we can have discussions without resorting to name-calling ;-)
An answer to some of your points:
1. "Taipan is a very fast boat and has already had sail concessions made within the F-16HP class if I remember correctly, so where the beef? "
Answer: none, sloop-rigged. That's where the sail-area concession came, in the jib. The cat-rig has a shorter mast AND less sail area. That's the beef. Do YOU want to sail with a shorter mast and less sail area than the guy next to you with the same rating? No, of course you don't.
2. "Didn’t all of these owners buy their boats with the 8.5-meter mast knowing full well it was not the maximum length?"
Answer: yes, assuming that they a) planned on racing f16, and b) realized that the rules allowed for taller masts. Unfortunately, this is not the case for many people. A number of people in the U.S. and of course Aus bought their boats either before F16, with F16 as a nice opportunity to sail with a spinnaker (majority) or with the assumption (supported by the F16 class) that their boats were "practically f16's" (majority). What it boils down to is, do you want these people to become more involved? That's what this is all about.
3. "Why all the sudden, would any US Taipan 4.9 owner want to buy a new mast."
Answer: reality check. Within reason, you can make a boat SOMEWHAT faster by adding both mast height AND crew weight. How many competetive 140 lb. A-class skippers do you see racing with 28 ft. masts? NONE. You just see a few 140-150 lb a-class skippers with 30ft. masts who just take their lumps in anything above 9kts windspeed. Ask the Aussies if they think even the 4.9 (remember, less mast and sail area) is a "lightweight's" boat.
3. "I would suspect it would take close to an additional ½ meter of mast to equal that out for the 165 lb sailor in light conditions…any comments?"
Answer: yes. Let me get this straight. You want me to give up any advantage I have in 1-7, by allowing you to have a taller mast. You are then going to have an advantage in 8+ as well, since you are heavier, and have a wider boat. Wow, that sounds fair. Wait, no it doesn't. Why don't you ask the 4.9's builders if they think a 140 lb cat-rig skipper has an overall advantage? They'll ask you if you're crazy ;-)
4. "I Why would one do so with the mast...I don’t think that argument holds any water."
Answer: You're exactly right, they won't. The performance increase wouldn't justify it. They'll just get fed up with getting beaten by a boatlength or two to the windward mark, even when they are equal to the other skipper, and go back to racing one-design. That was my point.
5. Regarding the development aspect... Stewart is building a moth-hulled boat, which is legal to race alongside a T4.9. You're telling me that limiting his mast height to 8.5 vs. 9 meters makes these one-design? Let's keep to the big picture here: We're limiting POWER, not overall design. Let's be fair here. I mean, if you really want an "open" class, why have a sail area limit or a mast height limit or a width limit? My point is merely that mast height = power, and you'll run off your base class if you don't limit it.
Again, I understand where you're coming from, and it's an exciting perspective. But I'm concerned about the growth of the class.
Thanks for you input,
Michael Coffman
