| The IOR rule explained:
Sailboats racing under a ``handicap system'' have a function applied to their elapsed time, producing a ``corrected time,'' and the boats place in corrected time order. This function, which differs among systems, attempts to fairly represent speed differences among boats.
There are two major handicapping philosophies: ``measurement'' rules which handicap based upon measurements, and ``rating'' rules which handicap based upon observed performance.
The International Offshore Rule (IOR) is a measurement rule for racing boats. The IOR evolved from the Cruising Club of America (CCA) rule for racer/cruisers.
The IOR concentrates on hull shape with length, beam, free board and girth measurements, foretriangle, mast and boom measurements, and stability with an inclination test.
The IOR also identifies features which are dangerous or it can't fairly rate, and penalizes or prohibits them.
The measurements and penalties are used to compute the handicap number which is an ``IOR length'' in feet. A typical IOR 40 footer (a ``one tonner'') has rating of 30.55 feet.
In a handicapped race, the IOR length is used to compute a ``time allowance,'' in seconds per nautical mile (s/M) which is multiplied by the distance of the race, and subtracted from the boat's actual time, to compute the boat's corrected time. Longer IOR length gives a smaller time allowance.
The IOR is also used to define ``level classes,'' where no time correction is used. Every boat in a class has an IOR number less than some number. The Ton Classes, (Mini Ton, 1/4 Ton, 1/2 Ton, 3/4 Ton, 1 Ton, and Two Ton), as well as 50-footer, ULDB 70 and Maxi classes are examples.
To account for improvements in design and materials, boats are given an ``old age allowance'' which decreases their IOR length as time passes. In spite of the old age allowance, about 3/4 s/M/year on 40 footer, boats over several years old are usually not competitive, which is why IOR handicap racing is dead.
Peculiarities of IOR designs result from features which increase actual performance more than they increase IOR length, or other odd rules; IOR hulls bulge at girth measurement points; a reverse transom moves a girth measurement point to a thicker part of the hull; waterline length is measured while floating upright, so large overhangs are used to increase waterline sailing at speed; the stability factor ignores crew, so IOR designers assume lots of live ballast; after the 1979 Fastnet race excessive tenderness was penalized; full length battens were prohibited to prevent main sail roach area, but short battens became strong enough that the IOR had to start measuring and penalizing extra main sail girth; main sail area adds less IOR length than jib area, so new IOR boats are fractionally rigged; The IOR encourages high free board, and high booms and prohibits keels wider at the bottom than at the top (bulbs).
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Rating rules shaped our boats
by Ted Brewer
Interesting!
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Ron Holland: Designer
Ron, one of the most successful yacht designers in the world, was born 1947 in Auckland, New Zealand and started competitive sailing at the age of eight. Ronís first design, the 26 ft. sloop îWHITE RABBITî was created in 1966 during the 3 year period he attended boat building apprenticeship in Auckland, New Zealand.
Six years later, while working in the engineering department of production yacht builder, Morgan Yachts in St. Petersburg, Florida, he designed a 24 ft. racer, "EYGTHENE", to the IOR Quarter Ton Rule. This yacht won the 1973 Quarter Ton Championships in Torbay Weymouth , England, and enabled him to secure future design commissions.
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Carl Schumacher: Designer
In the fall of 1978 Carl knew there was only one avenue left. Realizing he wasn't adept at socializing or blowing his own horn - "I was taught not to brag" - he realized he'd have to make his own boat of his own design and get people's attention by winning some races. Originally he had a 30-footer in mind, but it would cost too much to campaign. The next choice was a 26-ft Quarter Tonner, the concept of which didn't thrill him. "I had done a Farallones race in the Mull Quarter Tonner Spread Eagle," he says. "It was one of the wettest, most uncomfortable experiences of my life!" The economics of the situation prevailed, however.
Carl borrowed most of the $20,000 he figured he would need for the boat from his mother. It was twice as much as he had ever earned in a year up to that point. Finding a builder wasn't easy either, but he struck a great deal with Long Beach's Dennis Choate that left him enough cash to buy sails, hardware and rigging. The hull, deck and keel were delivered at the beginning of May, 1979, just six weeks before the Quarter Ton North Americans scheduled for San Francisco Bay.
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Humphreys: Designer
1987 One Tonner Juno winner of the Fastnet Cup; member of the British Admiral's Cup team. Quarter Tonner Quest second in Quarter Ton world championship. Appointed member of the International Technical Committee of the Offshore Racing Council (1987 -95).
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Kihara Toshio graduated from Sparkman & Stevens in 1972 (he signed his designs KT)
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Quater tonners by Carl Schumacher:
Quater tonners by Gary Mull:
- Ranger 23 (1st American 1/4 tonner)
http://www.boats.com/content/default_detail.jsp?contentid=7743
Marfrio
Boats by Ron holland design
Boats by C&C Cuthbertson:
1/4 Tonners by Tanton Yachts
- #755 25' Frp. " Pantaia". 1/4 Tonner cruiser racer
- #751 26' Frp. 1/4 Tonner
- #745 24' Frp. "Clavier" 1/4 Tonner
Other mentions found:
L26
Mumm Admiral's Cup 1979
Santa Cruz 27
J/V 26 "War"
Westerly GK24
Marfrio
Jelly Bean (San Juan 24)
SJ24 Yahoo Group
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Eygthene 24 in Numbers
LOA: 7,32 m
LWL: 6,35 m
Beam: 2,95 m
Draught: 1,40 m
Mast: 9,45 m
Disp.: 1955 kg
Ballast: 1020 kg
Sail Area: 25 m
Design Year: 1973
The Designer of the boat is the nowadays very famous Ron Holland. Eygthene was however one of the very first designs from Ron Holland. Actually it made him famous after it won the Quarter Ton Cup in 1973.
The name of the boat comes from Ron Hollands New Zealander background. If you say Eygthene in a strong New Zealand accent it sounds like eighteen - which is the rating number that has to come out from the old I.O.R. rule for a boat to qualify as a 1/4-ton boat.
The hullshape is not the most usual. The boat is really wide when measured from the deck level - the waterline beam still being quite normal. Originally this design allowed the racing crew to place their weight very far from the middle of the boat in order to keep it straight. This arrangement is great for cruising also - it makes the interior of the boat really spacious.
The interior of the boat can be seen from here. Fortunately not too many of these boats were ever made in the colours this picture features!
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How could Ben Stauber, whoever he may be, cast aspersions on the magnificent San Juan 24, the most popular Quarter Tonner ever, and the most measured IOR boat of all time? There are many hundreds of sailors out there who have survived races of more than 100 miles in these wee vessels, and someone even sailed one to Hawaii in the 70s!
Curmudgeon's comment: No one -- absolutely no one -- was trying to cast aspersions on the San Juan 24. If the story in 'Butt #339 came off that way, it was an unintended result of the editing done on the press release that was much too long for this publication. BTW, Ben Stauber was NOT the author of the story -- he was the skipper of the third place finisher in the SJ 24 North American Championship Regatta.
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http://olympia.fortunecity.com/relay/361/History/xcruiser-racers%201973-1978.htm
"By this time {1975} Harry Walcoff was wining everything with "Wiki Wiki". Skip (Barnett) had a brief affair with "Folly II" and was back with "Nepidae" and cleaning up. (Folly II was a 1/4 tonner which never really moved and Nepidae was his old Electra. {The record shows that the Electra was Folly and Nepidae an Ensign.} Pete Hornby had pushed the Cal 21 to its limits and subsequently reverted to cruising. Paul Laramie had pushed "Remedy" to the results that Pete Cover and "Turtle" had approached. Joe Garcia had learned to make "Dave's Old Boat" hump. Ric Schneider walked "Barefoot" through the fleet ("Barefoot" was the name of his boat and that was a Ranger 26 as was Wiki Wiki). "Valcour VI" and "Mistee" were in the van - bridesmaids but not brides. The gauntlet was well flung in Classes C & D of the LCRC and the VSC was always in the running. {RdF - See Appendix D for LCRC results 1968-1986}
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http://www.rorc.org/admiralscup/99cmac/history/1979/default.html
Japan had a second shot at winning the Cup and this time sent a team which included two from a Japanese designer, Toshio Kihara, and one, Togo IV, a 42 footer by Peterson. Kihara had produced some interesting and fast quarter-tonners in the past but Koteru Teru 2 and Gekko IV were two of his first bigger boats. The former was a two-tonner which had performed indifferently at Poole but shipped Keith Musto, an Olympic silver medallist, to steer the boat in the cup races. Gekko IV was a smaller boat, finished in England, with the most outstanding paintwork.
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