Thank you Mark,
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<br>actually on the numbers I'm moving more and more to the conviction that a longer boat isn't optimal as is often claimed. It makes it heavier and considerably adds wetted surface area. Actually in light air it is bad. Were it not for the fact that the I20 is overpowered than it would be a "slow" boat. Slow meaning here that it doesn't give the performance that you would expected by going maxed out like this. I'm beginning to believe more and more that a light weight 16 footer is capable of beating both boats of F18 and iF20 classes on elapsed time. The beam really is the limiting factor in heigher winds and less weight combined with high aspect determines light air performance. In light air having a wide beam is a definate drawback in manouvres, long length is a drawback here too. Wider and bigger created bigger loads and stresses making the craft heavier and everything is adding drag. Cats have now come to the point were smaller is becoming better.
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<br>Ofcourse a big boy will have its optimal windstrength where it beats all others, but smaller and lighter is better over a far bigger range of windstrengths.
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<br>Have you seen the 16 foot Stealth result in the Piers race (UK) I know that the crew of the Stealth is a very capable crew but
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<br>Storm (with big rig)
<br>06:12:12
<br>Tornado
<br>06:38:42
<br>INter 20
<br>06:44:32
<br>Hurrican 5,9
<br>06:45:30
<br>Inter 20
<br>06:45:28
<br>Stealth R
<br>06:46:06
<br>Inter 20
<br>06:45:28
<br>Mystere F18
<br>06:52:46
<br>Hurrincan 5,9 special
<br>06:54:41
<br>Hurrican 5,9 sport
<br>06:59:24
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<br>And several I20 , F20 , hurricanes 5,9 , Storm and another tornado in the 7 hours + range.
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<br>Stealth was 5th across the line. And only 33 min / 372 min = 9 % slower than number 1 the storm with big rig and only 8 / 398 = 2 % slower than the 2nd fastest 20 footer the tornado. The fastest I- 20 only finished 88 seconds before the Stealth. And Stealth beat all F18's on elapsed time.
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<br>Astonishing isnt it ?
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<br>Okay, I allready said that the Stealth had a 'very good crew but some many of the F20's and F18's and Hurricanes (special this, sporty that) gotten equalled or beaten on elapsed time that this might well be a very strong indication that the smaller 16 footers like the Stealth have the potential to have the same speed potential as the bigger formula classes. I mean some of those big boats must have had very good crews on them too, right ? The 6 mtr. boats are rather packed together in time. Most of them came in in a 4 % time range.
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<br>OKay this might have been just the one race. But the Stealth with an rating that is only 1% slower than the F18 has won all past three races on corrected time !!! Meaning that no F18 ever finished more than 1% ahead in time than the Stealth. I will say nothing with respect to the F20 for their rating is off, I'm sure about that.
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<br>I think the 16 footers are at an optimal balance point and that they are on the rise. To name five 16 footers that have shown to be humbling fast wit respect to the big boys :
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<br>Isotope (USA)
<br>Poison Oak (USA)
<br>Hardcore 16 (USA)
<br>Taipan 4.9 (Aus, forced to race with 18 footers in Aus for this reason)
<br>Stealth (UK, Europe)
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<br>Check out their D-PN's or Texel ratings
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<br>Its still raining here, it's going to be a long weekend.
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<br>Wouter
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