Hi Mike B
<br>-With so many of us with so much enthusiasm believe we will succeed , as you mention ,it is very difficult to get people to agree , think mainly because we have not yet clearly understood the problems .
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<br>Your offer to contact Hobie and Performance is I,m sure greatly appreciated by all .
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<br>-Also believe we should refrain from using very negative overly dramatic terms like "bastardizing " in rules discussions , there is no faster way to turn potential class members away from this class ,-we have a very different set of existing circumstances in N A ,--Our intent is not to bastardize anything , but to promote a more inclusive better higher performance developemental form of equal racing in the U S ,---SO " back to earth "-
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<br>- 1-We have Nacra with 200 existing Inter 20 s with a 14.5 sq ft larger mainsail . We took basic measurements 2 years ago when we first considered F-20-The headboard and top batten are much larger than existing F-20s along with coresponding roach {trailing edge of the mainsail }.Nacra's goal as with all mfg is to sell boats , the boat dealers are active and do a tremendous amount to help support racing .
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<br>-Hobie has the Fox with comptip . there is no large active Fox class to date.
<br> Both companies goal is to promote and sell their product .
<br>-Mainly because of the Hobie family "{ wonderfull people} " and the early success of the H-16 , The H-Class has maintained the vast majority of the catamaran market .
<br>-Hobie needs to improve the Fox , but there is currently no motivation for them to do so , as we continue to hear directives of Hobie first oriented regattas .The class Assoc. over the years has brought thousands of people into sailing and racing ,and has been great for the sport .
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<br>-The extent of support the new N A Formula Classes will recieve from Nacra ,-Hobie or any boat mfg. will be in direct proportion to the number of boats sold , The real support for the class will be in boat dealers who race themselves and may sell several brands of catamarans , also from the many various sailing clubs around the country , including Formula starts in their regattas , distance races and general organization, and mostly from enthusiastic avid racers like ourselves willing to organize and promote the class ideals and bring new people , new events, and life into the sport.
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<br>-There currently is no way to keep both H fOX and I -20 as they are , One has a carbon fiber mast and larger sail area.One has a comptip.
<br>-We have numerous existing active racing 20 ft catamarans in the U S in ranging weights and sail areas that we can not ignore either .
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<br>-Please propose a comprehensive SOLUTION , because of the existing described set of conditions we have in N A -existing formula rules developed in Europe in 93 will be largely ignored in the 20 ft class ,--
<br>-The 18 Class will have some success due to the Tiger , Nacra F-18 and several other cats developed specifically to the F-rule , Many racing sailors wanting those specifically drafted structured rules will be attracted to that class , It is the perfect size for husband -wife type teams ,and the majority of sailors , now along with a new HT F-16 Class, allowing one up or 2 up racing.
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<br>-Maybe the 20 Class in the U S should take the lead and become more of a combination of Formula and developement class encouraging and allowing faster ,safer , designs to evolve .
<br> It really depends on what type of sailing you personally enjoy . If your perception of the 20 class is a strict type of one design allowing different mfg. that,s great , but believe this leads back to a one design fleet with one mfg.boat dominating the scene with little variation between boats .
<br>-What many others may envision is more of a developemental 20 class allowing more individual innovation geared to racing enthusiasts ,similar in rules structure to the A Class , but allowing more developement through a range or boat weights and sail plan configurations , and also including all the existing various active racing 20s .
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<br> Carl <br><br>