I am tired of this one up two up debate...
This thing is a just red herring issue.

if the race results correctly describe the configuration AND you sail the same course... The boats could be in two starts seperated by 5 minutes and it won't matter. (both ratings are off)

You need to get elapsed times for the first F18, the N20, the first F17 in the race...as well as your two F16 configurations. You can't depend on the RC to send in results that matter to you. That is your responsiblity as a new class. The last class to handle this issue was the F18HT rating.... Intiatlly given a slow rating... the class leaders collected the data, turned it in and showed that the accurate rating was quite fast. They did not depend on the RC for this or sit passivley by for years. (PS Wouter can't do it from Holland either... Lord Knows he tried)

Bob's point is that when you sail as a one design fleet and the RC is lazy... no times are taken... Net result no data.
You have to Ask, Plead, Pay off in beer... whatever to get the data collected.

Bob's other point is that you have to sail the boat to it's rating. He could ask... What current F16 sailors have ever sailed any cat to it's rating... (evidence... success in an established one design fleet where the PN rating for that class is really solid.)


Remember.. the US System is DESIGNED to adjust slowly. Even if 5 rock stars joined the fleet tommorow... the rating would adjust by 25% of the new rating. and the following year... it will adjust downward by another 25%.

YOur class has inherited a situation. The solution is to RESET the rating.

This situation is similar to the Supercat 20 TR rating. Over the years... old sails on poorly prepped boats, novice racers, generated an adjusment of rating upwards... relative to when the boat was actively raced. Eventually, The PN committe reset the rating to the accurate historical rating.

Your problem is the reverse...