This is a pretty good discussion, and one that we should continue. Would love to see some of the world council meeting notes, I've seen some of the Argies notes and they have a different perspective on the whole matter...

Weight: That's a tough one, I can feel 15+ lbs of weight in lighter conditions, especially in the single wire trapping range. Once the breeze is into sold double trap conditions, no it doesn't matter at all. I agree that not obsoleting the existing fleet overnight is important. Really important, as the large number of boats makes the class what it is. I think the class would benefit from reducing the price of new boats, rather than reducing weight. May not be a reality either (no one is getting rich building F18's!), but if you had the option, I'd go for reduced cost over lighter (well, I'd go for higher build quality over reduced cost and weight, with improved materials like epoxy vs. vinylester and maybe s-glass vs. e-glass, but I'm probably in the minority and in complete fairness my 2012 Infusion beat Todd's 2017 Infusion at Nationals a few weeks back, not a dig on the new boats which are a nice improvement in quality over the older Infusions).

My concern with the F18 class is the numbers are down worldwide at major events. Its a reality that some in the class are ignoring. That's OK for a short while, but long term something must be done! Changing the boat may not help, likely won't, but bringing cost down, making the boats available to youth sailors, publicizing events, organizing group housing to further reduce costs (especially for youth sailors and new class members etc.) will all help. Attracting international talent, like we had at the America's 3 years ago, and expect to have at Worlds in Sarasota, 2018 is also important, as is attracting some of the top sailors in the world (who are a little distracted with the foiling A's and Olympic N17). That was a large part of the appeal of the F18, the opportunity to race the best of the best!