With a background in skiffs, I agree with Rick White. Check out the poles on the I-14s, 18' Skiffs, and 49ers and you will see some very long poles. If people in your class already have longer poles, then why make them change their rigs?

I see that the F-16HP rule is prone to change rules often. This is not a prudent practice and could damage your class in the long run. Inclusion is far better than exclusion. The best designs will prevail and the class will benefit as a result.

I think that Rick was discribing the speed differences in the F-16HP and the F-18HT (not F-18) at their combined North American event. This apparently HUGE speed advantage (approx. 38% as described by Rick White) of the F-18HTs over the F-16HPs has been discribed by several other posters as well. Allowing a little experimentation will determine the best layout for the 17.5 meter spinnaker allowed by the F-16HP rules and subsequently could help narrow this significant performance advantage. On a side note-it is curious to me that the F-18HT were so much faster than the F-16HP in the higher winds (15-20knts). I expected this advantage in lighter winds only.

The F-18HT class seems to be on quite a roll and I don't see why the F-16HP class should not take advantage of the momentum of this similar class. Maybe, one of the reasons is their very simple rules. The A-Class cats also enjoy simple rules and seem to be on a roll in the USA as well. Something could be learned here, don't you think?

KISS
(keep it simple, stupid)