GYA

Viper 640 Crew Weight & Size Analysis

Viper640The Viper 640 Class Association
4051 E Desert Crest Dr.
Paradise Valley, AZ 85253

Viper 640 Crew Weight & Size Analysis
2015 North American Championship

 

January 25, 2016

 

During the GYA Board of Directors meeting earlier this month, the Viper 640 Class Association was asked to canvas sailors regarding the total crew weight they race with. To meet this objective, the Class sent an online survey to the 50+ boats that participated in the 2015 North American Championship regatta held at Larchmont Yacht Club from October 15-18, 2015. A total of 39 competitors responded to the questionnaire providing final standing, total crew weight, and crew headcount.

It should be noted that the conditions for the event ranged from 12-15 knot range the first day to winds in the higher teens with gusts in the low 20 knot range for the remaining days. Because the winds were from the north throughout the regatta, the sea state was relatively flat throughout (1-2 foot seas). That being said, for the most part, the personnel making up these crews are the same people most of the Viper owners sail with on a regular basis, so this data is applicable for most events.

The highlights are as follows:

Crew weight

  • There is a wide range of crew weights that is competitive in the Viper 640.
  • The average of all crew weights at the 2015 North Americans: 550 lbs.
  • Crew weights ranged from a low of 490 (#10) to a high of 650 lbs. (a new Viper sailor finishing 48th)
  • The winning crew weighed-in at 610 lbs.
    • Of the nine respondents within the Top-10 finishers, the average crew weight was 568 lbs. Of note, only two of those crews weighed below 550. Range: 490-610
    • Of the 18 respondents within the Top- 20 finishers, the average crew weight was 550 lbs. Range: 490-610
  • These weights are largely in keeping with the same survey conducted after the 2014 NAs in Long Beach, where there were also strong breezes and 2-3 foot seas. In that study of the Top 15 finishers, crew weights ranged from 510 to 590 lbs.

Crew size

  • 33 of 39 boats sailed with crews comprised of three sailors
  • Of the six 4-person crews, most were two men and two women, one was three women and a man
  • There is no statistic that indicates one crew size is better than another as the third placed boat was sailed by two men and two women.

The following is the detailed data on a boat-by-boat basis:

Viper640CrewWeightAnalysis

If anyone has question on this data, please contact Viper 640 Class Administrator Ed “Buttons” Padin at epadin@padesta.com.