Discussion document for Fleet Captains Meeting Feb 2009
Aims and Objectives for development of BIffA.
What are our objectives?
It has been a concern that the membership is barely large enough to
sustain the class organisation and that we need as a priority to increase
the membership.
Currently I believe we have about 450+ members, 25 pages in the
handbook. Of these pages 6 are of classic boats (114 boats) and 5 of silver
boats (95 boats); 11 pages of boats up to 3200. There are then 14 pages of
‘new’ boats from 3200<3900, about 270 boats. These figures are approximates
and worked out at 19 boats per page.
In absolute terms 6.5% of the classic and silver boats and 38% of the new
boats are members. Of course you then take away all the old boats that are
no more and those newer boats that are overseas. There would, I suspect, be
a bigger deduction from the older boats than from the newer boats. Can I
take a stab in the dark and suggest that the following numbers might be a
reasonable approximation? We are now at 3900, with say 2800 in the UK, 800
overseas and 300 boats ‘lost or deceased’. It would be useful if we had more
accurate figures.
Looking at the membership and at the numbers of members competing at
major events, travellers’ events etc it would seem that at a rough guess
about 10% of the members are involved. Using the figure of 2800 mentioned
above, would, say, a figure of 2% of the total Fifteen
ownership participate in these events be far out? I would suspect that
attendance at various Open Meetings might well decline in the immediate
future as people think seriously about the current financial situation, this
leaves out the question of sponsorship. Perhaps there should be a different,
new approach to Open Meetings.
This is probably fairly typical of many classes and indeed reflects
racing in many clubs. So if we are concerned about membership levels, as I
have mentioned above, how do we increase the membership and where are these
members to come from?
It would seem to me that there are two alternatives.
1.0 Sell more new boats as their owners have a greater uptake of
membership.
2.0 Seek and encourage more non-member Fifteen owners to join. In
this the largest number of non-members are in the ‘older’ boats and in a
way they have as much to gain from the class as anyone. A dynamic class
protects the value of their boat – their money / cash.
3.0 A combination of the above. Sell a new boat and an older boat
comes on the market and may attract a sailor new to Fifteens.
None are easy options, but I feel that at Fleet Captains meetings we
spend an awful lot of time on major events rather than on this difficult
subject.
A target of 200 more members is a 44.5% increase in membership, but would
generate £7,000.00 money. My wife asked me ‘what would you do with that
money’. This made me think. Apart from giving the class some financial
stability it would enable us to do some of the things that the RS200 does,
as mentioned by Mike.
THE BOAT
In pure marketing terms it seems to me that we look at the boat, the
‘Flying Fifteen’, and see it as we see it. As you have put it,
Mike, some see the boat as a ‘problem’ – old fashioned -, some see it as
‘beautiful. If we are marketing it we can either go down the path of imagery
– as most television advertisements do or we can try and sell it through its
‘benefits’ and link those benefits to the cost benefits of
owning a Fifteen as well as the sailing / racing qualities of the class. I
use the word benefits deliberately as too often people try to sell features,
many of which are irrelevant. Again this might work in the world of
television where you are dealing with brand awareness but I am not so sure
that it will work with a Fifteen.
I agree everything you said about the boat – the hull. It is beautiful.
But it has evolved over the years and I would suggest that in 10, 15, 20
years it will possibly look different again, new materials ideas etc. I feel
that Charles Apthorp’s ideas on the sail plan are a very good way forward.
They will look good, make the boat easier to sail for the lighter crews –
hopefully – but not necessarily make it a faster boat, and supposedly not
cost more. I am really looking forward to a demo.
Once we have identified possible future members we can then tailor the
marketing accordingly and hopefully get better results.
THE PEOPLE
If we are going to going to use benefits we have to understand for whose
benefit we are talking. Ours or the future Fifteen owners, members. So who
forms the prospective membership? Who will be the future Fifteen members?
Where did the current members come from?
Ourselves
A very good question is ‘Who are ourselves’? Who are we?
I asked this question at a Class Captains meeting a few years ago and was
surprised at the response. If you were to ask some people at clubs they
might well say that we are a bunch of geriatric GP 14 sailors. I think that
I was the only person who had come from a GP 14 – I am not sure where that
leaves me now! The rest seemed to have come from a wide variety of
performance dinghies, many had sailed almost from the day they departed the
pram, and indeed if you look at the current membership it includes a good
number of sailors who have sailed at Olympic level, in fact a demanding
membership. There are also those whose parents had a Fifteen and had now
returned to ‘the fold’. The Fifteen must be a pretty good boat
to appeal to and be sailed by these members.
Who is unlikely to buy a Fifteen and whom time courting might well be
time wasted? I would suggest those under say 25 to 30 years old. Up to that
age they often have other things to do – like a social life (expensive). If
they sail they will probably want something with ultimate speed and glamour
– like trapezes, as many as possible. They want a ‘cool’ boat. I would also
suggest that it is not a terribly suitable boat for a beginner.
So are our possible future members
Those about say 30 years old and can afford a
bit more for a boat but who still want a good performance from their
boat?
Whatever their background, do they want a ‘high activity’ boat, and
by this I mean a trapeze or skiff type of boat? How fit are they?
Do they want tactical racing or do they just want a boat to blast up
and down a windward / leeward course?
Some may want to compete at all levels while probably many (most?)
will only want good sailing at club level.
Following from the above they need a good club near them.
So what does the Flying Fifteen offer for the above
prospective member?
A quality built boat with a good life expectancy.
Once bought, whether new or second hand, quite acceptable maintenance
costs
Acceptable depreciation costs
A reasonably stable sailing platform to give the opportunity of good
tactical racing
Exciting sailing
A wide range of events
A nationwide range of clubs
At one time new boats were produced in large numbers but I would suggest
that the quality is now so much better with new materials and boats are thus
lasting longer and to a certain extent this will reduce the numbers bought.
A follow on from this is how does this affect the second hand market and the
supply of decent boats for those who are perhaps buying for the first time.
Publicity / marketing is a difficult subject. I would suggest that often
we are preaching to the converted, which is relatively easy. As you have
rightly said, we discuss at length the major championships, but do we do
enough for the regular ‘weekend punters’ who may well sail in Handicap
Series at various clubs across the country. The major events are important,
60 boats at the Inlands is great publicity for our class.
What contact / support do we have with clubs. Good classes are a huge
benefit to clubs; they can attract good publicity and revenue from Open
Meetings. At the same time the Class should be expecting the clubs to give
them support, this should be a two-way active partnership. Can we be more
supportive to clubs and members and how do we do this? How do we ask clubs
for support ?
Obviously some of the following headings are copied from your work but I
feel that they bear repeating.
Support new ff members in buying a second hand ff
Give help with tuning and provide competitive racing
I believe that the class committee should be more active in trying to
get the different FF PYs into the RYA scheme. Not just as an option but
as definite figures. This would help all those FF members with the
classic and silver boats (the majority) sailing in handicap fleets who
now sail at a disadvantage. This should be actively pursued with the RYA.
Other classes – such as the 14 and the Merlin Rocket – have this.
Offer opportunities to sailors deserting other declining classes
Develop a ‘Newsletter that could be sent to Clubs / Commodores from
‘time to time’.
How do we get people to approach a club that has an ff fleet and ask
for the fleet captain rather than going to the club nearest home or a
club where they know someone? This is a task for BIFFA to lead and clubs
to support and exploit.
There are local activities that clubs can do in tandem with BIFFA
marketing effort. Indeed it is essential that clubs and BIFFA carry out
their efforts together if there is to be a really effective result. So
it is important for BIFFA to take the lead in driving and co-ordinating
BIFFA/club marketing programmes.
Perhaps what we can be doing (on the website and elsewhere) is extol the
virtues of a second hand boat and the associated running costs...ie not
much!
I can't think of any two-man/woman keelboat that comes anyway near to the
15 in terms of low running costs, perhaps that is another angle we can start
to emphasise?
RS 200.
Pete Vincent also writes regularly for Dinghy Sailing Magazine. (A new
role for Keith?!) He does write well with much common sense, here I am
talking about Pete, but Keith does it just as well !!
Membership is £35 pa. I gather that both helm and crew have to be
members at open meetings. This means that if you have more than one crew in
the season they all have to be members – quite expensive. Well that
is what I was told by an RS 200 sailor.
The RS is a big ‘Association’ and very commercial, we could not – I think
– compete with that. They make, I believe, good money out of spares, new
sails etc. Again this is what I have been told. They also take a percentage
of entry fees at club events that they organize, but they guarantee prizes.
I am not absolutely sure how this works, but it is somewhere along these
lines. Yes they will supply a race officer but at a cost. What is the
general standard of race organisation at FF events? Could we as a class help
clubs, not necessarily at a fixed cost but perhaps on a ‘contributory’
basis?
I have Race Officered two Open Meetings for RS 200s – Free Of Charge -
and enjoyed them. They seem to be a nice bunch of people, very happy,
friendly. Just like FF sailors!
K6.
One person told me that he had sailed the K6, that it was very fast down
wind on windward leeward courses but ‘frightened the life out of him on
reaches in strong winds’ and it can broach ‘quite well’. I wonder what it is
like to retrieve with a strong onshore wind of say 18 to 20 knots. Will it
really be easy to lower the main, raise the keel and bring onto the trailer?
I use a car to take my Fifteen to its dinghy park space, could you manhandle
the K6 ‘like a dinghy’ or do you still need a car?
The K6 will certainly attract sailors from the asymmetric classes and
some of the other performance dinghies who may then well move on to the
Fifteen. It is more expensive than the Fifteen, and of course, being new,
there wont be the second hand options. I am a bit suspicious of ‘adjustable’
heavy keels. Sometime ago we hired an E Boat on the Forth and there was
quite a rattle when we got going in a breeze. On returning the boat we
mentioned this, to be told ‘Don’t worry, the keel is a bit loose, sloppy but
it will not fall out’.
Maybe so.
Does Sue have any further points from her ‘comparison’ sail in a K6 with
Dinghy Sailing Magazine?
SB3.
I was ARO at an SB3 open meeting. They were a nice bunch of people of all
ages. A friend who sails a Musto Skiff was crewing on one. Again a class
best suited to windward / leeward courses. There is a problem in getting a
crew of three on a regular basis. I gathered that some of the build quality
is not very good, I think they, or some of them anyway, are built in Malaya.
Again there wont be the second hand options.
More keelboat classes means more competition – yes. But it also means
more exposure to keelboats in general and it could increase overall keelboat
sailing. So if we get it right it could not only be a challenge, but also an
opportunity.
The Fifteen might not be the cheapest of boats, but cheaper than the
above keelboats, and the current build quality seems to be excellent. It
only needs a crew of two – can be sailed quite easily single handed – and
there is a good supply of decent second hand boats and a good distribution
of clubs that sail them around the country.
I really don’t know anything about the Elite. There
are also Solings and Dragons which I don’t think come into this equation.
Can we get some good personal reports of say the K6 and the SB3 so that
we can make sound comparisons?
I feel that it would be useful for us to
Set a ‘target’ for an increased membership
Set up income and spending benefits
Set a policy for developing BIFFA / Club / membership relationships
A new package of details, benefits and what the Fifteen can offer
prospective members
Make use of our ‘Olympic’ members. That of course has to be with
their consent and support.
Keep up the development of the Fifteen within the spirit of a one
design class.
