Steve,
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<br>I think you explained the box rule well. I think we have a few minor issues to decide depending upon which way we decided to go. Since I'm not an advocate of the box rule I will leave that one to others to come up with the specs.
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<br>Remember I'm in the other camp of tightly controlled close to the iF20 rules so I won't presume to draw up box rules.
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<br>On your total crew+boat weight issue. The only concern I have is with someone building an ultra light boat along the lines of 300 lbs all up and adding two heavy guys on the boat and being close to unstoppable in any wind condition.
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<br>I've sailed against most all of these boats in distance races and bouy races. The difference in the boats becomes obvious in the distance races. All of the I20's finished a good hour or two before me on the first chute rigged H20 to finish at the Round The Island. Are some of them better sailors than me? Sure they are. But not all of them. If I had to compete against the I20's on a regular basis I would just buy an I20 because my H20 would not be competitive. Could I make my H20 competive with about $5000 in modifications? Quite possibly but again I would just buy the I20.
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<br>I'm just trying to give you some ideas on my thought processes as I sail against these faster boats.
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<br>Under the box rule say just for grins that somebody puts an I20 rig on a H20 and they start winning every race they enter. I'm not saying this would work but let's just use it as an example. Now people start buying H20's and buy an I20 rig and sail on a more costly boat than any that is currently produced. With the box rule you run the risk of it becoming a large money drain class. As new developments are made others would have to incorporate those developement or go to the end of the pack. It's just a risk and one of the reasons I don't advocate the wide open box rules.
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<br>Mike Hill
<br>H20 #791
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