Wouter…my friend…I did not mean to be offensive in my diaper comment…only use it for dramatic effect in stating that it is ludicrous to say that a 23-24 year old boat is avoiding competition when it was designed, and in production just short of two decades before these new classes with their self determined rules even existed. It would be easier to argue that the new classes should have been built within the 17’ format ( SC 17/Hobie 17/Inter 17/Nacra 5.2).
Surly, you must know that a boat is designed around a whole group of variables…and only becomes a superior design when all are working in harmony for the intended purpose along the chosen design path…why then does every one keep insisting Bill Roberts take his well balance designs and bastardize them to fit into the latest manifestation of catamaran rules? If one of the designs were changed to fit the current trend and it suffered a performance loss, what would that prove? Nothing!…The boat was designed to work a certain way, in certain conditions, within certain physical perimeters.
If you reduced the sail area or beam to match that of another hull design that cannot carry as much sail because of pitch poll problems, have you proved anything? All you have done is limit a design, which has superior pitch poll resistance. And in effect excused the poor design on the new boat. Is this progress?
I would say the SC series has been kind of a reality check for those who have fooled themselves into thinking that catamaran design has made progress in "leaps and bounds" within the last 20 year time frame. It really takes the pizzazz out of marketing High Tech and/or High Performance classes when those pesky 20+ year old SC’s keep coming back from the grave with a few sail tweaks to beat the latest and greatest high tech wonders….
Why can't we have room for both...designs which are free from artifical restraints on length, beam, weight, sail area, and the "effeciency" design aproach within constrictive perimiters you are so fond of? Because when you look at the big picture, and the time line of catamaran design, it looks as if the F16, F18, F18HT, F20 classes are the new guys on the block crashing the party...not the other way around.
