I am currently sailing a Hobie 17 but plan on upgrading to an F16 as early as next season. One thing that surprised me about the H17 is how much I like the wings, so much so that I'd like to have them on an F16. Even if you didn't use them for racing (by the way, would they be legal for racing and if so, why not consider allowing them?), they would add to the recreational versatility of F16's which is a large part of the draw of the F16 class. I think they would be appealing both when singlehanding and doublehanding.

What's great about them is that they give you incredible flexibility, leverage, and comfort. In light or med wind you can rest your back against them or even "hike" without using foot/hiking straps. With a little more wind you can just move out and sit on them (it's very comfortable and it feels like your're sailing on a boat with a 12 foot beam). When the wind picks up you trap off the windward wing rail and have awsome control and leverage. An of course you can just take them off in 30 seconds any time you want.

Other singlehanders like the FX1 and I17R can be fitted with wings that slide into the beams. If fact Hobie Europe offers three different wings configurations: 1) full raised wings, 2) full non-raised wings, and 3) "sport" wings, which don't use a wing tramp and are basically a rail about a foot ouside of each hull at deck level giving more trapezing leverage. I think all three designs would be useful depending in the conditions and circumstances.

Since F16's are shorter and lighter boats than F18's, it's not surprising that in very windy conditions the F18's can have an advantage. I think that adding wings to F16's in these conditions would level the playing field. Why depower when you can have the option to add more leverage, especially when singlehanding against an F18? And in designs with optimized volume distribution and/or T-foil rudders I would think the platforms can take the additional leverage easily (I know the H17 can and it doesn't have either).

Does anyone know if the Hobie Europe wings might be able to be adapted to the beams of Blade, Taipan, and Stealth F16? The inside diameter of the beams and the distance between the beams would need to be comparable. Anyone know how these compare between FX1, Blade, Taipan, and Stealth?

So, to the members of the F16 class, what do you think? And to the manufacturers of F16's (Matt, Greg, and John) why not offer them as a way to add additional accessory revenue and broaden the recreational appeal of these great boats? Seems to me there's lots to gain and nothing to lose.

Jerry