Personally I chose the Viper in this poll

Not H16 for reasons stated earlier by myself and some others

Not Tiger as I really do feel that that is not as well suited to mixed crews as some others, neither is it a true modern design with the non-wing alu mast and the old style hullshape. Its international SMOD class is in my opinion almost non-existant, due to many changes made by hobie itself or by the owners under the F18 pressure, and hence not an argument in its favour. It is NOT a spi equivalent of the H16 in this respect.

Not Spitfire. Good design but also too limited in its presence world wide when compared to others. It simply offers no advantages over the other options.

Not nacra F16 pr Nacra 17 , good approach with the 17 but both designs are too much unknowns and I don't like taking risks with what may be our last shot at the big O. Also new boats need to go through a few years of development and refinement before they are finished, something ISAF is very scared off.

Viper (smod) yes ! Why, it has proven to be an excellent boat for 2-up crews in the given weight range with a modest international presence with a builder that can supply boats and has already done so several times the world over (think Alter Cup) . It is in fact more a 2-up design than a 1-up design contrary to its F16 origins. It will be even more so with the right sailcut. Also I' m convinced that it will be fitted with a carbon mast for the Olympics , going on what I've been told by some in the know. This makes it alot more attractive to olympic hopefuls I'm told and not something the H16, Tiger or Spitfire are considering at this time. I'm told several Vipers with carbon masts are already sailing in France almost since the launch of the class there a few years ago.

They only thing the Viper may be accused of lacking at this time is curved foils or a wingsail a la AC45. However i thinks latter is impractical for regular regatta sailing and the first is only a small issue in the grant scheme of things especially when the racing is SMOD anyway.

I feel AHPC, Darren and Carlijn are campaigning hard for the Viper and hence I also think this design stands a good chance of being selected politically.

Wouter