Laminate Sails Proposal
At this years AGM I will be proposing that the class moves to allowing Laminate
Mainsails on the Lark.
My reason for this is I feel that the perception of the class from the outside is
wrong, and we need to change this in order for the class to survive and thrive.
The Lark is still seen as a student class with battered old boats that sink every
time you roll tack! This as we all know is simply not true.
I am extremely passionate about the Lark Class, I truly believe that as a class we
offer everything a dinghy sailor who wants to race a 2 person symmetrical
dinghy needs. A great boat to sail in all wind ranges, fantastic racing for all ages
and abilities, friendly people and brilliant socials. Of course, there are other
boats out there that may offer a faster downwind blast but there is no class that
offers the full package, in my opinion.
The class has seen a decline in membership and participation over the last few
years, as every class has; times are tough, which is no secret and things are not
going to change very quickly and some classes will die off all together. We need
to put the Lark Class firmly back on the map and reintroduce it to people who
have the wrong perception of the class, to make it a serious viable option for
them to come and get involved.
In business there is a saying “Evolve or die”. And although this is not a business
we are running, many of the theories apply and when times are tough changes
need to be made. This needs to start with changing the image of the class,
making people notice us again, start talking and come and have a closer look to
see how great it is to be a Lark sailor.
Standing out from the crowd, making people notice us and “evolving or dying” is
my primary reason for proposing a move to Laminate Mainsails. I’m not
suggesting that suddenly using laminate sails will double our membership and
create a 70 boat Nationals, but it is a start to a much larger plan of re-launching
the class and changing the image.
A Laminate Mainsail looks more modern and frankly lets be honest looks a lot
cooler!! I truly believe this will be the start of people noticing the Larks, talking
about the Lark and coming to take a closer look.
It is important to know at this point that many of our rival classes who we fight
for membership with, have successfully moved to a Laminate Sail option and the
Larks are viewed as standing still in this area. These classes are “evolving”.
The classes who are currently seeing strong membership and increased
participation numbers are the classes who have continuously evolved over the
years; Merlins and Moths for example, although these are very different classes
to the Lark, there are a lot of lessons to be learnt from these guys.
A few years ago the class moved to Ovington Boats as our builder. We are very
lucky to have these guys building our boats, they are one of the most well known
and respected boat builders in the world and they build some beautiful looking
Larks. The truth is many people we speak to at the Dinghy Show for example do
not even know we have back Buoyancy Tanks!! Something that we have not had
on the new boats since we moved to Rondars around 15 years ago. People just
see the same old Dacron sails out sailing and assume it is the same old leaky
Parker 2’s of the 80’s and 90’s.
A Laminate Mainsail will turn heads, make people come up closer to a Lark in the
dinghy park and take a look, realize the boats have changed a lot over the years
and start talking about it.
I recognize that there is a cost increase for Laminate Mains and this is why I am
not proposing that a move to Laminate Mainsails is a compulsory one. I merely
want it to be an option for people to consider when they are planning to buy a
new Mainsail.
With any change there are pro’s and con’s and I am not an expert sail maker, and
I do not want to try and give you facts when I am not the expert. I only want to
give you my reasons. The facts need to come from the experts, which is why I
have approached 3 of the most prominent Sailmakers for the Larks. North Sails,
P&B and Mike Mac as well as Dimension Polyant who are a leading manufacturer
and supplier of sail cloth, who have each written a document explaining the pro’s
and con’s, price comparisons and a bit more information about Laminate Sails Vs
Dacron Sails. I want to give you all facts to help you make your decision. The
documents can be found attached.
The plan is to discuss the introduction of Laminate Mainsails as an option along
side Dacron Mainsails at this years AGM and then it will be put to a membership
wide vote following the AGM.
I hope you will join me in my quest to put the Larks back on the map!!
Wardy
LCOA Chairman
Summary of Proposal and Technical Documents:
-
Perception of the class if wrong.
Class need to change its image in order to attract new members
Class needs to “Evolve or Die”
Major step to change image is introduction of new modern looking Laminate
Mainsails
Laminate Mainsails will be an option alongside Dacron Mainsails and not
compulsory.
Laminate Mainsails cost more
Laminate Mainsails hold racing shape for longer
Other classes have introduced Laminate Mainsails as an option successfully