First off, it really annoys me that these numbskulls got 15 minutes of fame from this. Just another "catamarans are dangerous" story to add to the public's view of the boats. For this reason alone these people should be smacked hard on the head.

Second - if the shroud extender requires the mast to be pinned to keep it from falling off the step, you can't use it on the 18. The 18 has a really stupid design to the mast base - there's a "hinge plate" on the bottom of the mast that hinges/swings from the mast. The pin locks the plate to the mast step on the boat - with the pin in place the mast can't rotate. Even if you did leave it in, the mast could still "hinge" away and break the plate, putting you in the same situation of not having the pin in, except with broken parts.

!! rant mode on !! Afterthought to #2 point - why the hell hasn't Hobie gotten rid of this stupid design? It's the only boat in their lineup that has it. Are they so locked into one design they can't fix something like this? How dumb. It would seem they could easily make it consistent with one of the other boats, retire the need to have unique parts, and save money/cut costs. They could sell a retrofit kit and make more money. I'd buy one in a minute for my 18. !! rant mode off !!