Plastic spacer on chainplates

[MattAdministrator]

Many boats use a plastic spacer along the inboard side of the chainplates and inserted in the shroud turnbuckle toggle clevis to hold the toggles inboard and reduce the likelihood that the spinnaker sheets get hung up on the toggles. So, is this plastic spacer class legal? It seems the spacer should be considered standing rigging. One-design rule F.6.1 requires standing rigging to be made from stainless steel. So, the spacer made from plastic violates this rule. F.6.3 lists the permissible standing rigging fittings and this spacer is not mentioned. That might be considered to be a grey area, as clevis pins are not mentioned either.

[Chris MorinParticipant]

If you knew about this since June, you’re at fault for not protesting the boats that are using them.

[WebmasterAdministrator]

First of all, which rule obliges a boat to protest in this case? Second, the central point is the class rules should be modified to accommodate the way most people sail these boats. These spacers are being used by many boats around the world. It would be a simple matter to modify the class rules to permit these spacers, which is necessary due to the “closed” nature of the class rules.

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