Just something to consider: if we want manufacturers to keep building these things, maybe we should stop doing things like taking away all hope of profit by demanding hulls be replaced over a few pounds, or refusing to buy them, especially if there is data that shows it doesn't matter on the race course. I doubt they sell enough of these to sustain that for very long.
Mike
Yeah, I see your point - but if I'm plopping $20k+ down a new boat where the class minimum weight is an obvious expectation and it isn't made, I'm not going to be very happy with my purchase or the manufacturer. They would lose a lot of subsequent business if people knew that their boats may not be at minimum weight.
This also happened to a major A-cat manufacturer recently...and let me tell you, those guys aren't happy when they spend $25k on a boat (before buying a mast or sail) and it's 6% over minimum weight.
Minimum weight is part of the expectation in these classes. You could argue that the sailors hurt the manufacturer with their demands but you could also argue that their sales are going to go flat if they can't keep their platform weight at or slightly under the minimums.
