S2 7.9 Meter Class Association

Hey, Anybody know anything about this boat? It was Designed by Jim? Mull, and made from 1980 to 1982. One showed up at the marina the other day. It's a neat looking boat, and I'm wondering how competitive its going to be. I was told there are some up on the Lakes.

Other than this? http://sailboatdata.com/viewrecord.asp?class_id=248

Gary Mull designed several IOR and MORC boats of that era. Reminds me a lot of of the hull shape of the US Yacht 25 actually (also Gary Mull designed).

Look at this and see what I mean..
http://sailboatdata.com/viewrecord.asp?class_id=506

Probably decent upwind, and a broach machine downwind. Being that its fractional, not masthead, it looks to have been designed for the transition to MORC racing... so maybe its not so horrible.

I don't remember how they did, again I was a kid, but looking at ratings, it appears to be reasonably fast. Not S2 7.9 fast, or J24 fast, more like Catalina 27 Tall rig fast. Or Capri 22 Tall rig. My guess, is you add 3 feet to the mast, beef up the rigging, and go to a masthead kite, and get 6 to sail it, and you can maybe keep up enough to get pictures of the stern of the S2, you know between broaches.

Thanks. I did see the info at Saildata, but that doesn't always tell the whole story. Any idea why they were short lived?

Looks like a lot of yacht companies that Ranger Yachts didn't survive for a lot more years, 1986 I think.

In the same way Tiara got out of sailboats around that time. There was a flourish of new boat builders from 1979 to 1982, and shortly thereafter they died off quickly. The oil crisis from 1977-1979, along with huge luxury taxes, and interest rates being REALLY high going into 1980 made it difficult for companies to survive for the years during the economic turnaround that really started around 1983. I recall home mortgage rates for 30 year fixed were not unheard of to be up to 20%, boat loans were higher than that, at numbers even credit card companies would blush at today. Sailing was much more popular then. People also had a lot more "free" time.

But you are correct lots of good boats disappeared shortly after 1982ish.

Once again, Thank you for the information.
Norm, Hull #92

I was with my father, the day his purchased his brand new 1981 US Yacht 27, inboard, IOR design influenced, masthead rig, high aspect main (meaning tiny blade)... wheel steering. He paid $45,000 for the boat, and celebrated his good credit score rate for 15 years at 18% (lower than his mortgage!). I recall he also had to pay a luxury tax, but I couldn't tell you what that amounted to. He traded in a 1 year old Montego 19 that was paid off, the Montego was by "Universal Marine," another company that disappeared those years.

I remember those days too. 1980, I was just starting a business, Loans and Mortage Interest rates were 18%, if you were even lucky enough to afford it! Gee, guess it show how old I am!!