Hello Steve,
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<br>>>I will look beyond the F16 drum beating like you asked.
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<br>Thank you. I really didn't want to name it on this F20 forum for obvious reasons, but I had no other means to explain my point of balance. But hey did you see my progress I also inculded the M20 !!! (Joke)
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<br>>>Well after this question. What happens when you increase the crew weight to 160 kgs on your beloved 16 foot boat? Compare this to the 20footers.
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<br>Well, I don't to discuss F16 to F20 any further for I believe this will distract from the points I was trying to explain. I very much, like yourself, believe that F16 has a different niche then the F20 and that we're not competing for the same group of sailors.
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<br>(But I answer very briefly iF20 at 160 kg's / F16 at 160 kg's wetted surface ratio = 128 % = 1 % less than before, prismatic drag = 110% = 1 % less than before, High speed drag = 119 % = 1 % less than before. Righting moments ratio = 120 % = 1 % less than before. A small impact for a 10 kg's weight difference.)
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<br>>>You are coorect that the F16 is exciting and fast --
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<br>That was NOT my main point Steve. My point was that going from a Inter 20 to a M20 might not improof performance at all (medium air), sometime make it worse (heavy air) and only in a very small range (light air) make it a better. And even this better may be less than what was hoped for when looking at the costs.
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<br>F16 was only there to show that a a brute force methode like that can well be far less effective than a balanced low tech approach. If I could have shown this with a H16 I would have chosen that design in my example.
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<br>>>> In its niche the F16 should kick butt! However, a 16 footer will never beat a F20 head to head no time correction. WHY?
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<br>What can I say ? well, just that one should never say never in this respect, especially and repeately so since spring 2001. (Start UK UKcra championship). I myself do not consider the class to be consistant F20 beater.
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<br>>>Leave the classes to body types, sailing styles and desires.
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<br>F16 has a niche -- find it and stay there
<br>F18 has a niche -- find it and stay there
<br>NAF 20 has its place and we are going to exploit it.
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<br>(wouter) I fully agree to this. I only wanted to show using concrete arguments that you should be carefull in which way you force the development. Otherwise you may end up mainly a development in price that is not followed by a proportional performance increase. Again I say that F16 was the tool used to show this and certainly not the goal itself.
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<br>>>It would be better if the Formula classes got together and worked under one sanctioning body here in the US. So that we could market under a "open arms all welcome" package rather than fight for the same masses like the manufacturers have been doing. The formula classes must draw well defined lines and agree to work in their own defined areas.
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<br>Indeed, and this has been our intend from the start. The proposal to organise a formula regatta together was a result of this. We're going to race at lake Hartwell this spring 2002, wanna come ?
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<br>>>Wouter, have you ever sailed in the US? It is a whole lot different over here than in Europe.
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<br>Yes, I imagine.
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<br>Well, I really think I should shut up now. I've already said to many things again that make me needlessly unpopular. I wish you all the luck and succes and hope to meet you in the NAMSA organisation as a brother formual class or even at the first formula race/regatta in the US if the class is ready by that time.
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<br>Good luck to you all,
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<br>Wouter
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<br>Steve
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