Last time I checked teflon washers were still cheaper than full or half balls Uhh... yeah... which is not... really... an issue because:
a) The balls last approximately FOREVER; and
b) They're THREADED onto the ds support rod... you can trailer those puppies at 100 mph, or de-step your mast in a hurricane, and they're GOING NOWHERE.
why Hobie can't go with the much more practical Prindle (half-ball) or Nacra (full-ball) systems?
Those are not Nacra / Prindle innovations... but, Hobie has used mast step ball systems over the years on many models. We still do. I think the first was maybe the Monocat in the 70's?
I know... I should've said Prindle-STYLE and Nacra-STYLE systems... to be sure those guys did not invent the ball-and-socket joint--LOL. On that same note, however, there's no patent protection that prevents widespread adoption... or retrofitting.
Just like Hobie's tiller-operated rudder raising system was used in one form or another on swing-keel monohulls for decades (centuries?) before the H-14... if Mr. Alter had any patents on that, I'm sure they only covered the minutae of the cam mechanism, etc.
Well, it was considered for the 16, but class rules and keeping it as one-design as possible won.
I'm not a class-racer, but I fail to see how the mast bearing being male or female confers any unfair speed advantage on the water.
Really just an onshore convenience matter... unless keeping your rivals out of the race is a valid strategy, LOL!... my bad. Perhaps Hobie/Coleman/et al are hooked on the recurring revenue from Teflon wafer sales?
