To all, both F16 members and non-members

As evidenced by the other threads, the same group of non-F16 sailing distractors has again performed their annual wrecking project. They always do it in the lead up to the summer as to maximize the negative effect. Each time they milk the same "misunderstandings" and "perceived controversies". As such I (as the class co-founder) feel it is wise to restate the F16 class mission as expressed when we started with this class back in 2001.

Back then, several of us were looking at cat designs that would allow us to maximize our time on the water and that would reflect the true state of boat construction. Several of us, like in this case myself, tried various products by well known catamaran builders and felt discouraged. I could personally not bring myself to pay double the purchase cost for a "modern design" that weighted more then my 1974 Prindle 16 and had a cut-down F18 mast that was so stiff that its rig felt totally unresponsive to me. Thanks to the efforts of Jim Boyer in the USA we saw an example of how things could be different. We saw how the Taipan 4.9 suffered none of these drawbacks and also was the better of all its "modern" competition. Yet, its one-design class rules didn't really make it suitable to be succesfully introduced into Europe and the USA. The rig was in need of an update (square-tops) and a spinnaker was vital to keep up with the rapidly developping F18 fleet and the profound change this caused in the catamaran scene. Additionally, the initial mathematical models predicted that small modifications could make the Taipan faster still and bring it to equivalence with the F18's. The OD Taipan class didn't see any reason to accomodate these modifications and as such the decision was taken to start a-new and create the Formula 16 class. This decision also allowed other makes of the first hour like the Stealths and Bimares to be included. That is the F16 history in a nuttshell.

While creating this new F16 class we also devised a new way of looking at the catamaran scene. We felt that strict OD class (especially Single Manufactorer OD) were basically a losing policy in a catamaran scene that was to be dominated by formula rule sets. We also envisioned that a formula rule set allows builders and suppliers to better generate income from their products. Therefore limited development, or slowed-down development, was seen as beneficial rather then a drawback. If such development can be slowed-down to a pace where an arms-race was unlikely to develop then all parties would be served best. Customers getting true up to date designs and quality components and the suppliers generating stable revenue from a scene that has a stable demand for new products and components. Therefore anybody decrying development should not in any way be interested in the F16 class. That was a concious decision by the class founders, we figured that more then enough sailors who are interested in slow development are to be found to support this class anyway. For the others, there are enough (dying) SMOD classes ready to welcome them with open arms.

Secondly, the founders figured that deriving fun and enjoyment from sailing F16's was most important of all. Not sailing old junk is important in this respect but not exclusively so. We considered it to be bad sportmanship to be overcritical of crew make-up or suboptimal designs. Therefore we always welcomed different crewmake-up in a single start as well as suboptimal designs. The main idea was to have larger fleets and more enjoyment while persueing our hobby then when needlessly creating multiple small disjointed fleets. It was our luck that we discovered that the same basic F16 design could be made to perform about the same with a 2-up crew as with a 1-up crew. Removing the jib and getting a mainsail cut specifically for 1-up sailing would negate much of the difference between both makes which is also reflected in the handicap numbers that are almost identical. Of course, we expected somee people to object to this (often because their guts claim to be more knowlegdeable then long running handicap systems and design models), but that is of no real importance. In the F16 class we chose "fun-while-persueing-our-sailing-hobby" over "hard-core-cut-throat-racing". From the very beginning we envisioned the F16 class as being an introduction class to catamaran racing, preferably leading up to to more hard-core racing as supported by the racing-oriented F18 and A-cat fleets. So again, if anybody has a personal problem with 1-up F16's and 2-up F16's sharing a start and score listing then he or she knows what to do; buy a F18 or A-cat and stop souring the fun for the more relaxed F16 sailors who mainly attend the F16 events for fun, to improve themselves and a have a serious giggle on the race course. It is the vision of the F16 class that such an open environment is the best environment to attract youths to catamaran sailing/racing and thus grow the scene with new blood. Additionally, the F16 class was always envisioned to work in conjunction with other classes like the F18's, A-cats, Tornado's and some low cost youth class like the Hobie dragoon, nacra 500's, Hobie 16's or SL16's. It was never the intent for the F16's to "take the scene" or "dominate the scene". We just wanted to fill in a gap that missing in the larger catamaran scene and we did. Thus provide a viable path between the true youth classes and the true high level racing classes as this gap was simply to big to bridge. Of course the other benefit was the creation of a class which products are alot of fun to sail and has a claim to exitance in that way too.

Now none of this prevents any sub group of F16 sailors to organise serious hard-core race events for themselves but it does exclude this group from dominating the F16 class as a whole. In the end, the F16 class is intended as a versatile class for sailors who are oriented towards recreational racing and fun sailing. For parents with kids and adults who may often may find themselves switching between 2-up and 1-up sailing and don't have the resources to buy both a F18 and an A-cat. In the end the F16's will always be a compromise between these two extremes, although you wouldn't say that from the proven performance of the F16's. In the end were are not a full-blown hardcore racing class with limits on every detail like the F18's nor a full-blown development class like the A-cats. The F16 class rules reflect this situation very well.

It is to each interested party to decide whether this suits him or her or not. If it doesn't then clear alternatives are available to them.


With kind regards,

Wouter


P.s. More considerations can covered but won't be at this time.