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Byte (dinghy)
Encyclopedia
The Byte is a one man sailing dinghy
. It is produced by xtreme Sailing Products of Singapore and PS2000 in North America, and was previously produced by Topper Sailboats in the UK. However, Topper ceased production of GRP
boats to concentrate on its rotomolded plastic designs. It is 12 ft (3.7 m) long, 4 ft 3 in (1.3 m) wide and roughly 100 lb (45 kg). The hull is composed of glass reinforced polyester
and foam sandwich. The Byte is designed for sailors weighing 120 to 145 lb (54 to 66 kg) although most sailors weighing 90 to 160 lb (41 to 73 kg) should have no problems sailing this boat on a recreational basis. The Byte sail size is only 58 square feet (5.6 m²) making it the ideal boat for those sailors who enjoy the independence and simplicity of a cat rigged boat, such as the Laser
, but who are not strong or heavy enough to control a large sail.
The hull is quite narrow which makes the boat less stable than the Laser and definitely only suitable for one person. The rigging is similar to that of the Laser except one noticeable difference. The traveler is just below the main sheet block and not at the stern
of the boat (similar to a Finn
or Europe
dinghy). This eradicates the chance of the main sheet getting caught on the transom
which is a common complaint of the Laser. The sail controls are also "split" and led to both side-decks, again somewhat like a Finn
or Europe
and allows for more technical adjustments. In the event that a Byte were to be sailed in a race environment against a Laser Radial, the Byte's Portsmouth yardstick of 1162 means that in a 90 minute pursuit race a laser radial would need to complete the course more than four minutes faster to beat the Byte.
A new design known as the "CII", with a fully battened sail and carbon-fibre mast, has recently been developed. The new rig has a slightly larger sail made of mylar and similar in appearance to the 29er sails. The new rig is designed to be self depowering and a much needed update to the previous byte rig. The inspiration for the new rig and sail was to create an out-of-the-box, cost effective, women Olympic boat. However, the Laser Radial was chosen over the Byte CII as the women's boat for the 2008 Olympics. Experienced Byte CII sailors often exclaim their surprise of the apparent difference from the standard Byte. Often these same sailors will also express surprise of the speed of the CII compared to the Byte. The introduction of two such remarkably different rigs has frustrated many sailors who are forced to buy the new equipment if they wish to be competitive in their boats, a violation of the fundamental principles of the one-design sail boats.
Although the Byte class operates on numerous continents, and there are fleets around the world; the critical mass of boats necessary to hold a Byte regatta is only found (with few exceptions) in Canada, Singapore, Bermuda, Great Britain and Switzerland. In the U.S. it is doubtful if the Byte can overcome the Laser Radials stranglehold as the single hand boat of choice for sailors from 90-160, especially considering that only minimal investment is required to convert the boat to a Laser Full Rig as the hulls are identical. Recently, the byte has come under fire because the Canadian Yachting Association claims it is taking light sailors out of the double handed classes and keeping them in a relatively inexperienced fleet. Discussions are being made about restricting the boat as a junior class, that is, to sailors 16 years of age and younger in Canada.
Information on the Byte and other PS2000 products http://www.ps2000.ca/boats/byte/byte.htm
Dinghy
A dinghy is a type of small boat, often carried or towed for use as a ship's boat by a larger vessel. It is a loanword from either Bengali or Urdu. The term can also refer to small racing yachts or recreational open sailing boats. Utility dinghies are usually rowboats or have an outboard motor,...
. It is produced by xtreme Sailing Products of Singapore and PS2000 in North America, and was previously produced by Topper Sailboats in the UK. However, Topper ceased production of GRP
Glass-reinforced plastic
Fiberglass , is a fiber reinforced polymer made of a plastic matrix reinforced by fine fibers of glass. It is also known as GFK ....
boats to concentrate on its rotomolded plastic designs. It is 12 ft (3.7 m) long, 4 ft 3 in (1.3 m) wide and roughly 100 lb (45 kg). The hull is composed of glass reinforced polyester
Polyester
Polyester is a category of polymers which contain the ester functional group in their main chain. Although there are many polyesters, the term "polyester" as a specific material most commonly refers to polyethylene terephthalate...
and foam sandwich. The Byte is designed for sailors weighing 120 to 145 lb (54 to 66 kg) although most sailors weighing 90 to 160 lb (41 to 73 kg) should have no problems sailing this boat on a recreational basis. The Byte sail size is only 58 square feet (5.6 m²) making it the ideal boat for those sailors who enjoy the independence and simplicity of a cat rigged boat, such as the Laser
Laser (dinghy)
The International Laser Class sailboat, also called Laser Standard and the Laser One is a popular one-design class of small sailing dinghy. According the Laser Class Rules the boat may be sailed by either one or two people, though it is rarely sailed by two. The design, by Bruce Kirby, emphasizes...
, but who are not strong or heavy enough to control a large sail.
The hull is quite narrow which makes the boat less stable than the Laser and definitely only suitable for one person. The rigging is similar to that of the Laser except one noticeable difference. The traveler is just below the main sheet block and not at the stern
Stern
The stern is the rear or aft-most part of a ship or boat, technically defined as the area built up over the sternpost, extending upwards from the counter rail to the taffrail. The stern lies opposite of the bow, the foremost part of a ship. Originally, the term only referred to the aft port section...
of the boat (similar to a Finn
Finn (dinghy)
The Finn dinghy is the men's single-handed, cat-rigged Olympic class for sailing. It was designed by Swedish canoe designer, Rickard Sarby, in 1949 for the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki...
or Europe
Europe (dinghy)
The Europe is a one-person dinghy designed in Belgium in 1960 by Alois Roland as a class legal Moth dinghy. The design later changed into its own one-design class....
dinghy). This eradicates the chance of the main sheet getting caught on the transom
Transom (nautical)
In naval architecture, a transom is the surface that forms the stern of a vessel. Transoms may be flat or curved and they may be vertical, raked forward, also known as a retroussé or reverse transom, angling forward from the waterline to the deck, or raked aft, often simply called "raked", angling...
which is a common complaint of the Laser. The sail controls are also "split" and led to both side-decks, again somewhat like a Finn
Finn (dinghy)
The Finn dinghy is the men's single-handed, cat-rigged Olympic class for sailing. It was designed by Swedish canoe designer, Rickard Sarby, in 1949 for the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki...
or Europe
Europe (dinghy)
The Europe is a one-person dinghy designed in Belgium in 1960 by Alois Roland as a class legal Moth dinghy. The design later changed into its own one-design class....
and allows for more technical adjustments. In the event that a Byte were to be sailed in a race environment against a Laser Radial, the Byte's Portsmouth yardstick of 1162 means that in a 90 minute pursuit race a laser radial would need to complete the course more than four minutes faster to beat the Byte.
A new design known as the "CII", with a fully battened sail and carbon-fibre mast, has recently been developed. The new rig has a slightly larger sail made of mylar and similar in appearance to the 29er sails. The new rig is designed to be self depowering and a much needed update to the previous byte rig. The inspiration for the new rig and sail was to create an out-of-the-box, cost effective, women Olympic boat. However, the Laser Radial was chosen over the Byte CII as the women's boat for the 2008 Olympics. Experienced Byte CII sailors often exclaim their surprise of the apparent difference from the standard Byte. Often these same sailors will also express surprise of the speed of the CII compared to the Byte. The introduction of two such remarkably different rigs has frustrated many sailors who are forced to buy the new equipment if they wish to be competitive in their boats, a violation of the fundamental principles of the one-design sail boats.
Although the Byte class operates on numerous continents, and there are fleets around the world; the critical mass of boats necessary to hold a Byte regatta is only found (with few exceptions) in Canada, Singapore, Bermuda, Great Britain and Switzerland. In the U.S. it is doubtful if the Byte can overcome the Laser Radials stranglehold as the single hand boat of choice for sailors from 90-160, especially considering that only minimal investment is required to convert the boat to a Laser Full Rig as the hulls are identical. Recently, the byte has come under fire because the Canadian Yachting Association claims it is taking light sailors out of the double handed classes and keeping them in a relatively inexperienced fleet. Discussions are being made about restricting the boat as a junior class, that is, to sailors 16 years of age and younger in Canada.
Information on the Byte and other PS2000 products http://www.ps2000.ca/boats/byte/byte.htm