Commericially build and sold plain glass and alu aipan 4.9 = 102 kg

Quite a few Taipans were measured in the range 102-103 kg around 2000.

Spinnaker package can be made for low cost at 5 kg.

Combined they produce 107 kg minimum weight.

I have never heard of Taipans being fragile boat or use exotic materials like carbon fibre or even epoxy resin.

Therefor one can commerically build and sell an F16 at 107 kg min weight in sloop atire.

Well build homebuilds also came in at around 105 kg ex spinnaker.

Now it may be the case that trading off some weight against additional stiffness will make the boat faster overall. But that is of no importance for the class rules. A safe and reasonable prized F16 can be build for 107 kg and that is uncontested. It is up to be buyer whether he or she believes stifness is more important then being lightweight.

And if more weight + more stiffness is faster then why b!tch about the minimum weight at all. You got the faster boat and the lighter ones are disadvantaged relative to you, right ?

With respect to cost. I believe the all carbon Stealth F16 is still cheaper then the most basic glass/alu Viper. There is only so much one can do with class rules; local economic conditions may favour different solutions.

Wouter