SOTA OK
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Just wondering has anyone in uk used side decks like the SOTA.
Looks like a 120 degree internal knee angle, more of a straight legged hike. Looks comfortable?
Might try it when/if I re-deck mine.
As for the raked transom, is that exploiting the 5mm rudder tolerance? would that make any noticeable difference?
Jeff H
OK1963
with too much time on my hands waiting for my back injury to healI do like the look of Jespers boats but no idea if the side decks would be comfy.
and it can make a difference how much depends on if you notice it
We considered having the side decks like that on the new deck Synergy mould as it looks good and modern. For straight leg hiking it would be nice and comfy but if you have any tendency to drop hike then it could be quite painful. You can straight leg or drop hike on the traditional flatter c.45 deg side decks, so that seems the better all round option if you can’t straight leg further than the first beat!
Until now I think responses from SOTA owners on the side decks are very good. But if you like to hear feed back first hand, you could consider posting the question on the Danish OK association’s homepage.
I have been sailing with these decks fo the last 4 years. They are similar to the ones hedlund and I have on the wooden boats.
I love them, but I am also in good shape. Basically we came up with the dimensions as we all the time found ourselfs hiking only using the last 10-14 cm of the hiking deck. When hiking in that position my old hiking deck was a disaster, as I always had my lower legs against the hard edge.
With the new one it is much easier to hike hard and the deck supports the lower leg instead of giving a hard edge. It forces you to hike with straight legs which in the long term will be better for the knees. I used to have problems with my knees from sailing, but not anymore.
I suggest to go to the roostersailing website as they have some good articles, search on hiking in there.
There is also a further advantage downwind, where the relative flat hiking decks allows you to sit in a comfortable working position. I never sit on my knees in the bottom anymore.
As suggested by Si Cox there are both pros and cons, and fo many people this might not be the preferred option. However I suggest to try them, as I would not go back. But as with many things in the OK it is also a matter of personal taste
I guess we will know better when more people have been sailing with these and we hear their responses, so far responses have been good.@ Barhelm If you want to build them on your own boat the top part has to be 12 cm and the lowe part 17-18 cm. basically they will have to fit in a square of 27.5 cm wide(24cm+3.5cm sheerguard)and 8cm below the sheerline. You can pretty much draw it on an A4 paper.
Cheers Bo
Thanks for the info Capt B.
Having had considerable knee problems from laser and british moth sailing I think it might be worth a go.
As you say thats one of the great things about the OK, you can tweak your boat to suit the individual.
Cheers
JHThe following press release on the SOTA dinghy is currently in circulation:
New OK from Denmark
The new Danish designed SOTA OK dinghy, built by Jesper Strandberg, has been in production for a couple of month now. The boats are selling well and 11 are already sold to OK sailors in Denmark, Sweden and Australia. Three dinghies will be at the worlds in Thailand in a couple of months. Results from local practice races show a very good performance compared to other dinghies. Hopefully the results from Thailand will confirm this.
The SOTA dinghy was underway for more than five years before the production of the epoxy SOTA dinghy started. The design was gradually and systematically developed by Christian Hedlund. The design process included testing of many prototypes by the best Danish OK sailors.
Photos and information on design, building process and prices are found on Jesper Strandbergs website: http://www.strandberg-marine.com
I think this is the article referred to….
http://www.roostersailing.com/merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=hikestyle&Store_Code=1
I read with interest the design page on the SOTA site especially regarding the hiking position. I’ve been playing about with hiking strap position to achieve a straight leg hike (even more so than the pics in the Rooster article) and have concluded that its not really possible for someone of my height (6ft) to effectively straight leg hike in an OK without super human core strength due to the aft end of the centerboard case being exactly where my feet want to be. Check of the position of Steve’s toes in the straight leg pic and you can see they are further inboard than the bent knee pic. In the gallery pic on the SOTA site showing the cockpit it looks like the strap mountings are further inboard (at least more so than 2028’s) attempting to facilitate the required foot position. So, I think the issue is greater than the side deck profile.
I have been experimenting with a single central hiking strap which leaves the feet further aft than is ideal but does give the required toe position over the centre line of the boat to achieve a good body position.
It has shown sufficient promise that I will buy a proper hiking strap and test it further.
The comments on the centerboard case & centerboard are also interesting. I’d never considered the weight of the water in the case as a factor. I’m assuming it only effects the power to weight ratio in terms of forward movement and not the displacement but also less drag as the aft face of the slot is 25% narrower. Of course the weight of water in the case will be greater for heavier sailorswith the boat dispacing more in sailing conditions.
When I looked into foil shapes for dinghies like the OK my research lead me to believe that due to the relatively low fluid speeds the 20mm thick centerboard was already alot thinner than the optimum for this type of foil so I wonder how well the 15mm thick board grips at low speeds.Hi Finn,
I am 6 foot 1, the centreboard case is not an issue, if you look at the pictures, the hiking position is a bit further out. The good thing about these hiking decks is that they force you to hike with straight legs. I am in good shape but not super human by all means.
I just suggest that you try one, Mark Roberts, tried mine at the worlds and got conviced straight away. However people are different and have different taste which is the beauty of the OK classCheers
Bo
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