[quote
I was hoping someone would chime in on the weight comparison. The weight difference is negligible?

Two more questions:
1. Are they the same rudder blade profiles? Probably not. What are the differences?

2. What is the mechanism for holding the stocks on the pintles? Does it use the clip (like the Cap and Taipan) or the little pins like the other Blades?

Ok - that is more than two questions....... [/quote]

Either system is available upon request when buying a boat.

Weight wise they are very close when using the same tiller atachment system. I have not stuck them on a scale, but the bent aluminum may be just a few grams lighter. Holding them in your hands it is very difficult to tell much difference.

The foils were developed separately and unfortunately in hind site, they are not interchangeable between the 2 different style stocks. The shapes are very similar though and although I am not that skilled a sailor, I was not able to detect any difference in boat handling. The difference is in how they are deployed up and down. That is just a matter of personal preference. Although the foils are not changeable within the stocks, the 2 systems can be interchanged on a boat with little difficulty. The pull down system requires a release cleat and exit block to be installed on the rear beam, so going the other way is very simple. Unfortunately the ackerman is also a little different, so the tiller tie bar for each system would also be different.

We use the pins for attachment. I dislike drilling additional holes in a hull. Fitting the clip is a relatively simple procedure if desired.

Matt