Remember, the Portsmouth ratings are for the users. It strikes a balance between class boats (Hobie 16’s) Formula designs, [Inter 18 (slow and dead) to Tigers (current and soon to be surpassed) to Capricorns (faster then the others so far) and One Off or very low popularity designs (CFR20 or Marstrom 20 respectively).

Everyone gets to go racing against each other.

The names that get tabulated are for the scorekeepers to keep track of a configuration of a boat and make it easy on the scorekeeper. (IT’S A PIA to track modifications). So, the ratings have listed SINGLE ONE OFF designs…. That are called class… but really are a class of one. Currently, the CFR 20… is a class of one. (Previously… you had a Poison Oak in the north east… I am sure there are others.)
Call yours the WHH18! This makes the record keeping easy… BUT it will create a problem.

The problem with a class of one boat is that you are essentially developing a personal handicap and calling it the Class rating…. Each race you sail results in a rating relative to the other first place boat of a different class (Hobie 17, Hobie 16, Hobie 18) that are racing on the course… you take the best result of each class and compare it to your individual result… This becomes the rating for the WHH18 class. Actually… its your personal handicap rating.

Eventually… for every race you compete in the game is… Did I sail better then my average handicap…. Or did I sail worse then my average handicap. If I match or sail better then my average performance… you are likely to win the race… the other racers are trying to beat the handicap set by a large population of racers… in these races… 20 Hobie 16’s… will generate ONLY THE SINGLE WINNING TIME going into the database. All the other results are slower and not used for the rating. (SO…. bad vibes will be generated if the past predicts the future, especially when you claim… I am not a great racer… but I am winning trophies with my boat)

This is a big difference! The other competitors are asking… How close did I come to sailing to the rating set by the top sailors in my class. The race is between sailors competing on how well they sail to their ratings. Eg how close did the Hobie 17 sailor sail to his rating… versus how close did the Hobie 16 sail to his rating.. You on the other hand will be sailing against your average result… since you have the only WHH18 on the planet….
(Now if you loan the boat out to 5 other racers… you could develop a better class rating for the boat.)


IMO, Your rating should be set in stone by the PN committee... (judgment… correction factors… Texel and SCCR rating formulas) until you have a class of boats... actually racing...and my standard would be 5 boats competing in a portsmouth race against several other designs... Your data should not be computed as the true class boats... Just race with the number assigned by the committee. No fuss no muss and no confusion or whining about handicap racing.... (except for Dave and Carl)!

I'm confused about how to calculate the number. Is it the stated number (71.4) times the correction factor or minus the correction factor? For multiple corrections is it base times correction =, times correction factor =, times correction factor? Or subtraction? I'm soo confused.

Multiply the base number by the modification factors.
Base * Modification 1 * Modification 2 etc.

You then divide the elapsed time by the resulting handicap to get "corrected time".

Maybe I'm wrong here in pointing this out, but wasn't this whole project started on the assumption that you weren't going to race this boat?


http://www.catsailor.com/forums/showflat...=true#Post74138

Now I'm all for seeing you on the line dude, but as a potential competitor against you in the open fleet in the area, I have to raise question about the possibility of even getting close to a reasonable number for this boat.

If you wanted a reliable, durable, rateable, class-legal boat, plenty of options were given to you in that previous thread. Just because your fox went sour doesn't mean all "clamshell" boats are fragile.

All you have to go by is the ratings that are there and the modifications that apply. If you want to employ somebody's notion of fair, the committee can always reserve the right to rate the boat the way they see fit, and provide a provisional rating for the regatta. As for the downhaul and main blocks, that question/hit would apply to either config you choose.

The TRUE easy ratings beater here is a stock SX with spin, not the modded boat. Which goes back to what I've been saying about the SX rating - it's out of whack. Either that base number is really for a non-spin SX, or there is simply an error. The rating that incorporates a free gimme is the stock SX rating - so again, I would ask the US Sailing folks for a clarification.

A question - does anybody know if the SX as the Hobie class intended include the spin, or was that an option for non-Hobie sanctioned racing? The answer to that help with whether the rating listed includes the spin or is a typo.

So here's a question - somebody shows up in a stock SX with spin. Do you use the numbers in the table or do you calculate what's "fair"?

The SX class includes the spinnaker which is factory provided.

If you see me at more than three races in the next 12 months we will both be surprised. I sail at the beach for fun and thrills. I'm not a serious racer and never was or will be. The amount of beaching I do says, NO CLAMSHELL. I am not careful enough with the boat to warrant a race boat. Had I known the differences I would have never bought the Fox but I and my local dealer thought the Fox, if kept on wheels ,would be a great boat for a long time. I have owned a 18 since 1984 and didn't own wheels until 2002. The 18 has served me well and continues to do so. Really just wanted the spin, but got a little carried away. Going to race it at Ya Gotta because thats my dealers race, maybe at Cat fever because my dad and I used to go in the early '80s. Outback Cup, for the food and good climate for camping. Loose on the Neuse, maybe, because thats Trey's race and he has set-up my boat. If Ya Gotta goes well, we'll see. Sailboat racing conflicts with Mt. bike racing schedules and fall is good offshore fishing. Again, just want to represent the boat properly, don't think I'm any real competition for anyone.

Thought so.

Then the rating is whack. Again, the 2004 numbers look better, at least for DPN.

This would end up being committee's choice, I think, but the basis is solid for the claim to start with the SX. I think a clarification from US Sailing might help on the SX number.

Again, committee's choice, provide the numbers both ways for all wind ranges, let them decide.

Don't let any of the banter here on this subject make you shy. Few things get people's blood boiling like politics and/or handicap ratings.

Take the boat and go racing, and go racing as much as your heart desires. Don't let any of this make you apologize for setting up your boat the way you wanted it. To represent it with no questions, provide the numbers calculated both ways for all wind ranges, let committee choose which one to use. Then go out there with the resolve to make them want to use the faster rating against you because you're gonna kick butt otherwise. Then kick butt anyway. Enjoy it, learn from it, keep at it. Maybe you'll start a new Hobie-18 craze...