Officially, you can find the class report there:
http://www.sailing.org/tools/documents/F182013ClassReport-[14362].pdf

The question is: 200 ISAF plates means 200 brand new F18 in 2012 ?
I'm waiting for the answer and like to know the repartition between nations and builders.

In France the most numerous fleet (24 slot for Grossetto, 17 slots for NED and 10 for USA) the F18 fleet developpment is now very low.


Class report official figures for 2012:
(1) FRA: 280 members (not boat... )
(2) NED: 200
(3) GER: 162
(4) ITA: 134
(5) USA: 134
(6) AUS: 082
(7) ARG: 072

You can create 10 brand new F18 design by year, open concept and others "I made it in my garage".
You can win a World Championship (indeed the sailors did).
The confidence is gone.

And for experimented sailors in old, (fast and wise ) F18 nations the key question is:
What is the interest of the F18 if the boat performance are not similar ?

F18 are expensive toys now (>20.000 euros approx. 25.000 USD) and more than this, their life cycle are as long as iphone ones.
That is a serious issue.

Thanks to, big hull, long daggerboard, paint on the hull and others "pushing the limit attitude".
That is not the good tempo for crisis time.
Unhappily, that cannot been stopped. I hope it will be soon.

Do not give up Olivier and please play with James and Don to protect our class from " technical developpment pusher".

By the way I think the class rules should follow the members weight, instead of thin sails and sail maker interest.
Very large sails (5 m2 jb and 23 m3 spi) for happy F18 sailors over 80 kg each, that will be a smart way.