Mary,
In broard terms the objective of the Formula 16 class, as is also with the F18 class, is to provide a framework that will enable people to sail boats of similar performance but from different manufacturers.

When you look at the rules it does allow sail plans that differ. This is evident when you compare the sail plan of the Stealth and the Taipan or even the Blade. They are different but at the same time they have similarities.

If the sail plans were vastly different then the outcome of a race would be more likely decided by the sail plans versus conditions rather than skipper versus skipper.

Now if the rules were left more open than currently provided and enough people were willing to spend enough money over a long enough period of time experimenting with vastly different sail plans they are likely to end at a similar sail plan. Not the same but similar. This is essentially what has happened in the A class.

Would people enter the class knowing that the sail plan they buy is likely to be outdated half way thru the season?

Would the class survive that development?

The F16 class rules were written in a manner that we belived would give the F16 class the best possible chance to survive and prosper.
This was our hope.

Regards,
Phill