Basicaly when we speak of the big builders we have Nacra and Hobie. They already have product that is at or very close to this. It is expensive to tool up for a new model, and even more so if you want light as not only the glass work needs tooled, but extrusions and likely new fittings.

The catamaran world is pretty small and building additional models fragments it even further. If I was either of these builders I would not consider making a true F16 from a business standpoint, but grasping concepts like a 104 would be interesting to promote what I already have.



A full blown spin boat wheter it is 16 or 18 feet is pretty close to the same cost. Fittings wise it is the same, labor wise it is the same, you just save a couple of sf of laminate in the hulls and a couple of square feet of sail material.I have lost count on how many changes the F17 has gone through, and the FX1 is following suit all to try and get some form of volume moving in those brands as they have never reached a volume mometum either despite the name and comapny backing both those models have. A heavy weight F16 or baby F18 if you want to call it that, serves no purpose in my opinion. The costs can not be enough lower to generate its own large scale market and it serves to to potentialy deplete the current F18 class by fragmenting the limited number of cat sailors out there.

The F16 rule as it applies now, does attract a somewhat different buyer with a noticably lower class weight and the versatility of the rules. The people who have them seem very loyal and it fits well with a number of buyers. I am in this becuase of the boat as it fits my needs perfectly. Whether the class lives up to or surpasses the F18 standard is yet to be seen. If there is ever a large enough growth, the big builders will tool up. I do not think that matters now, for what it is worth in my view.

Matt