Tom and all,

1. First of all,...if you all are poppin' chutes in 20mph,.....then you single-handed sailors have the 'right stuff'...congrats and applause to you all,..I am going to look at the pics you suggested

2. As to the I-17 hull relationship to the water,..as to being 'bow down' as compared to 'seeing light under the bow'....again, you are correct,...it is skipper weight placement......in fact, that is how i sailed the 1st year,..'bow up',.....first year on the boat for me and I was in the top 5 so I was happy,........

3....then the F-16 forum ( Wouter and the Austrailians and others),....dialed me in,.......this is definately a 'bow down' upwind design,...the whole design of the I-17 likes going upwind with the majority of the bow in the water,..I target mine at 50% to 80% submerged at full throttle, never thinking about 'backing down' either....the boat just likes it and,..if I do not blow a tack in a wave,..the I-17 usually is at the top mark first (...and I am an average skipper, ..so it is not me..).........as a note,..the I-17 will fully submerge the bow upwind but does not like it ( I am sure you have seen this),..for it is a precusor for a very nice,slow pitchpole (...because it is slo,..I merely throw my weight 'back and out' and the bow comes back)

4. The local FX-1 owner also has a FOX also ( similar hull design, FOX is bigger al around)....so I go sailing with him when there is too much wind for theUni's...and I like the term 'slapper',....which is what thes hulls do,....in fact the noise of speeded water 'slapping' the hulls drives me nuts.....these hulls, the front 2-3 feet litereally dissolve a wave to foam and spray,..it is an amazing thing to watch........also the transition to full volume in the hull, again amazingly, say at 3-4 feet from bow, this part of the hull never ( hardly ever) goes under the water( there are limits of course).

...bottom line,..todays' single haded cats are alot of fun,..you never wait for crew,...and all your buddies want to take it for a ride..


regards,

Bruce
St. Croix