Would it be possible to create fora for each class of Bavaria, or to cross reference posts by boat type to give an alternative way of accessing material of interest ?
This is one area where I know what I'm talking about, having studied electronic conferencing for a recent degree course. If sub-categories are necessary (and generally I don't think they are) then these should focus on aspects that the different boats have
in common (Engine, Rigging etc) not on what makes them
different (Bavaria 30, Bavaria 31, Bavaria 32 etc).
The best way to make sure that posts can be referenced is to use a descriptive subject. Subjects such as "HELP!" are useless, and where possible I will change them; but so far most topics have been well described. In addition, it can be useful to start each post with a summary describing the topic in more detail than the subject, but less than in the body of the post.
[UPDATE]
There is a powerful Advanced Search facility on the forum, see the
Search link in the row below the forum title (or below your avatar if you have not collapsed the window header with the
button on the top right of the window):
Home Help Search ... Note that the Search box and button on the top right of the window is a Quick Search. This is not as useful, which is why it vanishes if you collapse the header as above.