Possible Arms Race
( People Building Expensive Puddle Ducks - making participation expensive )
One of the biggest problems that has trapped almost every other sailboat class, is the tendancy for a few highly competitive racers to enter the class, and then the arms race is on. Carbon fiber hulls, top of the line racing hardware, custom 3DL sails etc, and then all of a sudden there are one or two guys in the front of every race in $90,000 sailboats.
This will NOT ruin our class,
because we are different
Fast, high end racers with expensive boats are GOOD for our class
When racing boats, nothing motivates you more than seeing the stern of another boat in front of you. And having good, fast racers attracts more quality racers to the class. So having high end racers in our class has great benefit. The discouraging part is loosing to them every single race, and feeling that you will never beat them.
Realize that 3rd place, is FIRST for the slow racers
In one of the series I raced, there were 2 fast racers, and eveyone else was competing for 3rd place which they considered THEIR first place. Every now and then one of the leaders would slip up and everyone else got to move up a little. Also when racing in a series, if a top racer can't make it to a race or two, you can beat them on points simply by showing up and competing for every race.
Self Imposed Handicapping
At the same time you are feeling frustrated about always loosing to a few people, those few might be feeling boredom about not being challenged when competing against you. An idea to consider, is see if the fast racers will self impose their own handicapping. Such as they could carry 150 lbs of water (about 4 scoops of a 5 gallon bucket), take a 360, or wait for the rest of the fleet to start and they come up from the rear.
Restrictions or divisions within your event
The class rules ONLY stipulate the shape of the hulls, fins, and a couple of other things. If you want to add more restrictions to your events, as long as they don't violate the class rules (especially rule 7), then you are free to add what you want. They are your events, and if you can get people to participate, that is great.
There are no protected territories, anyone can organize events
If there is a local fleet competing that has gone expensive or has too many additional restrictions and won't accomodate the type of racing you think is fun --- then organize your own events. There are no protected territories, and anyone can organize events.
Don't forget, you are racing with your friends
Before you head into additional restrictions to your events, remeber that the people you sail with are your friends. If someone is beating you every race, try asking them for help in figuring how to make your boat faster. I am sure they would love to help out and share everything they know, because the better you are, the more fun they will have too.
Anyone can build a PD
Here is the greatest reason that Puddle Ducks will be around for a long time, and why our class grows so quickly. Literally, anyone can build a PDRacer with materials from local home improvement stores, and our tolerances are loose enough for sloppy builders to still be class legal. If you wanted to race in a class with factory built boats, you would have to located and buy one. To get your friends involved, they would have to locate and buy one too.
With a puddle duck, all you need is a quick trip to the store for materials, a couple of spare weekends, and presto you have your boat. To get your friend involved, help them build their boat, so they would have no excuse of why they can't come have fun sailing with you.
