Come on... The cost of the boat is related to the game you want to play. You decide if it's worth it!

If you are pursuing an Olympic Campaign...A Tornado would have set you back about that amount.... Is a T worth it?

Take a look at the Melges 20 class... I think those boats are 50 to 60K... They come with an International racing circuit run by the builder. They have more class racing going on then does the F16 which has years of boats out in the fleets at 1/3 the price. The melges owners think its a good game to play.

The issue is not the cost of the boat per se... rather... Is there a race or set of races that I simply want to win or own the course records for!

The Seacart 30 that we race against on the Chesapeake is simply gone in any race... Hardly a contest unless it's a reachy kind of day. This owner researched the boat (15 world wide) got a deal, made an offer and decided he wanted to own some records and day sail with his wife!. So, it's worth every penny to him. He has owned LOTs of pricey high tech mono's... and says this is the most fun of them all. (We can't figure out why there are not more deep pocket sailors like him... cause we want a ride like our buddy George snagged)

The problem with the new Nacra boat is that there are no obvious races that you can point the thing at. The good news is that a few owners see it differently... Apparently, the quality of the ride is an overwhelming grin. The few races are good enough for them.

Nevertheless... my general rule... It's never about the boat... It is always about the game!

The same point must be made about an Open 20 rule. If the game is interesting enough, prestigious, competitive enough crazy, off the wall, or just of great personal interest to you.... You will play.

Like Dave, I see what these guys are trying to accomplish. There are as they say... lots of ways to skin a cat... My choice would have been to copy the EU and race like they do at CARNAC ...eg handicap... (I think it's a tough sell to say it's a level playing field)

So... IMO... its about the game to play, then the boat and the quality of the ride and then the dollars.. Would you spend any amount of money to compete in a game you don't want to play... Answer NO... Would you spend any amount of money to sail a boat that sails poorly? No... Life is too short.