Class or no Class.

[Llafurio]

It really irks me to see how the yard is churning out more and more models and variants as "BayRaiders", the BR hull with a BayCruiser-like rig being the latest variant. How on earth shall there ever be a distinctive "BayRaider Class" with rallies and races of peer boats in view of such fragmentation?
Am I alone in thinking that this fragmentation does bode ill for the future identity and future resale value of the boats?

[Julian Swindell]

Interesting thoughts. I sometimes think the yard should hold back on producing yet more designs, such as the canoes they are working on, and concentrate on building the market for their existing models and working on their general quality assurance.

Having said that, one of the attractions of Swallow boats is that you can order them with all sorts of customisations to suit your own wishes. You can have a ketch rig, lug rig, sloop rig or even junk rig. On my own boat, I could have had her with one, two or no quarter berths. I would think that the main market for Swallow boats is men of a certain age who want an enjoyable boat for general fast sailing, often short handed, which they can afford to buy new for cash, and they like the idea that it can be tweaked to exactly what they want. For example, some of the BREs have fixed plank bow sprits, others don't like that. Whether this variety will have a detrimental effect on second-hand values over the years is a valid point. At the moment, every water ballasted Swallow boat that has come onto the market that I know of, seems to have sold very quickly.

[Jonathan Stuart]

Certainly damage could be done but so far I think the brand is only being strengthened by the variants. Of the 3 BayRaider models and the 4 XXXRaiders, all make commercial and practical sense to fill roles without confusing the brand. Only time will tell as to whether future 'Raiders do cause fragmentation, etc. However, as it is there never has been a strict BR class because of the variants in materials and rigs possible from the yard and then the further changes owners have made.

My only concern - and it is a small one - is the point Julian made in his first paragraph and I sometimes wonder whether it would be better to refine and market the existing models rather than creating new ones. A large product range is challenging for relatively small businesses to market and manufacture. However, I guess as existing owners we would say that and would be contradicted by prospective BC26 owners!

[Matthew P]

I would hate to see rigid class rules because I enjoy tinkering with my boat.  On the other hand I see the merit of some consistancy to make racing fun without the spiralling cost of keeping up with a development class, and to preserve the value of our boats. I see the Sail Caledonia website Notice of Race mentions that boats should have "traditional sailplans" which "generally exclude Bermudan and Günter rigs although special cases may be considered".  Luckily (or most probably through generous common sense) the Gunter-rigged Bayraiders seem to have been accepted into the Raid community - but will Bermudan rigged Bayraiders be given the same generous acceptance? 
And are there other restrictions on Raid boats - carbon fibre oars, fully battened sails and large genoas for instance?
Matthew

[Jonathan Stuart]

I assumed (but am ready to be corrected) that the restriction on "traditional" sail plans refers to classes 1 and 2 and that gunter rigged BayRaiders get in to class 3 as being "Drascombes and similar craft", however "specialised" sails such as spinnakers are still not allowed. What that means for Bermudan rigged boats I'm not sure.

[Graham W]

will Bermudan rigged Bayraiders be given the same generous acceptance? 
And are there other restrictions on Raid boats - carbon fibre oars, fully battened sails and large genoas for instance?

As Jonathan says, the BayRaiders are in the class 'Drascombes and similar craft'. Each variation to the standard rig is usually considered on a case by case basis, using common sense.  Without prejudging the decisions of race officer John Macpherson, I suggest that the further the mods take the boat from the spirit of the Drascombe, the more likely that particular BR will end up in a different class, which would be rather lonely! But John would certainly want to see the mods before making up his mind.

[Jonathan Stuart]

Sorry to take this slightly off-topic, but I have been vaguely thinking about entering Sail Caledonia so have pinged them an email to check how my BRe would be treated. I will let you know the answer.

[Jonathan Stuart]

Got an answer already (that was quick!) - yes, no problem with BRe in SC and it would probably be in same class as BR although that would be confirmed nearer the time. Turns out there is a BRe called Alice-May already entered.