Nacra missed the chance to deliver a boat that made the viper redundant at the top level, and that I believe is an opportunity missed from a commercial point of view. Every manufacturer wants more market share and the competitive advantage of entering into a class with room to improve on the current offerings is a rare situation and not one that should be missed.
Macca
I agree with your first point.
I differ on this second point. The other interpretation is that Nacra believes that this class is targeted to club racers and boats on the line will trump a tiny bit more of performance in selling boats and growing a fleet. So... by joining the game at the Viper level... they protect their investment and can sell new owners on the prospects of fun racing at the club level against a fleet of similar boats.
The US experience in choosing between the light F18HT design and the Heavy F18 design supports the argument that light does not trump the potential for mass appeal. (known builders and EU acceptance)
Also, cornering the market is not all it's cracked up to be! ... the old F20 class cratered when Ventilo built the fastest light design and every body else just bailed on the class. Marstrom cornered the market in the Tornado class but succeeded because the boat was Olympic. Cornering the market only works when the elite sailors are looking for an edge and the olympic class drove this forward.
No one has ever said... the F18 rule has created the best 18 footer ever built.... It is the popular and successful 18 footer. So.... being popular trumps being the best. (And no one has cornered the market in F18's.)
Final point... Nacra does not give a damn about the Single hand Spin market that really wants a light boat..... They tried and failed to get lift off with F17. Hobie tried and failed with the FX1. I believe they now recognize that Single handed RACING is different and the A class has filled that niche a bit better. If light weight single handed spin boat racing were going to take off world wide because the sailors of the world were dying for just the right boat... ... then the Marstrom M18 or the several light F16 designs would have taken off over the last ten years.
I predict a successful two up F16 class with Vipers, Nacra's and eventually Hobie. I predict a much much smaller one up class at the lighter weight. (Assuming the class evolves to keep the name) For club racing.... Handicap or level racing will always dominate... and in the EU... where they would much rather race in big fleets... events like Carnac will put all of the 16 and 17 footers on the water in a handicap spin class.
