Last thing, there is a rumor that nacra will build a F104 in the near future
There is also the rumour that the Viper F16 is really a F104; so I don't trust rumours very much.
With regard to the Nacra F104, that will basically be the Inter 17 with a jib and a crew of two.
They have been trying that concept on and off over the last 5 years. Actually that was the way the Inter-17 was born in australia in 1998 I believe as a sloop doublehander. Nothing new there.
The only new thing is now that is yet another version of the Inter 17 that is slightly different than all the versions that went before it.
Nacra F17/F104 :
http://www.nacraeurope.com/nacra17.phplength : 5.25 mtr.
width : 2.50 mtr
mast height : 8.60 mtr (using the aluminium infusion wing mast, instead of the US carbon mast)
mainsail area : 15.5 sq. mtr.
mainsail luff : about 8.1 mtr
jib area : 3.50 sq. mtr.
jib luff : 5.0 mtr
Asym. spinnaker : 19 sq. mtr.
weight : 140 kg ex. spi package ex. jib package and ex. additional weight of alu mast => 150 kg
These specs can be found of the nacra Europe webpages and past experiments, like the old EU sloop version of the Inter 17. It replaces the US carbon mast with the infusion aluminium mast. Of course the daggerboards, beams, rudders and blocks all come of the Nacra's F18 designs.
And they probably try to ship the production of the hulls of to Australia or Asia.
Let me see ...
AUS I-17, EU I-17, US I-17R, EU I-17XL, US F17, EU I-17/F104
So that makes it the 6th different version of the (strict One-Design) Inter-17 in about 9 years time.
Wouter
