Eric - I think you have made some very good points which we should all heed in our discussions. Especially: <br> <br>1. The class must be perceived to be fair or it will be ignored. Note that I said perceived to be fair, trying to emphasize that a complex set of weights/SA's which might rate equally still won't be perceived as fair or equal. We already know that 2 boats which rate equally under Portsmouth/PHRF/Texel/IOR (take your pick) perform much differently under different combinations of wind strength, chop, and course selection. The winners of races using existing rating systems are already recognized as "the boat which got it's weather conditions" - we don't want to simply re-create a new version of this same problem with F20. If we create a complicated system of weights/SA's, we really end up with just another rating rule, not what most think of as a Formula class. It will not be fair/equal racing, it won't be perceived as fail/equal racing, and it will be ignored in favor of exising OD classes. <br> <br>2. I can see that higher min weights (350) might discourage couples racing. In my mind the difference between 325 and 350 is not a big issue, and I would consider the 325 limit if it would promote inclusiveness. Brandon/James of San Diego race the I20 near 400 lbs and kick butt, so it appears (at least to my inexperienced eyes) that weight is not a killer handicap if you have enough SA for the heavier teams to use. <br>3. I agree that modified boats P19mx/H20/N6.0 with spin and maybe larger sails might not be optimal F20 boats, but I think they would be very close for most races. Anyone who added a spin to one of these boats would have a great time sailing it, and being in the same ballpark as an I20/Fox would allow for a lot of racing to occur. <br> <br>4. As Eric and others have said, I would like to emphasize that we need to WORK TOGETHER on the CORE ideas of the F20 class. If we all splinter off in different directions persuing the ultimate equality with many special cases, we won't get anywhere and progress will stop. <br> <br>Sail fast and have fun, <br>Alan Thompson<br><br>
