Excellent Points about the actual market in 2017.

Keep in mind that besides boat sales..... you were highlighting NA turnouts.... IE competition.

IMO... all of the technology development is serving to undermine competition. How?
Its about the pecking order.... In any class... the trophies are going to go to the elite racers. So why would the next 80 sailors go.... My answer is that its about the competition.... that is the essential fun factor, that keeps you coming back. Competent sailors enjoying Corinthian competition. NOBODY travels to participate. (I am not considering rec sailors who take the family on the water to just sail as a pastime)

When the game tilts to equipment innovation... Or , have you invested enough time to become competent in say foiling... The fun factor in competing is missing. If you are still working on foiling your moth.... you are not spending the cash and time to travel and participate.. You will find a way to travel and spend the money if the game is about competing.

Prime example .. A class. the A Class is a development class. They managed wave after wave of technology changes... until Foiling. Cats versus dogs at that point.. The expectation was that floater would be gone from world competition within a year or two and flying would quickly trickle down to the local level. But ... the sailors did not behave as the past. Flying was a totally different thing.... So... the reality was... nope... still lots of floating boats on the water.

So they finally did the right thing and create two divisions within the class.... They are FINALLY back to recognizing the integrity of the competition with championships in the two divisions.

Creating the conditions for competition though out the fleet is a magical thing and often overlooked.