The 914 millimeter long CR 914 is based on the original design
of the International America's Cup Class. Because the CR 914 is relatively inexpensive
and can be purchased fully built or can be assembled from a kit without special
skills or tools, it qualifies as an entry-level class. A high performance racing
machine that accelerates quickly, turns on a dime and points like a tour guide.
It sails well in an extremely wide range of wind velocities, without having
to use multiple rigs for light and heavy air like some other classes must do.
Weighing only 6.25 pounds and carrying 658 square inches of sail area, it ghosts
amazingly well in the lightest of air. Ballasted by over three pounds of lead
in the streamlined bulb at the end of its deep fin keel, however, this remarkable
little boat readily handles a 20 knot wind and can keep racing in gusts to 30
without shortening sail.
The hull and deck are cast as one piece of ABS plastic. The
high-aspect-ratio foil-shaped rudder and keel fin are molded with their shafts
installed. The spars are made of aluminum tubing, the keel bulb is a shaped
lead casting, and the sails are dye-cut from lightweight rip-stop polyester
spinnaker cloth. Kits come from the US distributor with complete electronics,
a boat stand, epoxy and cyanoacrylic glue, and an "upgrade package"
that has been developed in the United Stares to overcome a few minor shortcomings
in the original kit that were identified early in our experience with the boat.
You get all the parts, reinforcing materials, fasteners and everything else
you need to build and sail the CR 914 except sandpaper and batteries. Oh, yes,
before you can go sailing you also need some water. Kits, partially built boats,
finished boats ready to sail, and boats with custom paint jobs and special graphics
can be ordered from the US distributor, Chesapeake Performance Models, which
also carries a full line of parts and accessories.
CR914 ORGANIZATION
In a one-design class the objective is for the performance of the boats to be equal. The CR 914 is one of only a very few
truly one-design classes in which you can be completely confident that when you win or lose a regatta it's because of
how you sailed and tuned your boat and not whether someone bought or built a faster boat, spars or sails, thus
defeating you in the "arms race" that often complicates sailboat racing. It takes more than a set of rules to achieve this
sort of truly level playing field. From the beginning, both the leaders of the CR 914 class organization and the
companies that have marketed the boat have been dedicated to true one-design principles. The CR 914 class, like all
the classes in AMYA, is administered by the class secretary. In addition, however, CR914 benefits from the wisdom and
experience of the immediate-past class secretary, who will continue his fine work publishing the CR914 class newsletter, The CRonicle, and five other members of the Class Advisory Committee who help the secretary make decisions about class issues, select host clubs and venues for regional and national championship
events, etc. At present the class leadership consists of the following CR 914 sailors:
Class Secretary
Ernest Freeland
Annapolis, MD
CRonicle Editor
Ernest Freeland
Annapolis, MD
Measurer
Advisory Committee
Jean Malthaner
San Diego, CA
Chuck Luscomb
Essex, CT
Howie McMichael
Larchmont, New York
Buttons Padin
New Rochelle, New York
Dave Ramos
Arnold, Maryland
CR914 RULES
Our elegantly simple and effective CR 914 class rules evolved
during the 1990s, and have required no further amending since 2000. Interpretations
of the rules are issued and published regularly, clarifying gray areas and responding
to inquiries from boat owners who want to innovate. The rules
and interpretations are available elsewhere on this website, but it is worthwhile
quoting here the preamble to the interpretations, which captures the one-design
philosophy that keeps the class on a firm and steady course: "1. An interpretation
must be consistent with the letter and/or intent of the class rules. 2. An interpretation
must not offer the potential of improved performance. 3. An interpretation that
improves boat reliability without improving performance may be considered for
approval."
CR914 MEMBERS AND FLEETS
It is the people who sail the boats that really make or break
a class. There are more than 6,000 CR 914 owners in the United States, and more
than 1,250 of them have registered their boats with the class, indicating their
desire to race and participate in other class activities. There currently are
23 active fleets of CR 914s in 17 states from coast to coast. These numbers
alone place the CR 914s among the top five classes in the country. More important
than mere numbers, however, are the kinds of people who sail those boats. And CR914
has some of the very best. One of the neatest things about one-design classes is the
common bond of love for the same class of boat that they engender. This is
particularly true in the CR 914 class. We 914ers compete with each other intensely
on the water, but we make good friends in our local fleets and at our regattas and
enjoy those friendships as much or more than the competition. Veterans recruit new
CR 914 sailors with almost missionary zeal, welcome them to our clubs, and love to
mentor them and assist them up the learning curve.
CR914 COMMUNICATIONS
Virtually unique in the sport of RC sailing, we publish our
own class newsletter. Founded in 1996 by the legendary class secretary Chuck
Winder as the CR 914 NEWS, our newsletter has played a major role in the
popularity, growth, and cohesiveness of the CR 914 class. It has been an
invaluable source of information and tips about building, optimizing,
troubleshooting, tuning, and sailing CR 914s and their electronics. Reflecting
the fact that our class website and our CR 914 Net email information system now
serve class members as the primary sources of time-sensitive news, the name of
the newsletter has been changed by its new editor to the CRonicle. A
fully-indexed archive of every issue since day one is one of the features in
the Members Area of the class website (accessible to class members who pay a
small subscription fee for the newsletter and other Members Area services).
THE CR 914 AND FULL SCALE SAILING
Many CR 914 sailors came to
the sport of RC sailing from a background in full-scale ('peopleboat")
sailing, and many of them continue to race peopleboats, ranging from dinghies
to ocean racers, in addition to their 914s. Because of that connection,
CR914 enjoys an unusually close relationship with full-scale yacht clubs and
with the United States Sailing Association (US SAILING). Indeed, ten of
our fleets are associated with full-scale yacht clubs, Our annual Larchmont
Spring Invitational, the largest single-class RC regatta in the country, is run
by members of the grand old Larchmont Yacht Club on Long Island Sound, and our
2003 Nationals were hosted by the San Diego Yacht Club (using the same
committee boat that ran the America's Cup races there). This relationship works
both ways: at the 2003 annual meeting of US SAILING in St. Louis, one of our
fleets hosted a match-racing regatta, sailed in CR 914s, to determine that
year's Championship of Committees.
SUMMING IT ALL UP
All of
the pieces described here have combined to make the CR 914 one of the most
popular, rapidly growing (at the rate of about 100 new registrations per year)
and all-around best classes in the United States. We 914ers, of course, know it
is the very best, and we invite you to join us and see for yourself!
The CR 914 is a One-
Design class. The class objective is that the sailing skills of the skipper
shall determine who wins races. These rules control yacht performance, cost and
simplicity. A yacht violating these rules shall not compete until all
violations are corrected.
Unless the class rules
specifically permit a modification to the boat as the boat is defined by the
kit, an owner shall assume it is not permitted. Interpretations by the Class
Secretary of the legality of a modification shall be binding until overruled by
a class vote changing the rules.
In these rules the word
'shall' means mandatory and 'may' means permissive.
1.1 A
skipper while racing shall not be permitted to have a co-skipper or assistant
to help with such things as coaching, tactical advice, wind spotting, etc.
'Racing' is defined as the period from one minute before the start of a heat to
the finish of that heat. He may accept any assistance, including the
maintenance or repair of his boat, while not racing. A handicapped skipper may
request assistance while racing to be approved by the Regatta Director.
3.1 Alterations to the hull shape shall not be
permitted. Hull surface imperfections, including the mold seam at the bow, may
be removed by sanding and filling or by sanding alone. Final hull finish may
be: 1) conventional painting or, 2) sanding and polishing of the ABS hull using
no paint.
4.1 The deck shall not be lightened by sanding or substituting another
deck. However, the main hatch opening may be squared off for easier access, not
to exceed 3 1/8 by 5 1/4 inches.
4.2 The two fore deck
hatches may be opened for hull access forward of the keel tube. The opening for
such hatches shall not exceed the outline molded on the deck (approximately 1
5/8 by 2 1/2 inches).
4.3 Hatch cover material and design
are optional.
4.4 The jib rack eye, jib sheet fairlead,
shroud chain plates, back stay eye and mast step, shall be located at the
positions defined by the hull molding.
4.5 The shroud chain
plates, back stay eye, jib rack eye, jib sheet fairlead and the mast step shall
be those provided in the kit or a substitute fitting of equivalent function and
similar dimensions.
4.6 Steering wheels, primary winches
and the three forward winches from the kit shall be installed. Winches may be
modified to avoid fouling sheets. Bow foot rails are required but design is
optional. Deck cleats and the stern hatch cover are optional.
9.2 All mast
fittings supplied in the kit shall be used (spreaders, jumper strut, gooseneck,
vang base and mast head crane). They shall be located within +/- 1/4 inch of
the locations specified in the kit instructions.
10.1
Standing rigging shall be braided non-metallic fiber (such as nylon, polyester,
Spectra, Kevlar, etc.) and shall have a minimum thickness of 0.018 inches. Line
thickness shall be measured at one location with the line under 2.0 lbs.
tension. (If the one thickness measurement is less than the specification, the
thickness shall be determined as the average of ten measurements spaced at 2
inches along the line.)
10.2 Wire stays and shrouds are
prohibited.
10.3 Turnbuckles are prohibited.
10.4 The shroud and stay clips provided in the kit may be eliminated or
substituted.
11.1 The common sheet exit pulley and the
sail servo arm pulley may be modified or substituted. Any modification or
substitutions shall have equivalent function and similar dimensions.
11.2 The main sheet fairlead ring shall have a maximum inside
diameter of 0.25 inches. The ring position shall be controlled by an adjustable
string bridle as defined by the kit assembly instructions.
11.3 The method used to attach a sheet to a boom and the method used on a boom
to adjust the length of a sheet are optional.
11.4 Boom
vang shall be of braided non-metallic line. Adjustment may be bowser, cleat or
equivalent.
11.5 Manual sail adjustment details are
optional. Main and jib boom topping lifts, jumper tension adjusters, etc., are
permitted. The use of bowsers, cleats or equivalent devices, is optional.
11.6 Jib tack, jib clew and mainsail clew spring clips shall be
eliminated or modified to avoid accidentally hooking the rigging of another
boat.
11.7 The use of such things as automatic jib
flippers, jib boom counter weights and automatic main outhauls is prohibited.
11.8 The choice of line for running rigging is optional.
12.2 The remote control functions shall be for rudder and sail trim
only.
12.3 The choice of a radio system, the sail servo and
the rudder servo are optional.
12.4 Receiver batteries
shall be four or five cell AA size disposable or rechargeable cells. The weight
of batteries or number of cells shall not be changed during any regatta or
series of races.
13.1 The CR 914 SAIL PLAN and its dimensions shall define the
maximum size of the jib and mainsail. Storm sails same suite of sails shall be
used for all races of a regatta or series. If sails are damaged, replacement
sails of the same size are optional, but they shall be limited by the sail plan
dimensions.
13.2 The same set of sails shall be used for
all races of a regatta or series. If sails are damaged, replacement sails of
the same size shall be used.
13.3 Corners of the sails may
be reinforced. The reinforcement patch shall not exceed a radius of 2 1/ 2
inches measured from the corner of the sail.
13.4 Sails
shall be those provided in the kit. Replacement sails shall be those supplied
by the kit manufacturer.
Jib
13.5 Neither roach nor foot round shall be permitted.
13.6 Two jib battens may be used, size shall not exceed 0.200
inches wide by 2 inches long.
Mainsail
13.7 No foot round is permitted.
13.8 Four
battens are permitted. They shall be installed perpendicular to the leach and
evenly spaced within 1/4 inch. Batten size shall not exceed 0.200 inch wide by
3.200 inches long.
13.9 Battens used shall be from the kit
or equivalent replacement.
13.10 The luff of the main sail
shall be attached to the mast by rings of either metal or plastic, or by using
pieces of rigging line. In either case the spacing and quantity of these
attachments shall be the same as the stock kit sails. The sail shall be free to
rotate about the mast.
Sail Numbers and Class
Insignia
13.12 Sail numbers shall be 3 inches high
and use a design that is easily read at distance. The smaller numbers existing
on older sails are permitted. Recommended number proportions are as
follows:
Height
WidthStroke ThicknessNumber Spacing
3"
1.8"-2.0"
0.4"-0.5"
0.6"-0.75"
13.13 The sail numbers shall be applied on both sides of the mainsail.
The starboard side sail numbers shall be higher. Symmetrical numbers (such as
181 or 808) may be placed back-to-back on both sides of the sail. Location of
the numbers is suggested by the Sail Plan.
13.14 The class
insignia shall be located on both sides of the main sail with the starboard
emblem being higher. Location is defined by the Sail Plan.
Country Designation
13.15 The designation of
the owners country may be displayed above the numbers.
14.1 Minimum allowable
weight shall be 6 pounds 4 ounces for a complete boat ready to sail, including
radio receiver batteries. Weight shall not be changed during a regatta or
series of races.
14.2 No ballast weight inside the hull
shall be permitted.
14.3 Correction weights to an
underweight boat shall be located on the underside of the deck, half on each
side, within 16 and 21 inches from the bow.
15.1 The
yacht registration and sail number shall be assigned by the Class Secretary. No
yacht shall be properly registered until the class insignia and the assigned
number have been affixed to the main sail. The registration number shall also
be affixed to the inside of the hull in a readily visible location.
16.1 There shall be no expressed or implied 'grandfather' clauses
relative to performance enhancing aspects of a boat. Interpretations of
cosmetic or aesthetic aspects shall be liberal.
The design and location of boom fittings are not controlled by the
rules. Rule 9.2 reads, 'All mast fittings ....', and therefore does not apply
to boom fittings.
3. Correction Weights - Rule 14.3
Correction weights shall be attached to the underside of
the deck as specified in Rule 14.3.
The jib sheet shall pass through the deck mounted jib
sheet fairlead as shown on the kit drawings.
8. Keel
Fillet and Nonremovable Keels - Ref. CR 914 NEWS July-August 2001
Interpretation: The CR 914 is designed to have an easily
removable keel. If the keel cannot be removed there can be no additional
changes that result in differences from a boat with a removable keel.
1. Intersection of the keel fin with the outside bottom of the
hull There shall clearly be a gap between the fin and the sides of the keel
fin recess molded into the hull bottom. This gap would be present for a
removable keel. Obviously, there can be no streamline fillet at this point
between the hull and keel fin.
2. Internal Structure
All the original keel/hull structure required for a removable keel shall
remain in place. The steel keel-rod must extend to the deck and have a nut on
it as if the keel were removable. The brass tube. or pipe, that normally houses
the keel rod shall be properly installed.
3. Internal
Reinforcing of keel molding The keel molding on the inside of the hull may
be reinforced to prevent cracks and leaks. One way to do this is described in
the 'CR 914 Upgrade Instructions' found in the kit.
9.
Keel Installation - Ref. CR 914 NEWS May-June 1997 and June-
November 2003
The keel fin must be fully inserted into the
hull until it bottoms against the hull and the keel rod nut is tight. The keel
must be fully inserted into the hull molding recess to be legal. There have
been occasions when an owner has intentionally not done this to gain improved
performance. It is a simple measurement for an inspector to make.
10. Mast Material - Advisory Committee April 2002
Only the mast and boom materials supplied in the kit are legal. There
was a request to permit stronger material.
11. Mast
Joiner - Ref. CR 914 NEWS May-June 2000
Steel
Mast Joiner is required by class rule 2.1. It cannot be replaced by another
design or material. A magnet is an easy check.
An owner may
choose to reduce sail area as permitted by Class Rule 13. The class rules
permit reducing the area of the stock sails for heavy winds. However, that
smaller area shall be used for the entire regatta or series of races.
Additionally, if a sail is reefed, the same limitation is in effect. The reef
shall be used for the entire regatta.
'The forestay and jib halyard cannot be routed directly to the
masthead. They both shall be routed upward through the hole in the forward side
of the mast ring portion of the jumper strut assembly and then to the
masthead.'
Standing rigging must be
installed as shown in the kit instructions. For example, the intermediate
shrouds must run through the hole in the end of the intermediate spreader.
Shrouds (meaning the lower, middle and upper
shrouds) may be connected to any of the three holes in the chain plates. (Chain
plates are identified as 'Eyelet plate, part 8' in the AG Assembly
Instructions.)
20. Topping Lifts - Advisory
Committee Decision
Boom topping lifts made of string
connected to the aft end of a boom are permitted.
21.
Keel Bulb - Ref. CR 914 NEWS June-November 2003
The keel bulb must be installed on the fin as defined in the Assembly
Instructions and the geometry of the fin and bulb geometry. No sloping of the
axis of the bulb is permitted. Some owners have done this in an effort to
improve performance.
The sheet exit block must be located as defined by the hull molding and
building instructions. The sheet must exit the hull at that point. The common
sheet from the sail servo arm may terminate beneath the deck so that the jib
and main sheets both exit at the stern exit turning block.
