Well gee wizz, better add the Hobie 12/3.5 and H21 to the list of discontinued.

The thing is, and why we us (or at least me) inland/Midwest racers wanted to stick our heads in the sand and not see this coming is that Hobie sanctioned racing is the best available. Lakes aren't typically big enough for distance racing, it's all cans. This physical constraint also makes setting long enough weather legs impossible, and higher than national average wind speeds prevail on the plains from the Gulf to the Canadian border. I said earlier it seems there's a kite allergy, better stated, the time and effort in setup (when traveling to events) and short/er legs doesn't seem worth the "hassle", added to the fact we're talking about (as Stephen aptly put it) weekend warriors.

Other than Hobie sanctioned the choices are scarce. You say step out and try another boat. That may mean leaving it at a yacht club and racing the same few boats every Saturday, like was said, a couple guys trade off winning, and one finishes DFL every time...sound enticing? With the Hobie events that go on here at least there's enough boats that you can have a race within a race, in the typical 10 to 12 boat H20 start. That's what keeps OD racing fun for most.

We're spoiled with the speed of the 20, going back to the, comparitively speaking, weight sensitive 16 is not a pretty option. Us baby boomers' kids are racing now, have crewed on and are even buying 20's, that's why it hurts. Again, like Stephen said, we've raised these kids to think Hobie is the best boat. A boat with an overlapping jib is 'our niche'.

We can ride this out for five years or more. Suppose that's long enough to figure out viable alternatives. My fear is the racing will fragment and die in the interim.