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Is a 470 the boat for you?
Article by Ron & Susan Hofacker
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There are lots of conceptions and misconceptions
floating around out there about the 470 and the 470 Class that
can affect your decision to purchase a 470 and become involved
in the class activities. Some of them are:
1."They
are complicated boats and are hard to learn to sail."
2."I
don't have a chance against the "Hot Shots."
3."I
can't afford a 470"
4."Now
that I own the boat, what do I do with it?"
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Christine Stookey and
Louise Van Voorhis at the 1996 Olympic Games in Savannah.
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Misconception 1
"They are complicated boats and
are hard to learn to sail."
| This partly true and definitely false. They are
more sophisticated/complicated than say a Vanguard-15 or a JY-15.
But, this doesn't have to be a problem for the beginner. My wife
and I had never sailed before we got a 470 and learned to sail.
We continue to learn about sailing and racing with it. I can teach
a beginner the rudiments of sailing in a 470 in the same amount
of time it takes in a so-called simple boat. The key here is to
set the boat up "by the numbers" as you would with any
boat, and go sailing. It isn't necessary to adjust the jib traveler,
for example, to learn the basics. But when you're ready the capability
is there. The boat grows with you as your skill increases. This
is not a boat you will soon outgrow. On the other hand, there is
no question that boat tuning is an element in winning races. Most
people consider the 470 to be under powered so you are always trying
to finesse a little more performance out of it. If you want to learn
about the fine art of rig and sail trim the 470 can teach you. In
some ways the 470 reminds me of my old MGB (a British sports car...).
It was under powered and I "tinkered" with it all the
time. But it was the most fun car I've ever had. |
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Susan Hofacker rigging up the 470 to race,
Photo by Houston 2012 Foundation
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Misconception 2
"I don't have a chance against the
"Hot Shots".
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The 470 is an Olympic Class and the Olympic
Hopefuls" do get into the boat. But, I've raced an awful
lot of races without the Hot Shots around. Plus, everybody benefits
from the continuous improvements that this level of competition
produces. What is your attitude on learning and improving? Are
you interested in learning from the best? The 470 class can provide
the opportunity to learn from the very best.
The United States 470 Fleet has 2 major groups
of competitors:
1) The Weekend Warrior and
2) the Olympic, or International Competition level.
It is a current goal of the Class Association
to try to coordinate the interactions of these two groups to the
mutual benefit of all. The Weekend Warriors work with the new
members on everything from sailing, boat rigging, and racing basics
to hiring guest experts to demonstrate technical sailing, racing,
and rigging techniques for the experienced racer who wants to
learn more about how the experts are doing it. At the Olympic
level, the United States Sailing Team Coaches work with the current
Sailing Team Members to refine boat handling techniques, boat
tuning and set up, and other elements of competing at an international
level. In many cases the US Sailing Team members will teach 470
specific sailing clinics for the beginning 470 sailors. In this
manner skills and techniques flow down from the very best 470
sailors to those just beginning, whatever their age may be.
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Susan Hofacker and Sharlene
Simpson racing downwind at the 2000 Olympic Team Trials, Photo
by South Wind Magazine.
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Rounding the Leeward Mark
at the Local Sailing club, Photo by Chris Kulhman.
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Misconception 3
"I can't afford a 470."
A brand new Olympic ready 470 with all the extras might cost
$14,000. However there are a number of alternatives to the "write
the BIG check" option. An Olympic Level competitor frequently
buys several boats during his/her campaign. These boats become
available at reduced prices depending on the age and condition
of the boat and equipment. This is a good option for the "newbe"
because these boats are completely set and tuned up. Often times
a Weekend Warrior will want to "upgrade" to a newer
one of these Olympic competition boats and will want to sell his/her
current boat. These may be excellent bargains from $1000 to $1500,
with all the extras, plus more. These boats may require some TLC.
These boats are competitive for many many years. A 1986 boat won
the local Seabrook Sailing Club series races in 1999, for example.
What we tell the beginners is to start out with the lower cost
boat, learn how to sail it. If you like it, upgrade to a newer
boat. The upgrade may only be another couple of hundred dollars.
The costs of a new set of sails are sometimes higher than their
boat's resale value. The Weekend Warrior can often find excellent
sails with very little use from the "Olympic Hopeful"
for very reasonable prices.
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Misconception 4
"Now That I have boat the boat, what do
I do with it?"
Work with your local fleet is the best bet. They can quickly help you
with questions in a one-on-one manner. The Class Association tries to
help as much as possible. You can contact us through The United States
Fleet web site that contains information about boat handling, rigging,
and getting around the course and 470 sailing events at http://sailingsource.com/470na.
"I've never been in a boat
before", said the Mole.
"What?" cried the Water
Rat. "Believe me, there is nothing half so much worth doing as
simply messing about in boats", he said dreamily. "Just -
messing - about…"
Even if you're like the Mole and have never been in
a boat before you may find that messing about with boats is great fun.
If you like to tinker with boats and test your "improvements"
against friendly competition, if you like to squeeze the last erg of
performance out of your racing machine, if you're looking for a boat
that is as interesting for the crew as it is for the skipper, if you
have dreams of Olympic competition get in touch with us or a local 470
owner. We'll be glad to get you started right.
 Ron
and Susan Hofacker started sailing in the Spring of 1979. Their
first boat was a 6 year old 470. With some help from enthusiastic
Galveston Bay 470 Fleet31 members, practice, and reading, became
competitive by the Fall. From there they raced locally and worked
with the fleet to grow from3 boats to 25. In1994 they and Steve
Tacconelly won the United States Sailing One Design Award. Susan
is a past member of the United States Sailing Team. Not only have
they raced hundreds of local races, they have raced many National
and Olympic Level regattas. They currently hold the office of Co-President
for the United States 470 Fleet and maintain the 470 North American
web site, Galveston Bay Fleet 31 web site and local 470 fleet newsletter. |
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