The Mylar Sails Proposal

The following document was distributed at the meeting of the Tasar World Council held in Darwin on July 4, 2005.

The Background
Coming out of the Tasar Strategic Planning workshops held in 2003 and 2004 in Melbourne, the overriding goals were to look at ways of

1. getting more people sailing Tasars more often, and
2. extending the life-cycle of the class

It has been acknowledged amongst Tasar sailors that some of the major impediments to achieving these goals relate to

• The cost of Tasars and equipment such as foils and sails
• Guaranteeing long term supply of Tasars and equipment
• Some inevitable variations in boats from one region to another in terms of sails and fittings, which tends to compromise the classes one-design principle

In an ideal world, all Tasars would be built in one location, all with standard fittings and equipped with sails made in just one loft, using the same materials and template.

Well, this may sound a little far fetched but we think all would agree a worthwhile goal to strive for. With this aim in mind, it was decided to see what could be done to address these major concerns. In July of last year, a meeting was held at Bethwaite Design between representatives of the ATC, Tasar sailors and Frank & Julian Bethwaite. The principle focus of the meeting was to discuss the above concerns and to see what could be done collectively to extend the life cycle of the Tasar.

In summary, the meeting was a resounding success with all those attending agreeing to look at concrete initiatives to unifying supply, address the cost of Tasar components and guarantee long-term supply of Tasars and equipment.

What Has Been Achieved?
As a direct result of these discussions, the following areas have been addressed –
• The rudder stock is being redesigned taking into account the best features of the Riley and Nth American versions. Once finalised, this will be the only version available
• The Australian moulds are now with a well established and reputable volume boat builder in Indonesia, guaranteeing uniformity of hulls and long term supply. This could not be said for the recent Australian builders.
• All new boats will be supplied with the Holt Allen jib tracks from now on
• Trialling of new Mylar sails for the class is well underway, and if adopted, these sails will address the cost and uniform supply issues.

Why Mylar Sails?
There are a number of reasons why we as a class should be looking at an alternative to Dacron for our sails.

1. Long Term Supply - significantly, the Tasar sail is based on a stretchy, non yarn-tempered sailcloth that makes up a small proportion of Dacron manufactured worldwide. There are no guarantees in the medium to long term this cloth will always be available. The likelihood is the cloth will become harder to source and even more expensive. This leads to the cost issue.

2. Cost - according to the Bethwaite Design Tasar price list as of Jan 2005, a fully battened, numbered mainsail and jib costs $2,407.57. Bethwaite Design have made a written commitment to the ATC that if the new sails are adopted by the class, pricing will be based along the following lines, “it would be relatively safe to say that given the area of a 29er Mainsail and Jib are very similar to those of a Tasar that you could be very safe in assuming their cost will be similar with the exception that we make a lot of 29er sails per year. If you increased the price by 10% to cover this factor then you should be close to the expected retail.” The current pricing for a fully battened, numbered main and jib for a 29er is $1,416. Based on the above quote, a new set of Mylar Tasar sails should cost in the vicinity of $1,557. This addresses a long-term complaint of Tasar sailors that sails cost far too much.

3. Uniformity of Supply – if the Mylar sails are adopted, they will only be sourced from one loft for global distribution. This achieves a major goal and aim of enhancing our one design principle. The situation of fleets racing with boats using either Canadian or Australian sails will become a non-issue.

4. A Mid-Life Makeover – the Tasar design is now 30 years old. We Tasar sailors love our class but we also want to attract more people into sailing Tasars more often. Wherever the Mylar rig has been trialled over the past few months, it has been universally acknowledged as giving the boat a tremendous new and modern look. The new rig could potentially attract a whole new generation of sailors to the class who might have never given the Tasar a second thought. The new rig also gives the class a whole new aspect on which to market the boat.

5. Useability – until you have sailed the boat with the Mylar sails, you can not appreciate the fantastic view through the clear sails. It makes sailing in fleet situations much more comfortable knowing you can see what’s coming at all times.

6. Fit Existing Spas – the brief to Bethwaites was to build sails of a similar area and that could be fitted to existing spas, minimising any changeover cost. This has been achieved.

7. Performance – indications are that the boat is marginally faster using the Mylar sails. This can’t be a bad thing as the new sail plan still caters for the existing range of Tasar crew weights.

The Downside
1. We loose the ability to furl our jib – a much loved feature amongst many Tasar sailors. The upside is with the addition of an independent forestay; you will be able to leave your mast up without needing the jib furled as well. Because the new jib is battened, it will be less likely to be damaged in strong wind conditions.

2. Longevity – the life span of these Mylar sails is an unknown. Potentially they might not last as long as the Dacron sails but anecdotal evidence suggests they should have a similar lifespan.

Proposed Implementation Timetable
A concern raised regarding the adoption of Mylar sails for the class relates to wearing out sail wardrobes of Dacron sails prior to the adoption of the new version. The proposed implementation timetable below demonstrates an orderly change-over which would give sailors opportunity to plan their next sail purchase. This proposed timetable is subject to ratification by the Designer and World Tasar Council.

• July, 2005 - The designer has approached ISAF for approval, and ISAF has approved the specification change. For the sails to become legal within class rules, the World Council must now approve the change (as required by Class Rule A.1.2). (Note: the World Council did pass this motion)
• Following that approval, a delegate at the WTC meeting will have to move a motion to propose some minor, but necessary, changes the Tasar Class rules to allow the use of the new sails. (Note: the World Council did pass this motion)
• Should this motion be carried, all the rules that must to be changed would need to be identified and the precise new wording then be agreed by consensus of the WTC.
• August 2005 - All regions and districts will be asked to vote on the proposed rule changes.
• September 2005 - ISAF requires class rule changes to be submitted by Sept 1, although they do allow the results of a vote to be sent in later.
• April 2006 – Mylar sails formally adopted by class
• July 2006 – production of Mylar sails begins (Note: for an update on production dates, and some interim price information, see this link.  RS 2005/08/18)
• January 2007 – First use of Mylar sails in major regattas, i.e., Australian Tasar Championships, Perth, overseas regattas as appropriate.
• July 2007 – Mylar sails used in next Tasar Worlds in either Europe or Japan. Use of Dacron sails would continue to be permitted.

We believe the adoption of the Mylar sails proposal will greatly enhance the long-term viability of the class. It addresses a major, future supply concern, reduces the cost of sails significantly and will give the class a valuable boost to its image. We hope that you will support the Designer and the WTC in the adoption of this important proposal for the Tasar class.

Signed

Posted 2005-07-28
Updated 2005-08-19

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