In Boat Timer you can edit the default classes, countries and handicap values easily. However, it can take some time to change a whole list of them. But here is a quick way to change things to suit your club’s location and the boats you sail.
Using the backup and restore options, you can import a file of countries or classes. Usually the restore option overwrites everything in the app (it is a restore option, after all) but the class or country files on the Rotor-Rig.com website only change part of the information in the app, so your races are not changed. And using these files is a quick way to completely change the classes or countries.
If you want to learn how to use these files in the app, this page on customising Boat Timer will explain how. the page also has the download links for each file.
Classes
Your club may sail different classes to the app defaults and may use a different handicap/rating system for race results. The first two files are for IRC (a rating system for yachts) and Weymouth (a handicap system used in Australia for dinghy racing).
IRC
In a rating system, each boat has a rating number calculated according to a formula based on the boat’s length, sail area etc. So the Boat Timer file included different classes for each rating number. For example, if your yacht has an IRC rating of 978 the Boat Timer class is IRC2 0978 (the 2 refers to a group of yachts of a certain speed, 1 being the fastest and 6 the slowest). You may have to select a different class for each yacht, but once done the app will calculate corrected finish times for the race.
Weymouth
The Weymouth file gives you a list of classes (dinghies and cats) more appropriate for Australian clubs and applies the Weymouth handicap numbers to each class. There are other handicap systems in use in Australia so watch out for new files to support them in the future. And do get in touch if your club uses a system that should be supported by the app.
Countries
Country files are available for many parts of the world and more files will be available in the future. Countries in the Middle East and Asia are only available in the “world” file at the moment, but that will be remedied soon. These country files let you change the list in the app to better reflect the location of your club.