Class update by Ovington Boats Ltd
Photos provided by MSCA, 2022
Here is the latest status and update on the projects to explore a new mainsail and small sail design for the Musto Skiff class.
As many of you will know, as part of the 2020 Annual Class survey, Musto Skiff class members voted ‘to develop and test a design for a new, more modern sail’. The next step was to move forward with this project to explore developing a new square headed mainsail.
The 2020 Annual Class Survey also asked for feedback from both Musto Skiff sailors and the wider sailing community on the idea of developing an additional smaller sail for the class. It is anticipated that the option of a smaller rig will enable a broader range of sailors to join the class.
The survey results revealed that 79% of participants agreed that a smaller set of sails would help to increase membership and interest in the class, and 79% supported further development of this project. In response to this survey feedback, Ovington Boats also progressed this project alongside the mainsail design project.
Latest status on the sail design projects
Over the last 18 months, the team at Ovington Boats has been working closely with current class sail maker, Hyde Sails, to develop a prototype of the new mainsail and small sail to present to the class for consideration. Chris Turner, MD of Ovington Boats has been progressing the projects with Sail Designer, Richard Lovering of Hyde Sails, as well as gathering input from class sailor’s Peter Greenhalgh, Sam Pascoe and Andy Tarboton, who have both been involved in previous prototype Musto Skiff test sails.
The team worked hard on producing and testing several prototypes before arriving at the final designs. The final prototype mainsail and small sail were complete in time for the 2022 Worlds in Keil, which provided an ideal opportunity to show the sail designs to a range of Musto Skiff sailors from different countries.
During the Sailor’s Forum, Peter Greenhalgh and Andy Tarboton shared their experiences of the development process and provided an update on the projects. The prototype mainsail was then rigged on a Musto Skiff boat outside the venue for the sailors to put up and view. The small sail was also shown.
About the new mainsail design
The final prototype for the new mainsail is slightly bigger than the current mainsail, equivalent (approximately) to two sheets of A4 paper (to provide some context on the size difference). However, the sail is flatter with the draft and depth distributed more evenly.
In terms of performance, test sails by different class sailors indicated that the new mainsail is slightly quicker in 12-14 knots of breeze, but due to the increased drag, it is likely to be slower in plus 20 knot conditions.
The expected cost of the new mainsail design should be comparable to the current mainsail. However, what needs to be allowed for is an ever-changing supply chain. Commenting on likely cost and the potential introduction of a new mainsail design, Ovington Boats said:
“Just like every other sail maker, Hyde Sails has had to implement several price increases over the last 18 months. They have been able to absorb the majority of this by ordering sails in bulk, which has really benefited the class. At present, Ovington Boats hold 15 mainsails in stock, but at the point of re-order, we will have to re-evaluate pricing. Typically, for the mains in stock, we would expect them to last approximately 6-8 months. With this in mind, a re-order of the current mainsail will have to be considered in line with what the fleet decide when they vote in the 2022 Annual Survey.”
About the small sail design
A smaller mainsail has been in development for several years prior to the 2020 survey, alongside testing smaller spinnakers. During the process, Ovington tested a sail with a similar foot length with a smaller head, and then a shorter foot length with a squarer head, as well as the spinnakers. Ovington has decided on a square top shorter footed sail and no smaller spinnaker. The team did not believe there to be any benefit of a smaller spinnaker for the cost, and the balance of the boat has been retained.
How the small sail will be introduced is yet to be discussed and agreed upon, but a further update on this will follow in due course.
Class member test sails
Following the 2022 Worlds event, a small number of prototype mainsails and the small sail were provided on loan to the UK and European fleets to test and provide feedback on. Extensive test sails have already taken place in the UK’s Southern circuit fleet, so one mainsail has been provided to the Northern European fleet, one to the Spanish fleet, and another to the UK’s Northern and Scottish fleets.
Ovington and the international class committee are already receiving active feedback from class reps in the different regions, which has been well received and is providing some invaluable insights and information on the performance and interest in the new mainsail and small sail.
Above is a recent video shared by the SUI Musto Skiff class members who tested the new mainsail prototype design in Switzerland after receiving it at the 2022 Worlds in Germany. As part of this test session, the SUI class members kindly put together an independent report to share their experience of sailing the final prototype design. You can read their report here. [Note that this is an independent report by class members. It does not include viewpoints or test results from the Ovington Boats and Hyde Sails team testing sessions.]
Following this test period with the final prototypes, Ovington Boats plans to try and make these square headed mainsails and the small sail accessible for other regions to try out.
What next?
You, the sailors, as the main stakeholders of the class firstly need to vote whether to adopt the new mainsail design, or not. The class members also need to vote on adopting the proposed small sail, or not. The vote for both the new mainsail and small sail will be via the 2022 Annual Survey, which is being planned for late Autumn. All current class members are invited to participate.
If the majority vote is no for a project, then that project will be put on hold until a pre-agreed date when it can be reviewed again. If the majority vote is yes for a project, then the class builder, Ovington Boats will assess how and when the mainsail can be integrated into the fleet, and / or when and how the small sail can be introduced.
You can view the Sailor’s Forum notes (held on 24th June 2022 at the 2022 Worlds in Kiel, Germany) here >>
Further updates to follow in line with the planned 2022 Annual Class Survey.
