Hi Luiz,
I agree, in time both camps will go over 50, it`s inevitable, they have been so close many times. Finian has reported speeds of over 50knots on GPS, but to maintain that over 500m is the hard part. There is a lot of excitement as to who will be the first to break 50knots, will it be the boards or the hi-tech proa foiling boats ? It is almost more important to be the first than to hold the record, it seems.
I think the cost of a boat like MI speaks for itself that they broke it last November, and are only ready to try again now, a year later. Added to the material cost is the labour cost of highly skilled engineers and designers like Lindsay Cunningham. I think it is actually much more difficult for them to finance and build these craft since there is no commercial use for them, and very little gain other than personal satisfaction, I am sure that their sponsorships only cover the cost of building and maintaining their boat, maybe it covers more, but does it pay the salaries of these highly skilled people, I don`t think so. I believe they are doing it in their own time at their own cost to a large degree.
In stark contrast to this, the boardsailors are mostly paid professional sailors, and have rig and board manufacturers sponsoring their efforts, and constantly developing new technology to make them go faster, as there is quite a big financial incentive to be the "world`s fastest sailmaker" or "world`s fastest board manufacturer" - It is commercially viable as it converts directly into more customers for these brands ie if you want to go fast, buy an F2 board and a Naish Stealth sail.
I fully admire the efforts of the YP/MI crew and others as I think it is much harder for them - you won`t see MI travelling to many different locations world-wide to try for the record due to the costs, they have to concentrate their efforts in one place, luckily they have Sandy Point !
Have a look here - http://oceanspirit.co.za/speedweek/html/15oct.html
There is just so much depth among the boardsailors trying for the record that it seems inevitable they will get there first.
I have to disagree with you on one point, you say the proa`s have a lot of room to improve, and you think the boards can only reduce drag of the crew - the design of boards, sails, masts and fins have changed radically in the last 5 years and i don`t think they will stop developing, boards are now being designed with air-pipes that funnel air in from holes in the deck and channel it through the board that exit under the tail to make the board ride on a cushion of air, fins are getting faster and more stable (a major limit on speed in the past was cavitation, this is being overcome), sails are just getting better all the time, and mast flex/stiffness is a mixture of art and science.
Interesting that Finian tried a wind-cheating lycra type suit in the canal, but sailed in Namibia in shorts and a harness, and didn`t shave his head to reduce drag ! (or his legs )