Up until 2011 the Uni was actually rated faster than the sloop under SCHRS. The SCHRS technical committee spent appreciable time investigating what many felt an onerous handicap for the single handers and in the 2012 review ( http://www.schrs.com/img/pdf/SCHRS_Improvements_2012_updated_29_4_2012.pdf )set about changing some of the parameters to at least equalise the two boats. To change the handicap further would have meant appreciable change and the technical committee felt that bringing the two boats into line was for the moment as far they wanted to go. Changing further also had other ramifications on other classes as well. Read the report and you will get the picture.

5% is probably about right around the cans, but how can you get those sort of gains, yes A Class masts and sails will help, but we have to get more drive down lower so that RM isn't the major factor. Allowing the use of a small jib is probably the only way that can be done and no, in my opinion widening the boat, will only create further problems.

At the end of the day, if we as a class acknowledge we have a problem, we can all work together and if as I suspect we reach the conclusion that no, we can never equalise the boats, then we simply adapt our class stratergies to suit.