I didn't mean to sound so standoffish when I said 'bastardizing' but the point I really want to make is that these classes are not going to work without manufacturer support. While I intend to convert to the New England rig, I'm not doing it so I can go up against boats designed totally differently. I also disagree that Nigel and Alex can get on a N6.0NE and start passing all the other I20 top dogs (I'm sure they'll pass me however). These boats and hull shapes and sail plans with totally different characteristics and purposes. The N6.0NA - ala New England - is the strongest class thing I've ever seen that was sailor driven but Nacra still poo-poo'd it - why?

A manufacturer does not have any incentive to get involved in such a sailor driven (and random) issue. Look at where F18 is. While it's not quite caught on here in the U.S., it's getting there. With the Nacra F18 and the Hobie Tiger to start seeing each other more often, Nacra and Hobie will have more incentive to aggressively market their boats and go after sailors. They'll have more incentive to do more development work with larger resources than you or I have in our back yards. My point is that a formula class, for which the boats are specifically designed, has a much greater chance of fair competition, advancement in technology, and freebies for the sailors.