Several years ago, Harry Newkirk and Tommy Fruitticher (with help from Mark Smith) rigged up a 5.0 (the old number for the 500) with the end-pole system from the Inter 17. It was a great platform and sailed like a dream - I raced it for a season, including two distance races... one of which was the 2001 Big Mouth regatta out of Pensacola Beach YC - the very first race my then-future wife sailed with me. We got third place and she reluctantly consented to marry me since I "showed some limited potential." <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />