Andrew,

Indeed I am emotionally attached to the F16 and indeed that sometimes makes me see thing in less clear terms.

I readily admit to that. Actually, my posts also tend to come across more harsh and disrespectful then I really intent to be. I'm just such an intense person in my arguing. I admit to that as well.

But your post did get me going I'm afraid. Truly nothing personal, I took issue with the statements made. This has almost nothing to do with how well the F18's are doing and I'm convinced you understand that yourself as well. We are not going after the same target of sailors or even trying to compete directly with the F18's.

I would venture that both the F18 and F16 classes has attained succes were others have failed. Both did so through largely different means and under very different conditions. Knowing the F18 experience will always be helpful, but not directly applicable to the F16's. An illustration may be that the builders that started the F18 succes back in 1993 have totally failed to replicated that success with their smaller boats c.q. singlehanders.

So I think your statement "now why is that? Answer this one and you will be on your way to success" is not correct. Also the existance and growth of the F16 now indicates our approach works as well.





I understand that, but that doesn't mean that actions by other people associated with the class aren't. Most remarkably, why would Nacra feel the need to have changed the Inter-17 design significantly 6 times in the last 9 years if it wasn't responding to pressures coming from the market place. But why haven't the F16's done so as well then ? Even if the classes didn't know anything about eachother and operate in total isolation then this would suggest the F16 analysis was right from the beginning onwards.

Interestingly enough it doesn't really matter how you turn it about. The end result is the same. It is that the other classes (except the F18's) must study the F16 concept and the road it took to succes rather then the other way around. The sidewalks are littered with failed attemps were the F16 succesfully continued, among these 18HT's, Jav-16's, Hobie Max's, SL16's, Swell Shadows, Cirrus Energy's are indeed also 4 different Inter-17 attempts (AU I-17, EU I-17, EU I-17XL and now the US I-17R as well as it is replaced by the US F17 and EU F17).

Maybe I'm arguing here that if Nacra and Hobie aren't copy-catting the F16's already then they would do well to start now ! <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

With all due respect to you personally and the companies named in this post.

Wouter