I don't know why everybody keeps talking as though there has to be just one boat to fit all. That is impossible, especially when talking about kids and the dramatic changes they go through from ages 7 to 18. (Cripe, look at the huge variety of cats we adults have to choose from.)
Wouter's boat sounds perfect, as I keep saying, for the older kids and for adults. What's wrong with that?
It seems logical that we need at least two boats: a smaller, lower-performance boat for the little kids and Wouter's boat for the older kids.
So what is the problem?
One group should work on Wouter's concept and build a prototype, and another group should work on the 12-foot or 11-foot concept and build a prototype for that.
Until boats are built and some market testing is done, all this is conjecture and theory. None of us REALLY know what kids are going to like, regardless of their age category.
It would probably help if we just forget about the Formula 12 class idea, since the boats within the class are probably never going to be able to race against each other boat for boat anyway, and just concentrate on a couple of very different one-design boats for two different, basic age categories and purposes.
It might turn out that we need an 8-foot boat or a 9-foot boat or a 10-foot boat. So it is probably silly to think about formula at this point. Let's make some boats that float and see what works, as far as the kids are concerned.
That IS what this is all about, isn't it?
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