i am delighted that the viper is gonna be the boat for 2009, will not only bring more f16s in might be able to use them as charter boats for the GC after the alter cup and allow more of our brothern from around the world to come here.
As for the hobie 16 stuff, I like others in the f16s first cut my cat teeth on a h16. Still a great boat considering its age.
I was one to always try and upgrade it (mylar square top) which is why the f16 was so much better fit for me.
But i do not think any class or person can make bad remarks about the boat or the way the class runs it. Hell we are no where near the size the hobie 16 fleet is and probably never will be. I learned while a member of a large lightening fleet that some times change that seems reasonalbe will actually destroy the class, so saying no is often nessasarry. I do not know about across the pond, but here most of our largest class are on boats that were designed way before i was born (h16, flying scot, thislte, lightning) and maybe we should not degrade how they run their class but take some examples from them, cause they have watched a lot of classes come and go, but they still are around.