About Us

The Small Catamaran Handicap Rating System, SCHRS is the internationally recognised system for handicapping small catamarans. It evolved over a number of years, initially from a basic rating system used in the USA from the 1960’s, which the French Federation de Voile modified to become what was known in Europe as the French Catamaran Rating System in the eighties.

Around 1990 the then IYRU decided that as the World Authority, they should have their own system for Rating Small Catamarans. A Working Party was formed, and they examined various options. The main contenders at the time were the FFV System the Dutch Texel Rating System, which was another measurement based system, and which evolved in the early eighties as a result of a need to deal with the escalating number of entrants in the annual Round Texel Race.

Both systems produce rating numbers which are remarkably close. But at the time it was thought that the ability to rate daggerboards or centreboards was important and was the system chosen for what is now the International SCHRS.

The ratings derive from the following core formula:

1.111 x W^0.3
L^0.325 x A^0.41

The Texel and SCHRS committees now work closely together. The structure of the two rating formulae are similar, but the factors and penalties differ, particularly in the following areas:

– Spinnaker and screecher penalty
– Board correction factor
– Power factor
– Sinking hull adjustment
– Assumed crew weight
– Foiling penalty