Jules the guys are a little bit jumpy because "breaking when you look at it" is a common trick deployed by others to give lightweight boats a bad name. And in most instances it is not founded in facts.

Surely Hobie 16 and Prindle 16 hulls are build like a tank although I must say that I had quite a few travellers pop out of the Hobie track and ruptured a few Prindle castings. So what is low maintainance ?

Now, if the local hobie dealor says he popped two booms within one hour than we'll just have to take his word for it; although it doesn't really strike me as "normal" experience on a Taipan 4.9. And I would love to say Hobie alternative as their booms on newly sold hobie designs are now made in the same way as the Taipan boom and from memory it is even the same diameter tube.

With respect to answering your questions :

Glass hulls = good dependable hull, nothing wrong with those

Kevlar reinforced hulls = Makes the hulls a little more resistant to denting and impacting point loads. From what I know these hulls don't differ significantly with regard to stiffness and such from the glass hulls.

Timber hulls = A funny thing about timber is that these Taipans have proven to have at least as long competitive life span a as the fibre boats. Timber boats of 10 years old are still very much competing for first places in the Taipan Nationals. Ofcourse Timber has a differ way of breaking than glass when the impact forces are high enough but it doesn't seem to be weak at all. It is even claimed that timber is easier to repair than glass. Timber did always had the advantage that boats could be build to minimum weight, something that took some doing with the fibre boats.

Personally I did some research on timber boats and the comments and info I got made me decide to go for a timber hull. So you may say it got me convinced.

What I suggest is that you try to talk to as many Taipan sailors as you can in private mail and find out what you can. I'm also sure that one of the Asutralian guys will be very willing to take you along for a full scale test ride. Do it and make up your own opinion. It has proven to be the best approach in the past, There has not been one single Taipan sailor/owner who wasn't very positive about the design and its behaviour.

Have fun sailing and till next time

Wouter