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    RL24, RL28, and RL34 Trailable Yachts
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    Re: RL24 versus J24
    Greg

    Thanks for your reply. Your post had me scurrying back to my records as I am always wary of information that I pick up from the internet. I prefer to rely on my own records.

    There appears to a bit of confusion and misinformation floating around on the history behind the truly successful J24 design. John Gjerde refers to this in his ‘Story of J/24 fleet No 1’ where he claims that the one design J 24 had its beginnings in Lake Minnetonka in the state of Minnesota and not in Connecticut on the east coast. He reckons it was a group of Midget Ocean Racing Club (or Conference?) members there who got involved. This is reinforced by the statement that there had been major changes to the MORC rule in 1976 and it would appear that the MORC members would have been quite possibly looking for a new one design boat under 34 foot to be built to the new rule.

    You just have to look at the design of the J24 with its large sail area, high freeboard and small thin keel and see that it had been designed to either the MORC or the IOR rating rules. The CCA, JOG and the RORC rules had been superseded at this time. I totally refuse to believe that Rod Johnstone would not have designed his boat ‘Ragtime’ to the MORC or some other rating rule at that time. I feel it would have been impossible for the first two production J24’s to clean up at a major MORC race week event without being designed to that rule. In many articles the J24 is referred as a MORC design. One expert stated that the MORC rule produced wholesome designs such as Tartan 27, J24, S29.1 and the Laser 28. I do admit to making a mistake in referring to the J24 as being designed to IOR rule instead of the MORC. All the handicap formulas are quite similar but the IOR was later found to be a defective rule in that it encouraged boats with high freeboard and high booms and prohibited keels wider at the bottom (No bulbs). Certain IOR boats were found to be unsafe and unmanageable in heavy weather.

    I don’t think you can refer to Rod Johnson or his brother as being novices in the design and boat construction game. They were both keen racers and Rod had studied naval architecture. They both went on to make a name for themselves by creating many successful one design yachts. They built only 2 boats to the IOR rule and although they were both rocket machines and went well they were also both commercial failures.

    I will finish off by quoting what Rod Johnstone said when interviewed.


    Describe for us your personal version of the perfect sailboat.

    Rod Johnson

    The perfect sailboat can be easily single-handed or double handed under the most extreme wind and sea conditions. It can achieve close to its maximum speed potential without crew weight on the rail. It is close-winded and stable without the benefit of extreme draft, or moveable ballast of any kind. It planes when reaching or running under spinnaker in a moderate breeze. It can achieve boat speed which exceeds true wind speed in all wind conditions up to ten knots whenever the apparent wind is ahead of abeam. It will be relatively narrow with a compact offshore rig with the masthead spinnaker halyard being only slightly offset above the head stay. It will have simple rigging and sail controls with roller furling jib, no runners or check stays. It will have an asymmetric spinnaker tacked to a retractable bowsprit. It will have adequate cruising accommodations for unlimited sailing offshore for two people. In general "perfect" has to do with, performance, sea kindliness, quality of construction and, and appearance. It will be a simple boat designed to minimize potential maintenance problems. How big? Probably 40-50'.


    Rod’s answer is just tops and is what Dick Voller and I are trying to achieve with our RL 24 SS (seniors special). Rod has slipped up with his length but an asymmetrical with a retractable pole is definitely on the cards for our SS.

    I think the RL24 association rules should also allow an asymmetrical spinnaker with a retractable pole on all RL24. We could maybe use one of old measurement formulae’s ( one that allows bulb keels) to reduce the size of the foresails and asymmetrical spinnaker on all the lightweight flyers with laminar flow keels and light weight bulbs!!!!

    Gary

    I think it is in the class rules which are posted on this web site. The max. size of the main and foresail together is 20 Sq Metre. The spinnaker max. size is 20 sq metre and there is also a maximum length for the spinnaker pole which must be attached to the mast.

    Alastair31-Jul-2006    Edit    Delete 

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