(...)
The 18 is a great non-racing day sailor platform (Hell, it's still a good racer, but the new boats are a new game). From a manufacturing standpoint, cut costs by getting rid of the custom castings and use parts from other boats in continued production to cut cost. Daggerboards from other boats (using an insert in the trunk or something), or maybe use the centerboard system from the 17 for less hassle day sailing. It's got roller furling, add a reefing system for the main. Make it a smaller more affordable 21sc. Get people day sailing with their kids instead of racing.
Just an idea.
I think that Nacra did just that with the 570 and the 500, they took the hulls from the 5.7 and the 5.0 and used parts from the Inter like the crossbeams. I would still feel safer with a fiberglass hull than a rotomoulded hull in the long run
I think that the thing that saves the old Nacra's was the buoyancy and the simplicity of the rigging. The Hobie 18 is more complicated and much less forgiving than the Nacra 5.7/570.
However, I will miss the Hobie 17, I recently acquired a Nacra 5.2 but I really considered the Hobie 17 as well. The only problem that I found about the Hobie 17 is that it is much more expensive than the Nacra 5.2 in the used market and that it is rated slower. Also, the hull seemed smaller than the Nacra and I was afraid that it might have some buoyancy problems (I am a bigger guy and I also sail with a crew)
Another thing is that the FX-one and the Inter17 have demonstrated that there is a market for the 17’ single handler/double handler catamaran and I think that a cheaper cat would have been nice in the line-up
