Refurnishing of Foils - Agreed Rule Change

All, Further to the recent vote, we now have a final conclusion. The voting percentage was very small, only 7% of membership, but the vote was carried by 93.5%. The background and changes are set out below. If anyone required a revised copy of the all class rules, please contact the RS Office. The mould for the RS200 and RS400 foils recently had to be replaced. All moulds have a life in terms of number of times used, beyond which they need to be replaced. It has also been known for some time that current moulds were not producing consistent foils with variations in finish. New moulds were brought into production last winter, which give much more consistent quality, hence moving our boats much nearer the true one- design racing. The finish of the foils is also better than the old foils and, as a result, could give a perceived performance advantage. The RS Class Rules (paragraph 4.8 only allowed limited furnishing of foils. The RS Rules Committee therefore proposed the following change to the RS Association All Class Rule to allow members to furnish their current foils to match the finish on foils from the new moulds. Agreed Changes - Amend paragraph 4.8 4.8 Polishing or burnishing of hull is permitted, but substantial filing or abrasion, other than for the purpose of repair, with the effect of modifying the shape or performance is not allowed. Painting and subsequent burnishing of a hull, which requires refinishing, is permitted. New paragraphs 4.8.1 Polishing or burnishing of the hull is permitted, but substantial filing or abrasion, other than for the purpose of repair, with the effect of modifying the shape or the performance is not allowed. Painting and subsequent burnishing of a hull which requires refinishing is permitted. 4.8.2 The refairing and refinishing of the sectional shape of foils is permitted within 50mm of the leading edge and 100mm of the trailing edge, provided the structural integrity of the foil is maintained. The trailing edge shall have a minimum width of 1mm. Surface re-coating using gel coat is permitted, to a maximum thickness of 1mm. No other new or non- standard material shall be introduced into any part of the foils other than for the sole purpose of repairing damage. Polishing or burnishing of all parts of the foils is permitted. The outline shape of the foils shall not be altered.