Hello Phat Bouy,

I basically have Taipan hulls, rudders, daggers and mast making up an one-off F16; meaning it is full spec F16 in all other specifications except overall weight. My boat is a homebuild and therefore a little overweight (120 kg vs min 107 kg).

Basically, any 3rd generation F16 has the "new" hull volume but not all manufacturers use it as the core of their advertising. A 3rd generation F16 is the Falcon F16, Aussie Blade F16 (first into this respect) and the Viper F16. The 2nd generation F16's are the Stealth F16 and the US/VWM Blade F16 with the Taipan and such being the 1st generation. However the Stealth is hard to classify accurate as it can be put in either the 2nd or 3rd generation group based on its volume and its use of T-foils that make it a very stable ride overall. But the Stealth is not available to you and so we'll leave it at that. I have recently seen the Aquaraptor in the flesh but am, as of yet, unsure of where to put it in the way of hull volume/related behaviour; so we'll leave that one out of the analysis as well.

For 1-up sailing you don't really need that much of hull volume but it is always heaps better to have too much volume then to little and so it is better to optimize the boat for 2-up sailing. The Taipan platform is actually quite fast when sailed 1-up, especially in the light winds. It may even be the fastest 1-up F16 today when it is fully up to date in sails etc. In 2-up sailing it is less capable and is pretty much limited competitively to 145 kg max. For 2-up sailing it also really needs a selftacking jib or the trampoline space is really too small for the crew. The Aussie Blade and Viper have solved all such issues.

The Taipan also has a tendency to dive when going from upwind to downwind and when overtaking steep waves at high speed under spinnaker. You can learn to compensate for that as a skipper but it is another thing to do when racing. The newer boats are noticeably better here. It appears the VWM Blade F16 is well suited to 1-up sailing as the lower sail loads are more in line with its bow volume. Weight carrying wise this boat can also carry up to 165 kg competitively as basically all modern F16's. As such it is somewhere between the Taipan and Aussie Blade/Viper for 2-up sailing and somewhere at the top for 1-up sailing together with the (upgraded) Taipan.

So that is a describtion of the scene.

In my opinion, you can regard the Taipan as a relatively inexpensive F16 if you accept learning some additional skills for rough weather and diving. The Viper is the better AHPC product when it comes to 2-up sailing, no doubt about that. It is simply a full-on F16, especially for 2-up sailing. I'm not sure how it is under 1-up sailing though. I expect it to be very capable as well but not many Viper sailors appear to use it in that role. Typically F16 sailors with dominant 1-up schedules tend to gravitate towards the other F16 models.

Personally, I have heard only good things about the Aussie Blade F16 and it was very fast when singlehanded in the rough by Marcus at the GC 2007 and Gary at various Aus events. Its hull volume is practically the same as the Viper and such handle 2-up sailing accordingly. However, not too many 2-up crews have raced this model thus far. Personally, I would arrange for a test ride on either model and only then decide. That is if you are in the market for a truly new boat (higher costs) as neither will have many secondhand options. The Taipans will of course be very decent F16's for the right (secondhand) price.

I hope this gives you a better handle on the decision before you.

With kind regards,

Wouter