-Hang in there Steve -
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<br> An open 20 forum rules discussion is a slow sometimes painfull process , moreso than I imagined ,-people with many different perspectives and interests on racing are posting , but find this very educational and gives us a broader base of information and experiences and more valuable information to base good fair rules upon .
<br> lets be patient , I do not have all the answers , -
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<br>-The F-18 new web site is up , mainly produced by several local guys in CRAM , though about 20 total ,very well respected accomplished sailors .
<br>-It appears to be more manufacturers oriented , though have not examined it in detail on rules structure yet.
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<br>-For sponsors one thing we should be concerned with is performance in comparison with other classes , --In europe the F-18S are the most popular class . We are seeing performance predictions of these 18 and 16 ft cats having equal righting moment and much less weight ,--therefor potentially faster around the course than heavier 20s .
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<br>-Matt S tested the new N Formula 18s here in MI , racing some open races with us . We had one distance race of 20 miles where Matt on the new F-18 along with 2 Tornados and several others started 5 Minutes ahead of us in the Inter 20 fleet , --about 35 cats total ,, also a huge mono fleet .
<br> Mark {maui mark } I-17 natl champ and I and a number of very accomplished I-20 SAILORS with CRAM sailed through the entire fleet except one Tornado ,{closed the gap }, but did not make up any time on Matt sailing the new N-F-18 -
<br>-This is a clear indication of speed potential of 18s , the 16 performance ratings indicate similar speeds ,
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<br> What will sponsors think when they see lighterweight 18s and 16s sailing by at higher speeds than the much heavier 20s ,or winning races in open competition .
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<br> Maybe we do need to allow 20s to become faster ,!!
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<br> Carl<br><br>