Flourishing globally, the RS Feva is now an essential fixture in so many training centres and sailing clubs with over 7000 RS Fevas dotted around the planet. It’s also a RYA UK pathway class, meaning the RS Feva is staking its place as a formidable and fun teen double hander.
As a focused racer and fierce sailor, you and your partner in crime are loving going to events, competing in racing and visiting sailing clubs all over the UK and further a-field for many of you. You’re getting more competitive and hear talk in the dinghy park that the newer boats are always winning. Your parents say its nonsense but you want to know if there is any truth behind it. Don’t worry Mum’s and Dad’s, this is not just a “BUY A NEW BOAT NOW” piece, upon reading you may even realise that delaying your new RS Feva purchase is the right option.
Here at RS Sailing HQ, we’ve crunched some of the numbers and want to give you some guidance as to whether part exchanging your RS Feva for a brand new one might be the right choice for you. There are plenty of factors to consider, including the obvious one of cost, but does a new boat do all the work for you to climb that leaderboard?
Check out these stats of recent RS Feva results;
Noble Marine UK RS Feva Spring Championships – March 2019
- The RS Feva has been in production since 2002 – There are still some old boats doing really well, a boat built in 2007 recently finished in the top 10 at the UK Spring Championships
- At the Spring Championships in March 2019 the average age of boats who finished in the top 20 for the regatta was less than 6 years old.
- The winning boat for the regatta was less than 1 year old
- The Oldest boat in the top 10 was a produced in 2011
- 4 boats in the top 20 were older than 6 years old
European Championships 2018
- Of the top 20 boats in the Gold fleet the average boat age was less than 4 years old
- 1st place was a boat produced in 2017
- The oldest boat in the top 10 was an RS Feva made in 2011
World Championships 2018
- Of the top 20 boats, the average age was less than 1 year old
- 1st Place was a 2018 new boat
- The oldest boat in the top 10 was a 2017 hull
So what does this tell us?
First of all, control your new RS Feva fever, you don’t need to have a brand-new boat to have good time and be competitive out there. Also, there isn’t a 100% accurate formula ensuring a new RS Feva is a sure fire way to the top. There is no better way to the front of the fleet than spending hours on the water with your buddy, training hard and having fun.
That being said, you can clearly see a correlation between new equipment and results as the competition level rises from UK events to the World Championships. This is not an exact science, but it certainly is a contributing factor to claiming one of the top places at the higher levels.
So, when is the right time for an upgrade via part exchange? Our advice would be to get some key checks in place before choosing a new boat:
- Personal evaluation – make sure all of your fundamental sailing skills and core racing techniques are sound. Do you and your helm/crew work effectively as a team? Are you able to tack, gybe, hoist, drop and apply all racing rules effectively?
- Get some feedback – speak to other RS Feva sailors, your parents and probably most importantly, your coach. They will be able to give you great guidance as to whether a new boat is a sensible and beneficial move.
- Plan how you would make the most of a new boat – getting a new boat is a big deal. Make sure you have a plan in place of how you will make the most of your boat, from regular social sailing, training and events.
If you have all three of these checks in place, then its decision time!
What should you do next?
Get in touch with our sales team to discuss what sort of down payment your current RS Feva could be off the price of a new one.
There is another option, if you’re RS Feva is great, but you feel that a new part purchase would make a big difference, like a fresh set of sails, we have all the part you need to make that happen. For any new part purchases you can go straight to the RSSailing Store website.
See you out on the water!
