There is a third choice of boat that is between premium don't-touch-the-dock! racing boats and the drag-it-up-the-beach recreational boat, isn't there? Just a great, agile ride. Does Blade 16 compare with FXOne or the 580?
I think the FX-one compares alot more closely to the Blade F16 then the Nacra 580. I personally don't see any advantage of the Nacra 580 over the other boats mentioned. It is not significantly faster, but it does weight a ton more. It still has foamed core hulls and that means that it too will dent and crack when struck or encountering a rock or sharp pebble.
The FX-one is just as much a modern foam cored and flat keeled hull as any other modern cat. In fact, halve the difference in weight between an F16 and FX-one is found in other parts then the hulls. Heavier mast, heavier daggerboards, heavier rudders, heavier rudderstock and heavier beams. So don't expect its hulls to be significantly more dent resistant. The data simply doesn't support such a claim. In fact there is a FX-one with two dents in its hulls that I'm guilty of putting them in.
Best advice is as Matt says; get a test ride on all of them and then decide.
Wouter
