The Bulkhead Issue Again?
The Charleston Model Yacht Club, for the reasons stated below, suggests members of the Soling One Meter Class reject S1M-M3 and vote for S1M-M4.
Comment Re: Change 2.2 Deck,
Bulkheads, Hatch, and Lazarette
The issue of bulkheads has come up again. This issue was voted on by the
class in the fall of 2003. The result of the vote was clear. Bulkheads were not
required. So for the past seven years Charleston Model Yacht Club has been
building boats without bulkheads - for the reasons stated below - and now there
is a motion to require us to put the bulkheads back in the boats. How many times
must we vote on the same issue?
The forced use of the bulkheads supplied in the kit has several negative aspects.
-After a certain amount of time the bulkheads have been known to cause a split in the hull at the installation sites. This is hastened if the carrier provided by VMY is used, so that the hull rests in a sling and the keel does not rest on a support.
-Our club has also had boats hit hard by the bow of another boat just forward or aft of the bulkheads. This has resulted in cracks in the hull (the hull cannot flex by the bulkheads to absorb the impact). It is almost impossible to repair these cracks if they are in front of the forward or behind the aft bulkheads
-Any damage to the hull of the boat is much easier to repair without the bulkheads.
-We have also had problems with decks cracking at the mast step. Eliminating the bulkhead in this area and using alternate support methods have solved this problem.
-It is also much easier to adjust or repair the rudder area without the aft bulkhead in place.
-The bulkheads unnecessarily limit accessibility and visibility to the fore and aft parts of the boat.
-Our club has had several boats go to the bottom after being hit and holed. Recovering the boat off the bottom can be a real problem. Without the bulkheads in place, our club has found it very easy to place three small air bags (the type used in packing) in the bow and two air bags in the stern; the holed boat will now float until it is retrieved.
- It has been stated that omitting the bulkheads would or could somehow change the configuration of the hull. This is invalid. In comparisons made between boats without bulkheads and boats with bulkheads, (when making the comparisons we used boats supplied by Victor Model Yachts), no differences were found in the hull measurements of the boats. Measurements can be made before a regatta at check-in time, along with the other inspections, such as weight, length, etc., to ascertain whether a boat adheres to the specifications of the class. It is also worth noting that the current “S1M National Champion” is also our Charleston Model Yacht Club Champion; his boat has bulkheads. So much for boats without bulkheads being faster!
-The last major issue is that there are no provisions for grandfathering in this motion. At least 30 skippers in our club alone and many more in other clubs would instantly be illegal, with no possibility of retrofit. It would be virtually impossible to install the factory-supplied bulkheads once the boat has been built without them. If the motion S1M-M3 were to pass, it would put the Soling fleet of 30 boats in Charleston out of business. We have built enough boats to know that there is no way to retrofit the original bulkheads in our boats; therefore we would be banned from any AMYA Soling 1M regattas. Do all these members now have to buy new boats? We suggest we honor the vote of the members from 2003.
Charleston Model Yacht Club