The argument could go both ways. Personally, I find something admirable about a craft that can actually go out and be sailed efficiently and under control in tropical storm force winds (I don't know of any craft that has broken the record in actual hurricane force wind). Windsurfers and kiteboards have an elegent simplicity that far exceedes the complexity and expense of l'hydroptere. If anything, I would consider l'hydroptere to be more of the "experimental rocketcar" than the windsurfer/kiteboard which can be easily purchased by any aspiring speed sailor.
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