I Like the sail area only idea.
One other thing-
Since when will someone coming up with a genuinely faster boat DESIGN inhibit manufacturers? I understand all the development costs etc that mnfs cant afford, but surely a breakthrough by someone else would give the mnfs a shot in the arm?
Please note, this is boat design, not weight or material.
For all the hollering, carbon fibre has not changed basic design much. Masts are the same design, but lighter as are hulls etc. Team Philips allowed new materials to affect the basic design, hitherto impossible. (bulb keels that trembled and twisted off approaching Cape Horn spring to mind too)
Just like Mylar vs Dacron, the other properties of the material can also make them less suitable for a task (lack of stretchyness in carbon makes stress points because the stressed area doesnt stretch and spread the load to the material around it)
A better design will probably result in a cheaper to build boat. Thank about a TheMightyHobie18 vs N6.0. The 6.0 is cheaper to build in numbers IMHO.