Guys ,
while I'm not opposed to the hooter idea in general, and I'd love to have Rick's boat race with everyone to really test all this stuff, 3 things MUST be dealt with before we make any permanent decisions:

1. The added rig loads. This is the lesser problem, and while I don't want it on my boat, that's just personal choice. But the fact remains that it takes a LOT more rig tension for every reacher setup I've seen.
2. Here's the big problem: the hooter is, at least in light air, upwind sail area. The rules have a limit on the size of the jib, and if you're sailing with a big triangular tight-luffed sail upwind, that's called a genoa -a jib. The only solution I could see would be to make some "class rule" limiting the points of sail, which seems ridiculous, difficult to enforce, and meaningless for distance races.
3. No prob. in the U.S., but since the boats have to be sold overseas as well to be profitable, Texel views problem #2 the same way I just described it, and nobody over there will be willing to take that kind of hit.

Just some stuff to think about. And I really do love the idea of having Rick's boat rigged with a hooter to "test and tune" against at a couple of races.

Michael Coffman
t4.9#32