Common, these boats / classes, can easy be compared with each other...

How do you know it's WF?
This question has come up more then once, in our swiss-german catforum from different kind of sailors!

>Not comparable?
Why should it not be possible?

Btw, comparing apples with apples is not so appealing ;-)

Just check out the last thread, when bill roberts compared the m20 with the tornado, they are quite different as well.

basical technical diffrenzes F18HT / F18:
weight: 130kg, 180kg
mast height: 10.5m, ~9m *
width: 2.5m, 2.6m
sail: catrigged, sloop
area: 20m^2, ~21m^2 *
spin: 20m^2 high aspect, 21 m^2
* I' dont know exactly

My comparison between the two classes summarize like this.
the F18HT has a advantage in lighter winds, this end's for me (135kg total crew weight) when the picks up to 4 Bft. In higher Winds, the standard F18 is just as fast or faster, do to it's lower CE and higher weight. In 4+ Bft, I as weekend sailor, with my F18HT, can't out sail my rating hit. But that dosn't say the F18HT, is not controllable in higher winds. I sailed the round Texel race twice, were on one time the wind was between 6-7 Bft. Over 300 of 600 boats didn't finish the race and I'm just average sailor with a unusual light crew. (And still finshed around 140th position (of 600 competitors))

the cost for both type boats, at the moment, are around the same, with the F18HT beeing slightly cheeper (the lack of gib..). But I don't no exactly for the US.

Both Classes are development classes, but the F18HT boxrule is allot more open, no material restrictions.
This could leed to higher cost's for a F18HT.

It all depends, on the average conditions you 'll be sailing in and the local race group - what boat they sail, if you wand to race.

If I would live in Holland (the netherlands) I would go for a F18 Standard, but here in Switzerland, high Winds are rare.

obviously as a F18HT sailor I'm a little biased, but I have sailed on both types of boats.

Hope it is possible to read my writing!
Alle the best from switzerland!