macs - I respect you a great deal. I'm nearly a fan. But you're cherry picking the facts to support a position that has no bearing on the topic of this particular thread, unless your point is merely a cautionary statement that pursuit of lighter-weight platforms can be taken too far. I've seen structural failures (as have you) in "tough" boats like the Hobie 20, the Mystere 4.3 and the Nacra 6.0 - boats that some would contend are not good race platforms because they're "overbuilt," even though each of them enjoyed excellent class racing in their day. I remember, not long ago, there were rancorous posts from people that seemed dead set on forcing the F18 Class to begin a phase-in of reduced weight boats because manufacturers "can." I think that was just as much of a dead end as debating what they "can't."

On topic and paraphrasing a couple of great sailors - Bethwaite and Melges; Remove the excuses. Prepare your boat and kit as best you're able so that you'll have that confidence when you're on the race course. People carry this advice out to varying degrees. I know having a boat that is a specific weight is part of that preparation for people that I race often. I'm fortunate that it isn't something that worries me anymore with my current boat - at first I obsessed over it, but racing in the US F18 fleet has shown me there are other areas that require more of my attention.