I agree about the work involved but unfortunately I don't believe a planked hull can be competitive in a class with no minimum hull weight. Wooden (and 3D printed) IOMs can be made to the minimum hull weight which gives home builders a fighting chance. Commercial 10Rs & Ms are built as light as possible using expensive tooling and equipment. This makes them expensive and fragile. It's very hard for home builders to compete as the costs for a comparable one-off would be eye watering. In my view the lack of a minimum hull weight is driving up the cost, increasing the fragility and a major factor in the dwindling popularity of these classes.
By
John949 ·