Mary suggested a new post instead of getting way off in the ditch, so here goes.

Timbo wrote-
Mary, why aren't there more Opti age kids sailing Waves? I remember when the Wave first came out, they took it to an Opti regatta, put some kids on it, two at a time, they LOVED it, loved the speed, loved all the room and having a friend with them! I expected it would eventually replace the Opti as a great kid training boat. And what happened to that Fast is Fun US Sailing Multihill program?

Also, could the Wave be fitted with a single trap or would the mast not take the load?

Edited by Timbo (02/20/06 04:04 PM)

A quick search found these stats on pricing

Price Range:

* New: Under $3000 (US), complete and ready to sail. A new Optimist may also be home built (savings and/or additional costs vary in direct proportion to the skill levels of the builder).

* Used: $200 - $1,000 (US), dependent on condition.

and there's been over 350,000 built.

I've often thought H14's supplemented with Waves may work? I know of only one club with (5-6) Waves and one dealer that loans Waves for Youth day/Friday at Hobie regattas. Tough to compete with, based on cost alone. What can we do?