom-with-outhaul-needle-spar-kicker-lever_W0QQitemZ260053412020QQihZ016QQcategoryZ90875QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Antony

[davidg (Guest)]

Happy Days,

3165 was the second Crusader built by Rowsell Brothers, Pete White had the first one, which was 3169.  3165 originally had a rotating daggerboard and was fitted with adjustable lowers from new!  She also had a vestigial (low laminated) thwart so that it was easy to move back in the boat (we had a Windfall before which tended to nosedive, which proved less of a problem in the Crusader).  She was white in those days and known as Skateaway a reference to a Dire Straits song of the time.  

Our first Burton in her was at Pevensey, sailing with Tim Powell, Bens brother, it wasn't particularly auspicious possibly due as Phil Morrison said at the time, because we had so many wires on our mast that he "was surprised any wind got to the sails", I then took the wire citters to my Morrison wires (ironic)!

David
N3461

[Jon_P]

What was the idea behind the rotating board?
Jon

[davidg (Guest)]

A number of boats were built at that time which exploited a loop hole in the rules which said that centreboards should be capable of rotating about a fixed point, therefore some of us had rotating daggerboard cases within a wide conventional centreboard case, which had the benefits of a daggerboard for better control and lower wetted area downwind, but would still rotate if you hit the putty.  

These were subsequently banned in what I think was the only retrospective rule change the class has had.

David
N3461

[Jimbo41]

Why were they banned?
Can't possibly be the argument that the second hand ones would normally be rapidly devalued since they would be sailed in (shallower) inland waters, or am I wrong in my assumptions?

Jim N3130 and N3470

[davidg (Guest)]

This is a bit of an old chestnut, but I think the main reason was that the people who fitted the rotating daggerboards were considered to be a bit anarchic and were not acting within the spirit of the rule.  Ironically those young turks included John Sears, Dave Peacock, Mike Hoyle and myself, who are probably considered to be the more establishment figures today!

The idea was a good one, although the systems did increase the complexity of the boats slightly, the daggerboards made the boats rock steady downwind and gybing, but would knock up if you grounded, which was in our opinion the intention of the rule.  The real downside was if you did an involuntary gybe with the daggerboard up, but then this is the same with any daggerboard.

David
N3461

[icecreamman]

I remember seeing this boat years ago and she was not painted white, but was sprayed in a pink colour with white dots sort of thing.....? I remember looking inside and it appeared that the owner had changed the layout of the thwart arrangement to more traditional type of thwart. Looked a pretty boat when I saw her, but that was a few years ago.

 

[Roly Mo]

ICM you never cease to amaze me with your recall of fascinating facts, but perhaps I can join in with this one.  Was that the boat which Jolly Roger had?  Didn't it cause some damage to your sibling?  I seem to remember some sort of ripped high trouser incident . . . .   If it is the same boat it was known as Mr Blobby, and he had another boat (China Doll?) which was called Whikikamoocow (the spelling may not be quite right!), which resulted in one of your father's sagest comments relating to the fact that epoxy is only as good as the surfaces it joins, and if one of those surfaces is old and flaky paint the adhesion is bound to be poor!

Roly Mo