Wonder if Mary would allow putting rigging and setup innovations on the "What have you done for SAILING today?" thread... or open up a separate setup thread?
The boats that are sailed are primarily determined by the activeness and marketing skills of the local dealer or the local class association. I have moved around Oz a lot sailing over the last two years and it amazes me that small different fleets are sailed at most clubs. Same class would be an ideal but diversity makes it interesting if the yardsticks are up to it.
I don't argue against diversity. I argue against way too many complex or awkward setups.
It's all about
timely support. Education. Technical support. Location support. More serious boats get their support from local communities.
There is a lot of technical/education support being tried. Hobie does a great job of offering published technical support.
Lots of sailing forums now recommend using the "search" feature because the same setup questions get asked over and over over time and forgotten.
