The Viper though is not Aus built. At last tally it was being built in Thailand. They also supposedly use the pieces where possible from the F18 to keep cost down. This is a convienece issue and not specifically done to improve or stiffen anything. MYopinion on the Viper is that it is an afterthought. They took a Cap hull and cut 2 feet out of it and used the same bits. The Blade was purpose designed for the F16. The latest generation boats, like the new Falcon appears to have done, is to continue to refine the shape and performance and the parts specifically for the F16.
Maybe one of the Euro guys can correct me on this, but the last I heard was that the 104 class rules had yet to be agreed on, and that in their last revision, the Viper did not quite meet the requirements. Seems like a creative push to try and double dip.
Viper hulls are currently built in Thailand alongside the Capricorn and Taipan 4.9 hulls. Fit out and assembly is done in AUS.
Cap beams are used for convenience, reducing cost and has resulted in a VERY stiff platform.
There is a lot more to the Viper than 2 feet cut off the Cap. I will try and find out more, however, it is not as high in the bow, has more volume up front and less volume aft. Whilst the hulls look simular, they are quite a bit different and have proven to be very quick. So much so that a new Cap will be on the way soon taking advantage of what they have learned with the old models (which was passed onto the Viper)
From what I have heard, the Viper fits very nicely into the 104 parameters. This was more of a fluke when building the boat and was not the aim. All intentions were to build a high quality F16 whilst maintaining a realistic price tag.
