Actually, I'm amazed that for now, in the F16 class, nobody has tried to bring the F16 in France. I maybe wrong, but isn't France one of the biggest sport catamaran market???
It has been tried but the French market is very hard to get into. Mostly they want to buy locally, just as the Americans do. So you are left with the problem that in order to get a local agent or builder you must have a viable class going on locally, but to have viable class going on locally you need a local agent or builder. How do solve such a "chicken and egg" problem ?
This is compounded by the fact that the F16 class is a straight up challenge to designers and builders. It is simply alot easier to produce 150 kg F104's then 107 kg F16's. Mostly because one can use most major parts of the existing F18 models and then pour cement in the hulls to get up to weight. <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />
With the F18 class people have gotten a different perspective of weight; they feel that a 150 kg F104 is lightweight when as far back as 3 decades ago all beach catamarans were 150 kg or lighter. The best counterexample is the Nacra 5.2 because it shares the same dimensions as the Hobie FX-one and Nacra Inter-17 as well a the BCM evolution. Same sail area and rig height, same length hulls and also 150 kg. I think the Nacra 5.2 was designed in the late 70's.
And there you have all the "evolution" over the past 30 years; summerized in one single item "adding a spinnaker"
Anyway back to topic.
I read that some of you are thinking about coming at the next eurocat, in carnac. That is shurely a good idea! The best would be to have 20 F16 or more to get your own separate regatta... Or maybe ask the comittee to race with F18!?
What we really need is not so much 20 boats at Carnac (that will be difficult as all must come from afar) but have the best F16 sailors at Carnac. I'm thinking about :
Our World champion Hans
About Gill and Kathleen (They are seriously fast)
About John Pierce making a slam dunk on his newest Stealth
About Greg or Remco showing of their 125 kg Viper.
Crews like that, crews that will sail in front of the fleet. There is no point in having me there, giving a hurry up to the tail enders ! <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />
Especially not when hot shots like Loday, Boulogne and the Spit guys are showing their stuff in the C1 class.
Wouter
