On Oct 4, 1:07 pm, toad wrote:


People keep comparing to sailboat one design racing, but there is a
big difference between sailing a Sunfish in weak conditions and flying
a PW5 in weak conditions, the PW5 lands out and the Sunfish does NOT
sink. Avoiding landing out in weak conditions is why a minimum of
performance is needed.

The only way I can support the "World class" is to buy one myself or
with a club. But before I did this, the glider has to have enough
performance that I would have fun. So I express what I think should
be changed to allow this to happen. This doesn't mean that I am
threatened, but I feel the concept has not been well executed.

Todd Smith
Grob 102
3S- Hide quoted text -

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Another issue I see in the comparison between sailboat racing and
gliding is cost. We're talking about vastly different price points.

Here's the problem. For the same price as a PW-5, I can buy an
LS-3. This cost is somewhere just north of $25K, with an LS-3 maybe
a shade lower than the PW-5. I don't think anyone would argue
that the LS-3 has significantly better performance, not just at Max L/
D but more importantly at 60kts and above. At 70kts, in fact, the
LS-3 has more or less double the L/D of the PW-5. In gliding,
that's a BIG difference.

We can look at single-handed dinghy sailboats as a comparison. We're
looking at a used Laser at anywhere from maybe $1000 for a ratty one
with a lot of time on it to maybe $4,000 for a newer one in cherry
condition. At the same time, a ratty Sunfish can be had for
probably $300 while a cherry might fetch $1000. To make a fair
comparison, let's assume both boats in similar age and condition; say
10 years old and solid mechanical shape with hull scratches and
cosmetically poor deck. We'll put the Sunfish at $500 and the Laser
at $1500. There's no doubt that the Laser is a "better" boat for
reasonably accomplished sailors. It's harder to sail (almost killed
myself in one once) than the Sunfish but it handles better and can go
a bit faster, and the price seems to reflect that. However, even
though it's better, as Todd noted you can still sail on the same
course with the Sunfish and finish 10 times out of 10.

Let's say that Sunfish was the only recognized one design class in
dinghy sailing. I could buy one for $500 and race in Sunfish
regattas to my heart's content. I might also buy a Laser for fun.
The combined cost is less than a used Cobra trailer.

Cutting to the point, the economics don't favor the PW-5. If the
PW-5 was maybe $10K, it might have been a big seller. But, at $25K
plus it's not in the running, especially with Club Class offering very
competitive racing for even less money.

P3