Otter or.........not a.........

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Southern377
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Otter or.........not a.........

Post by Southern377 »

If it is......... it looks nothing like ours (465)......

This sail mark has been on before; might even be the same boat???

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Otter-12-foot-fib ... 286.c0.m14

Any ideas?

Alan.
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Ancient Geek
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Re: Otter or.........not a.........

Post by Ancient Geek »

God it's hideous. Not even its mother could love it!
Simples.
Michael Brigg
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Re: Otter or.........not a.........

Post by Michael Brigg »

AG :twisted: said:-
Not even its mother could love it!
God it's hideous. Not even its mother could love it! :( :(
I say, steady on there.

Perhaps you are visiting the sins of the father here upon the childe :wink:

The bow shape looks much to pointy for an Otter. Perhaps a bit of Tempest in the DNA there?

Looks like one for DavidH's family tree to sort out :P
Michael Brigg
Rupert
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Re: Otter or.........not a.........

Post by Rupert »

The sail insignia is not an Otter, but I've seen it before - a boat with the same name as an older class springs to mind, but I can't remember what...one on ebay years ago had the class name written down the side.
Rupert
Nigel
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Re: Otter or.........not a.........

Post by Nigel »

I believe otters have centreboards rather than daggerboards so that would be pretty conclusive.

Other than that, apart from the stylised "rising sun" insignia having a striking resemblence to the JKA emblem, I have no idea.
alan williams
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Re: Otter or.........not a.........

Post by alan williams »

It's a Glass Bubble an Otter before they changed the name.
Cheers Al
Rupert
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Re: Otter or.........not a.........

Post by Rupert »

http://www.noblemarine.co.uk/boats/dinghy/Otter/

Thats an otter...or Glass bubble, as they were known.
Rupert
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Re: Otter or.........not a.........

Post by Rupert »

Was it called a Concept Dinghy? (as opposed to the Concept 302) I remember looking at one on ebay when trying to decide whether to get another Mirror, and deciding it was too much money, but might have been a good pottering boat.
Rupert
Pat
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Re: Otter or.........not a.........

Post by Pat »

That looks too modern for an Otter pre-cursor and not like Peter's Otter that was racing at Shearwater last week. His has more similarities with the old Larks since they were both built by J Baker at Exmouth back in the late sixties and early seventies. The JB insignia should be moulded in too.
Comparing with the picture of an Otter on the dinghy database http://www.cvrda.org/dinghydata/Otter.htm which has the Baker look, the side tanks come up too high on this.
I think Rupert could be right about the Concept 12. See http://www.cvrda.org/dinghydata/Concept12.htm
Rupert
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Re: Otter or.........not a.........

Post by Rupert »

I'd forgotten that we had the resources to find the boats right here...
Rupert
Michael Brigg
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Re: Otter or.........not a.........

Post by Michael Brigg »

So.... Definately notta notta :roll:
Michael Brigg
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Re: Otter or.........not a.........

Post by Ancient Geek »

But are we agreed it is plug ugly? But like most ugly things someone maybe its mother/designer loves it.
Simples.
Rupert
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Re: Otter or.........not a.........

Post by Rupert »

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder...I quite like it!
Rupert
davidh
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Re: Otter or.........not a.........

Post by davidh »

Okay... there are two threads in one here.

Firstly, what is it? I can confirm that this is NOT an Otter! The Otter is quite a sweet small boat, sails well, vice free and if you use the optional spinnker is a boat that can be a devastating bandit in a club handicap race (not that I would know about stooping so low just to win glory and a bit of silverware). But as it is not an Otter the question remains 'what is it'?

Personally, I think that what ever the parentage of this boat, it should have been left out on the mudflats at birth! I don't make a habit of saying bad things about boats (yes, I accept that even the Finn is a wonderful bit of kit - but my arm has to be well twisted up behind the back for that to happen) but in this case will make an exception. This boat is far from beautiful, if that is taken to meanthat it is butt ugly...... well, I'd not object to the description!

D
David H
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Re: Otter or.........not a.........

Post by Ancient Geek »

Clearly I agree with David H,
It being 200 years from the birth of the man who explained why the world is like it is, and keeps on changing (note I do not say progressing!) it is perhaps worth visiting how the thesis which is true beyond doubt can be applied beyond the natural world.
It is distilled as the survival of the fittest.
So if a thing be it an opera, a painting, a car, book, a boat of any sort or whatever, does not attract a popular following it is either because it was never any good, was for a restricted group, or fails to appeal to the current taste.
In the case of boats for leisure, be they large or small, it is not quite, but almost as simple.
No doubt there were better single handed one designs than the Laser but it is not at all bad and marketing has led it its immense popularity and once a thing gets that big it gets its own momentum. Others, such as the Finn and Star (Both have elegance and certain thing -they look right.) owe much of their longevity to the Four Ring Circus that is the Olympics – they have to be good to stay there though – The Soling, The Tempest, The Tornado Catamaran, The Yngling all had short Olympic careers though commercial interests may have played a part. The Yngling for instance is very popular in mainland Europe and Scandinavia.
Some small dinghy classes on the East and South Coast have great local appeal, Seaview Mermaids, various Scows and Dinghies, have very strong local followings. Other classes launched with pizzazz have died, why because
1. They were ugly.
2. They sailed “like a bloody violin”.
3. For the above and other reasons they failed to gain critical mass.
Do any of these classes deserve preservation except as museum exhibits of failed development rather like the dinosaurs and a specamin of what not to do.
Simples.
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