Measurement Certificates / Weighing

[John Taylor]

Hi Guys,
Please could all of you read the following, this appeared on the UK Forum recently from Tillergirly.

The whole story of how this started can be found on the UK Forum, entitled IOM Registration Numbers, with the following now a New Topic.

Regards,
J.T.

Johnny T's recent comments about certificate made me think further about the whole subject of legality of the boats we sail. As with an MOT for your car, the certificate is a snapshot in time that on that day the measurer found the boat to be legal. Its subsequent legality is up to the owner and that is made clear in the rules, both racing and class. How many owners make sure that the boat is checked for compliance with ALL the rules rather than just getting the fundamental measurement out of the way. So I dont think that having to remeasure every couple of years will achieve anything in real terms - today measured, tomorrow changed- and checked again? I think not. I wonder how many owners ever read and understand the rules both racing and class, rather than dipping in to the wad of pages, looking for a quick answer to a particular question, because if you do, all the answers are there. Johnny suggest we need a rule amendment or clarification. I suggest that we encourage people to read the rules and think about what they do and when making changes to the boat, be it a coat of paint, new winch, rig, etc be concious of the fact that this affects the boat, its weight, trim and possible compliance with the rules.
The real way to make sure that the boats comply is to enforce the rules we have, and in action that is never popular. It is up to Race Officers, Measurers and most of all the other sailors to use the systems in place already. If in doubt, ask and if still doubting, protest. What we generally do ,in practice is to push for a rule change. This has a feel good factor attached - something has been done!- but the whole thing then sinks back into the original situation and the new rule joins the rest in not being enforced.
And the tender topic of weight. I have been trying for decades with ISAF (in my actively involved years) RYA and MYA, to get a standard set for the accuracy of weighing equipment worldwide, together with the mandatory use of certified checkweights but it just falls on deaf ears. I suspect that if you took the same boat (big or small) in the same condition to 12 different measurers you would get 12 different results. Not because of any shortcomings in the measurer but because all the scales give diferent answer. If you have a big A boat, say 24kg you have a weight tolerance of +/- 100g written into the rule, who is to say if the scales are giving you the right answer? Who can be sure that when you turn up for a meeting and the boat is weighed that the scale used is right or not. And in the IOM, where every gram counts, it's even more crucial. Then there is that strange material called lead. In my long experience of measuring, lead is the only metal capable of evaporating to the point of not being there at all. Only last week I measured a Melges 24 for re- certification and found that we could take the correctors out of the boat. They stood on the cert at 13.5kg. What came out of the boat, after a lot of hammering was 11.5kg and was clearly the original set of weights put there in 1996! So there is a boat sailing for 12 years in a state of non-compliance with the rules! Believe me, its not just us!
So lets hear what everyone else thinks about all this as I think this is certainly an interesting and important topic.

The End