| 2008-12-05 | Richard Robbins | The thought here is to make the boat easier to day-sail. I would doubt that there would be a performance boost but the question is could a roller reefed jib co-exist on the race course? The boat would be easier to single-hand or be sailed with less able sailors. |
| 2008-12-05 | Andrew Burton | I am aware of the law of unintended consequences, that makes me leery of making any rule changes that could end up changing our boat. Will you allow the roller furling drum to be below decks? How about vertical battens? It'd be pretty unreasonable not to allow them, if you allow furling jibs. And a foil is necessary, too, unless you allow the luff to be zipped around the headstay, and in that case how do you stop the halyard being used to rake the mast fore and aft? How about sun covers? Not fast, but a zip up one hoisted on the spin halyard will be necessary to protect the sail from the weather. And all of a sudden there doesn't seem to be a big time-savings with furling over hanking and unhanking a sail. Remember the story of 202, and that measurers ruling; They ruled that even painted toerails were illegal on a Shields. And I agree. There are certain things that Shields don't have. Roller furling would give a boat big sail-handling advantages at mark roundings, and modern low profile continuous-line furlers shouldn't alter the profile of the sailplan. But they would force a big added expense that only a few boats would take advantage of, indeed furthering the separation between front and back. Because all the top guys would have to get one.
The rules don't allow roller furling so the answer of the technical committee to the question should be a quick NO. As it should be to
anything that will make it more expensive to sail our boats at the top
level...like that $400-dollar digital compass I have sitting in my library.
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| 2014-08-19 | Wendy Goodwin | Allowance for roller furling jib: As your builder I am often approached by prospective buyers who are comparing the Shields with other designs. An increasing number of buyers are looking for a large daysailer as opposed to something to race. They are turned off by the complication that they might spend the money to upgrade the boat for their enjoyment but when it’s time to place the boat on the market it would be de-valued, or the upgrade be removed as it’s not class legal. For those buyers considering Shields one design racing, the traditional hank on jib is a turn off as newer one designs feature an easy way for crew to round the marks without having to deal with a jib falling in the water and partially blocking a skippers sight line. The bottom line is that the traditional jib is causing the potential Shields buyer to go elsewhere. This also trickles down into the used boat market. The Shields Class Association is losing a significant amount of boats to daysailing and some owners are uninterested in joining the class as the group has up until now not considered a modern convenience. As we all are getting on in years and struggle with finding crew to get to both local and national races, it’s time to have this discussion. I see older owners considering when to sell as they don’t always have a young agile foredeck person. A roller furling jib would keep the older boat owners in the boat longer. Although the Shields was originally designed to teach young cadets about sailboat racing on a level playing field where all the boats are the same, times have changed. Buyers of new or used boats no longer see the romanticism in a traditional hank on jib, and pass over the Shields for a design where a roller furling jib is standard equipment. Your sail makers, boat builder and current owners deserve some consideration. I simply would add the following to section V Sails paragraph 10 jibs: An optional roller furling jib is allowed. A sail maker will need to supply revised max/min measurement and batten/headboard detail. In simple terms, the Shields roller furling sail will be on the smaller side of the current specs to allow for it to roll and be fastened to a roller furling system that fits within the existing deck and mast hardware. |
| 2014-08-19 | Richard Robbins | Possible Rule change: Section V Sails 6.6 - Roller Furling
Roller furling may be installed of any design with the furling mechanism above the deck in a manner that does not lessen the strength of forestay. The dimensions of the roller furling jib must be within the maximum dimensions of Section V-9.1. Section V-6.4 Jib Battens does not apply to a roller furling jib and if used, battens can be of any design. |
| 2014-08-19 | michael frucci | In my humble opinion, a J-24 works for people of the day sailing preference as well as racing. I embrace the Shields for what they are, a true one design.
Cpt. Michael Frucci |
| 2014-08-19 | Ted Slee | I have to agree with Andy Burton on this. This boat is beautiful the way it is and such a modern addition isn't necessary for these easy to sail boats. If someone wants to buy the boat and modify it, go ahead it just won't be a legal shields one design boat. If they are lookout for a simple to sail day sailer that is trailer able, there are certainly many options out there like the j24, j80, alerion 28 etc. My vote is leave the class alone! It's an amazing boat just the way it is. |
| 2014-08-19 | Bill Doyle | In short, please no! After spending the summer learning how to be competitive in Lightnings, I've come to really appreciate our strict class rules. I asked an old salt in the lightnings how it was possible such a simple boat could have literally hundreds of tweaks, strings, adjustments, and modifications, with every boat totally different than the next (it was a borrowed boat regatta). He said the class was never strict on rigging issues, and over the life of the boat, everyone tries, and still tries, to "make a better Lightning". I couldn't wait to get back to our Shields.
I am sure there must be some simple roller system that can be adapted to the boat for daysailing, and removed for racing, that can be considered. But PLEASE, do not open that can of worms for class racing rules. I, for one, would bail out the minute the class gets into an arms race of any kind.
I'm still trying to figure out how and when we became allowed to have the multi-purchase, multi-block / turning block, cross sheeting set-ups on jib sheets that everyone seems to be using now. |
| 2014-08-20 | Mark Prueser | We don't race in Shields class races and I am thinking about adding roller furling to the boat to make it easier to sail as a daysailer.
Not getting any younger and the resale market for these boats seems to be limited to non-existent. I have had my boat listed for over a month and not one call.
I may even put sail slugs on the main to eliminate having to roll the main. I don't know what problems this will cause with our PHRF
rating but I hate to sell the boat to get a better daysailer |
| 2014-08-26 | Jerry Stratton | Shields= pure one-design sailing and racing experience. As a 67 year old Shields sailor, I am able to sail lightly crewed or even single-handed. The most challenging task is actually rolling up the main after sailing! One 80-year old Shields sailor in our fleet sails weekly. If I were not in an area where one-design sailing is active, a roller furler might be an option for a day sailor who desires a traditional yacht. I vote "no" for Class sailing. |
