Designer Soapdish - where are you now?

[Jimbo41]

Anyone know the answer?

Jim N3130 and 3470

[THG]

Jim - you must be a bit of  a mind reader - had the same thoughts about the AC / DB discussion the soapdishes I guess pushed the rules.  Apart from a couple of pics in the very useful handbook - it would be great to see more of them.

I'm still keen to set up some sort of searchable handbook with history, owners, locations - would be awesome as my US colleagues say (about nearly everything).

Will talk to Grazz about it hopefully in a couple of weeks at Thames area evening.

Kean

[Mikey C]

I remember seeing a Soapdish in the dinghy park at Olton Mere in sunny brummy. This was a couple of years ago - Timmy Laws might know more if he's lurking...

[Tim L (Guest)]

Yeah, one of them is/was at Olton - 3321?  Though cant (no apostrophes on this french keyboard that I can see...) remember who owned it - one of Teds boats perhaps.  Only sailed it briefly so difficult to draw any conclusions (esp with the diabolical wind at olton) but it did empty pretty much immediately after a capsize and the footwells then drained fairly immediately.

Tim

[Jon_P]

Fancy telling us newbies how these boats changed things?

[icecreamman]

if we were to tell you that you would know more than all of us!!
It is one of the black arts of sailing, but basically they got the water out of the boat quicker than the traditional single bottomed boats

[memory? (Guest)]

[Lukepiewalker]

From what I remember from the class handbook was one of them not heavily modified after it's first season... as in sawn in half and had a new back end grafted on....

[MikeDay]

The history as above is all spot on.  Rob had one, Pete Robinson the other - neither of them slouches in making a Twelve go.  I saw them at Salcombe just after they were launched - and they looked very funky for the time.  I suspect that if Rob hadlimited his experimentation to the floor in a known shape and fast rig, they would have been very quick.  In the event, somewhere between the hull and the rig, they were dogs and neither Pete nor Rob could make them go.  If my memory serves me correctly, Rob took the thinking in the shape into his Brand Loyalty lines but that never really went either, even for John Sears who was also pretty quick around then (and indeed still is!!)

Mike D
N3496

[Mikey C]

All this makes them sound like complete dogs... As typical for any Peebles boat it was smokin' fast on a tight reach. Was far too skiff like to work as a N12 properly.

[Alex D]

Following the design evolotion theme...
Does anyone have a picture of a Radical Posture (N3257 / N3260 / N3265) ?

N3249 Fat Tulip  (Brand Loyalty) is advertised on apollo duck with quite a good photo.http://sailingdinghies.apolloduck.co.uk/display.phtml?aid=49713

[Lukepiewalker]

Did radical postures not have the cool measurement bumps?

[JohnMurrell]

3257 (Simply Red) was one of my fleet a few years ago - bought  as she was going to be broken up!!!! I renovated her and then sold her on to a guy at Chipstead; I believe that he still has her.

Interisting concept and yes had BIG wedges on either side. The c/board was as close to a dagger board as could be within the rules and only just rotated below the sheerline. I sailed her a couple of times at Saltash but in reality was too heavy and the conditions were very light so can't judge how she sailed.

I think that another of the Postures is at Starcross - stored at the back of the dinghy park last time I was there, not sure which one though.

Don't forget that Rob continued his 'self draining' concepts through to 3396 ( the famous yellow boat) winning the 95 Burton Cup. Now that was a really fun boat to sail and the water definately did self drain..............

[Jimbo41]

John, I gather that she was quite "freaky"?

I particularly like the photo of the boat in Salcombe Harbour near the ferry and the one to The Bag is quite nice too....

What happened to her? There were only a few built I gather. I was even considering a commission myself, but couldn't get in touch with Rowsell, although I gathered that there might still be a mould set at Wrecked 'em Boats. Then I stopped enquiring, since it would have been too difficult to monitor progress from so far away...

All things considered, I think there are many alleyways not yet fully explored for the 12 in this direction, where the floor level can be lower and yet the boat still drain efficiently. I have the feeling that this theme isn't going to die away....

Jim N3130 and 3470

[JohnMurrell]

Jim,
definately you freaked out when you saw 3396! Hence her being renamed O'Crikey...............

The Freak Outs are very similar to Crusaders, a bit wider aft, not so much freeboard however not one of the was the same. Kevin played with the moulds and its best to talk to him about what he did. I know that Rob altered 3396 a lot underwater, including putting a sort of chine along he last 3 foot a la a Baggy rail. she is now lanuishing in a garage in Callington and Simon Hinks is threatening to get her on the water again..............................but I am not holding my breath - if you read this Simon; thats a challenge!

John