My two cents worth:
The driving force in the EU behind the growth of the F18 class was buoy racing not distance racing. The number of dedicated buoy cat racers is much larger then distance racers. (This past weekend at least three events drew 40 + boats each)… You need this circuit FIRST and FORMOST
The essential stats of the F18 class are relatively high and fixed min boat weight, max stick height and max beam. The large market of dedicated buoy racers continues to draw new designers and builders and existing builders to continuously fine tune their designs for small performance gains within easy to meet construction standards. BUT it’s the market of buoy racers that makes all of this happen.
What is the market for the 20 footers?
Factors that impact on its popularity and limit it are:
1) A 20 foot sail plan by its nature requires a stronger team to manage..... eg smaller market.
2) Handles physically large teams well.... = small market (BUT this market has no place else to go!)
3) Effective use of the sail power argues for a wider beam which makes it less user friendly for weekend events.... eg. smaller market yet again.
4) Light weight = joy to sail= acceleration, fun factor etc etc. ... Standard weight is not much of difference from F18's. But light weight will cost a noticeable amount more and the result is likely to be a smaller market.
As Mark has pointed out, the I20 owns the 20 foot market in North America now AND IT DOES NOT SEEM TO BE GROWING (me)! The Fox, Miracle (H20), Mystere 6.0 Nacra 6.0, ARC, Taipan, Hurricane designs have not caught on in any big way or have peaked years ago (sloop rigs) and may not be in production. (The Tornado doesn't fit the basic rule.)
Why would you, a builder, commission a NEW design to compete using the I20 parameter set if you think the market is really small and limited in its appeal ???
Seems to me that a F20 rule that sets a min boat weight at about the I20, with a stick height = to the I20 with a 8'6" beam will not draw new builders... it may convince someone with lots of cash to experiment with one of the other designs.... but if the race costs you about 5 to 10 K in operating costs...and a new or used I20 is 15K..... Why do the engineering (unless that's your thing)?
I would declare the class as F20.... spec it out within this I20 parameter space... and go racing... You MIGHT get one or two teams that want to play with something other then an I20. Perhaps a carbon tornado rig on one of the aforementioned 8'6 platforms that all up weighs in at 420 lbs. Don't be surprised if no one else comes to play… PS…no matter what… measure the sails and let sailmakers build sails for teams even if it’s all I20’s..
What is really needed is a HT Formula rule which raises the performance bar, produces a great light weight, high performance boats! The M20 exists, the Super Taipan 5.7 has been built.. see (MACCA posts)... Ventilo probably has their 20 footer in production, Eagle has a 20 footer available…. The Blade 20 is rumored!
What is essential here is that the rule have buy in from existing builders or potentially interested builders AND most importantly a circuit of high profile buoy or match races which fills the demand for tactical high speed racing... plus the standard high profile distance races (raids as the French call them) be established and have the commitment of 5 to 10 teams to get things going.
What’s the market?. Big teams, (Small teams can play because you always can scale down the power) Teams that want to push the design envelope. Teams that want the BEST Performance, the Top sailors who want to compete against the best on the best and anyone who values performance.
(Perhaps the physics of boat design automatically constrains what 2 humans can manage and you don't need much of a rule beyond 2 people but that is a different thread and I don’t know enough about it to lead a discussion)
In the end... you need high profile events... high profile sailors and great HT 20 footers to get this new Formula class to fly. If it ever does take off.... the venerable Olympic Tornado should be replaced with one of the top HT 20's whose builder agreed to the ISAF rule set... (eg. virtually one design)… It would still be able to play in this new formula class for quite some time.
Personally, I see the practical near term financially sane solution is my ersatz 20 class... Tornado's, I20's and any other 400+ lb 19 to 20 foot boats racing on handicap and formula in fun events that I can get to....
Take Care
Mark
