14 One-Design Class Sailboat Handbook 



Class boats can be purchased ready to sail, or can be constructed from 

 raw materials with the help or plans or— in case of some classes— can be 

 assembled from kits. When building a boat from scratch, fully detailed 

 plans are obtained from the class secretary for a set fee ($10 and up) 

 per set. This fee must be paid by every boat built, whether by amateur 

 or professional, and is often referred to as a "number tax" since each and 

 every class usually must pay it or be legally liable for infringement of the 

 design. It also covers registration, the designer's royalty, the actual cost 

 of the plans themselves and— in some class associations— the first year's 

 membership. 



If a new boat is bought from a professional builder, he should be asked 

 to notify the class secretary of the sale, and the purchaser should also 

 write, giving the boat builder's name and date of transaction. If that 

 boat has paid its number tax, there is no charge for registering it in the 

 owner's name. The transfer will, however, not be officially recorded until 

 the tax has been paid. It is the responsibility of the builder to pay the 

 number tax, so purchasers should make sure that the tax has been paid. 

 But, before a boat— whether purchased ready-made, assembled from a 

 kit or built from scratch— can take part in a class race, it must be inspected 

 and approved by a member of that association (generally a member of 

 the class measurement committee) to make sure that it conforms to class 

 specifications, and to grant measurement certificate. Once approved, a 

 number is assigned by the class association and is sewn on the mainsail 

 along with the class insignia. This is the number under which the boat 

 races regardless of how many times the craft may change ownership. If a 

 boat is purchased or sold secondhand, notice should be sent to the secre- 

 tary by both parties. There is usually a nominal fee charged for changing 

 the name of registration. 



Ownership of class boat and membership in a class association have 

 many advantages. In addition to the way in which these associations en- 

 force their class rules and promote well-run, well-organized racing, they 

 also serve to bring sailors with common interests together socially at class 

 meetings and regattas, and they protect the value of any boat in the class. 

 By strict enforcement of the rules and maintaining standards, by register- 

 ing boats and keeping a record of them, the association protects the buyer 



