I have come out of Tornadoes into the F-18 class and whilst the T is a lot quicker on yardstick..... The sensation of speed between the 2 boats and F-16 are not that great.... What is noticeable is that in the fresh stuff ie average 20 knots plus..... You cannot push the F-18 downwind as much as the T...... The extra 2 foot on the bow makes a world of difference......

What many sailors find important is the thrill of close big fleet sailing. Take a look at the H16.... The reason why it is so succesfull is because it is cheap....... within reach of many people and therefor races in large numbers.... So if you want to sail 2 up.... Why not choose an F-18 over an F-16..... The F-18 is a little quicker, the sensation of speed is to close to notice, and the increased waterline benifits the F-18s in the fresh stuff. The F-18 also has a very large established and still fast growing fleet.......

Don't get me wrong, I quiet like the F-16, however the F-18s have the fleet numbers as well as the performance gains that comes with a longer waterline........ So I chose an F-18... If I wanted to race small fleets, I will return to the Tornado class. However if you have larger numbers of F-16s in your area......... Then why get an F-18......