Star class

[woodeneye]

Star Class 2 person sailing yacht. (eBay item 180611077236 end time 20-Jan-11 20:23:59 AEDST) : Cars, Bikes, Boats (http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Star-Class-2-person-sailing-yacht-/180611077236?pt=AU_Boats&hash=item2a0d425474#ht_500wt_1156)

The ad says:

Principal Dimensions

LOA 6.9 M 22.7'
Beam 1.7 M 5.7'
Draft 1.0 M 3.3'
Weight 671 KG 1479 Lbs
Sail Area 26.5 Sq. M 285 Sq. Ft.

The Star is one of the most prolific keelboats in the world for a reason: it is an incredible boat to sail. Designed in 1911 by Francis Sweisguth, it has proven to be a classic in every sense. It is the oldest Olympic class, having first been used in competition in 1932, and still at the heart of that competition today. Supported by a worldwide association the Star as a class is one of the best organized in sailing, with over 7,500 yachts built over its 80 year history, and 2000-plus actively racing today.

The boat is AUS6582 Pamcraft 1979.
2 masts, 2 booms, 1 whisker pole, 1 trailer(not registered), cover.
5 mainsails, 4 jibs,
all sheet ropes.

images show damage around boom vang track on both sides of boat.

The boat last sailed in 2001 national championships, New Quantum Main & jib 2 years ago after used at Worlds.

Boat must go because moving to a smaller house with npo storage.

[SimonP]

Only one problem: she's GRP
To be a good'n, she's got to be wood'n (at least on this forum)

[Boatmik]

Ah well, we can woodify this thread. Quite apart from the star being an amazing beast and having a place in my *boat shed of fame* right between the C-class cat and the International Canoe, I wrote this a couple of years ago.

http://www.storerboatplans.com/wp/boat/sailing-boat/international-star-class-revisited/

Michael Storer.

[woodeneye]

And of course you would be dead right! Anyone who has been fortunate enough to have sailed a Star (and I count myself lucky that I did once crew on a Star and took the tiller on occasions) will forever remember the experience, because it is indeed a thoroughbred boat. Yet as Mik says in his article, it is a very uncomplicated boat and easily built in wood.

Wouldn't it be so great to see a resurgence in this class? Wow!

[woodeneye]

159078 I'm adding a pic, because I want to set the mood for those who go go misty eyed for one of the most beautiful of racing sailing boats.

Isn't the Star just the most intriguing of the sailing classes? What a wonderful history and such unique rules, although some could be deemed quaint. I've spent a while reading some info on the Star's website.

The problem is that I suspect the Star class is likely run by a group folk whose jumpers smell of napthalene and have their whiskers singed on a weekly basis.

The hull shape just screams out "I'm designed to be built from plywood", so why not? They obviously made a decision at some stage to go with tupperware, so I wonder what could it be that has caused one of the most successful boat building materials (plywood) to be disallowed, but GRP allowed? Weird.

Now, I may have been a little unfair in stating my thoughts on the Star Class's upper echelons, because they must be under quite a bit of pressure from the membership who have spent hugely, to ensure that a lot of Stars are not suddenly made redundant. However, the rules do allow for prototypes, and such approved prototypes are given full dispensation to race in all kinds of regattas, except for gold and silver classified regattas. Here's what they say:

Builders
In order to obtain a license to build a Starboat, a builder must conclude a License Agreement with the International Star Class Yacht Racing Association and submit to the Technical Advisory Board the following:
1. Hull Construction and lines drawing
2. Lay-up schedule and samples of lay-up
3. Drawing of keel, rudder and skeg
4. Construction of mast, boom and rigging.
No number or measurement certificate can be issued until the above items have been approved by the Technical Advisory Board. If a builder changes his construction he is required to submit the concerned drawings or samples to the TAB for approval.

New Construction Methods and Materials
In keeping with the Class's long standing policy of seeking more economical means of building yachts, it is believed to be in the best interests of the Star Class to actively seek new methods or materials while at the same time maintaining the competitive value of all existing yachts. To that end the following guidelines are intended for those members seriously interested in undertaking such developments, which will ultimately foster the growth of the Class.

1. A member may request, in writing, permission to build one prototype yacht of nonspecification materials and/or construction methods. His proposal should include a general statement regarding the estimated costs and benefits to be derived, drawings, sketches, etc.

2. The Class Management Committee, acting with the advice of the Technical Advisory Board, will grant the builder the right to qualify for a provisional measurement certificate for a prototype yacht, provided that the following conditions are met:
(a) Upon completion, the prototype yacht meets all specifications for hull shape, uniformity of construction and weight. Also flotation must be proved by test.
(b) A full disclosure of the details of construction is made to the Technical Advisory Board including, among other things, scantlings, material specifications, special assembly techniques, photos of the construction process, and costs.

3. The provisional certificate will authorize that prototype yacht to qualify for all races except Silver and Gold events.
4. Full disclosure of racing results and an analysis of same certified by a fleet or district officer are to be submitted to the CMC upon completion of a representative number of races.

5. A final measurement certificate will be issued if the Class adopts that method of construction through its normal procedures of a fleet resolution, Technical Advisory Board approval, annual meeting approval and membership vote. Such approval will be granted provided that the construction of the prototype yacht does not vary to any substantial extent from the specifications finally adopted.

6. On the recommendation of the Technical Advisory Board, a permanent measurement certificate may be granted to any specially constructed yacht by the Class Management Committee.

Furthermore, nobody could complain about the cost of the plans...$30! (Complete set of plans, $30; any single plan, $10; Rudder template, $20. Plans cannot be lent, nor sent on approval or credit.)

I can almost see Mik's eyes misting over.....:U

[SimonP]

Do the Star regulations really ban plywood construction?
From what I've read, despite all the developments in synthetic materials, it seems it's still very hard to build a boat with a better strength-to-weight ratio than plywood.
Although GRP and composite boats are now well accepted in the Hartley TS16 class for example, they are mostly above minimum weight, and I don't think one has ever won an Australian Championship.
I do think that the Star's designer could have done a bit more with the hull contour though. The sides of the hull look like a slab of concrete, I reckon. Still beauty is in the eye, and all that.
And they do go fast.

[Boatmik]

PICS BELOW ARE NOT OF THE BOAT FOR SALE
I thought that being on the technical committee might almost be a prerequisite for a new construction!

One of the great yachting photos was the great Danish sailor Paul Elvstrom sailing in the Star Worlds at Acapulco.

I think he came second.

The photo was from above the finish line looking down the final leg. Elvstrom has streeted the fleet and finished at least half a leg ahead. You can see all the other boats struggling a long distance away in what looks like 25 or 30+ knots.

Elvstrom and crew are watching them sail up the final beat.

The only unusual thing is that they have jammed on the main and jibsheet and the Star is lying on its side with the keel out of the water.

Elvstrom and crew are standing on the keel and leaning on the side of the boat side by side - as if they were peering over the neighbour's fence.

Elvstrom, probably the greatest sailor ever was not shy of showing off just how far he could push the boat. Everyone else would have been flat out surviving - but he lies the boat over and waits for them to struggle upwind.

Silly me ... I have some pics of a wooden star - NOT the one for sale, but the one at the Mystic Seaport Museum.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3506/4060027946_3283e85a4c_z.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2682/4060027816_b0f73c5960_z.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2737/4060028214_b63dfea2dd_z.jpg

You can see more international star pics on my flickr set from Mystic Seaport (http://www.flickr.com/photos/boatmik/4060028214/in/photostream/) ...

Michael Storer

[woodeneye]

Haha, that demonstration was very much an Elvstrom trait. Like a lot of people with learning disabilities, they seem to make up for it in other areas, and often display remarkable talents. It seems quite common with really talented musicians. To cover up his disability, he was hell bent on proving he was the best at sailing. His book “Elvstrom Speaks on Yacht Racing” really delves into that aspect of his character. Remember that in those days it would have been a great embarrassment to him that he could not read or write, so he sought to cover up this failing in the only way he knew how.

In that book, he was preparing for a major Finn regatta. I can’t recall if it was an Olympics or a World Championship. Anyway, on this day, the wind was simply howling and nobody was out on the water, but he went out in his Finn and proceeded to amaze everyone with his prowess at handling his boat in gale force conditions. He would come screaming in toward the shore on a dead run while standing up, and gybing from side to side umpteen times, while maintaining his own and the boat’s perfect balance. Being a cat rig, the Finn is a mongrel to handle on a run, but he was a master and he didn’t let the opportunity slide to let his competitors know that fact, if they didn’t already!

[PAR]

All seriously talented professionals do this sort of thing. It's not showing off, lets look at it as "marking his territory".

I'm reminded of a stock car race I went to, many years ago. It was the Daytona 500, which we're gearing up for next month her in Florida. A particular driver, who was always good at this particular track, as he was just about everywhere else too, unloaded his car from the trailer. If you wanted to win, this was the guy you had to beat. He did a quick tune on the car and took it out for a few laps to see where they where, all normal stuff as they fine tune for the race. He put in 4 laps, setting a new track record while he was at it. He then loaded the car back on the trailer and left the track for the remainder of the day. Well, let me tell you how the other racers and crowd reacted to all of this. They were stunned, drop jaw, bug eyed and flat out amazed. He instantly let everyone know they needed to really step up their efforts if they expected any hope of catching this guy.

Well, this old boy had installed several illegal parts and this is why he scorched the track record, but he wasn't telling anyone. He showed up when required for the qualifying races and the car had been returned to normal. He passed his inspection and preformed very high in the other test laps they ran. All the TV commentators where saying he was just holding back for the big race, but he wasn't, but he'd already beaten 3/4's of the field before they'd even started their engines. He blew a tire a lap or two from the end of the race (while leading it) and didn't finish very well, but he'd made such a mark on what he considered his territory, that no one really challenged him during the race, even though they had cars just as capable as his.

I know that I've been kicked off race course for "cheating", which I feel is too harsh a term for the "rule stretching" I was actually preforming. I also have used physiological tricks on vulnerable competitors. There was one guy I knew, in the round the buoys fleet, that was just a mean person, mean to his crew and more so to his family and himself. I would get along side him and shout encouragements and tell him how splendid a job he was doing, which naturally would rattle this guy to no end and he'd soon make a mistake I could capitalize on. It was friendly, but serious stuff, like pointing behind someones boat and saying, "is that your dock line?", just to watch the Chinese fire drill that would ensue, because you darn right know I'd wait, until they'd committed for their turn around the mark before I'd say it. "Oops! did it hit the mark?" Yea, I know, I'm evil.

[woodeneye]

Olympic International Star Class Sailing boat (eBay item 280627607195 end time 23-Feb-11 15:58:55 AEDST) : Cars, Bikes, Boats (http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Olympic-International-Star-Class-Sailing-boat-/280627607195?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_15&hash=item4156b5769b#ht_721wt_1139)

This one is ready to race...