Kieth and Steve -
Having thought about how to lower the weight of the 22 a couple of points come to mind. Sail material like cuben fiber and graphX are lighter than other materials, carbon masts should be lighter but may break under the strain of the main sail and large spins. You may save 40lbs by going to a carbon mast but also could have to replace several before you get one thats strong enough to last. The beams on Carbon Copy have very thick walls to accomodate the stress of that tall mast. Autoclaved components save weight but cost. Marstrom will make a mast for around $6000 I think.
The crew weights of the 22 are 450 lbs max. I would rather have a crew of three than two on heavy air days. Theres room on the tramp especially considering that one or bothe will be out on the trap. This weekend I plan on taking 2 women out that weigh less than 250LBS. I want to see how the boat can be sailed by three. With the self tacking jib quick tacks can leave you on the low side. The concept of having the advantage of a 200lb man [me] handle the spin with some help from the third crew maybe beneficial or not.
One other point the 22 sail area is a max figure [Smyth makes a 280sqft main but the stock main is smaller] but in certain areas less sail area is better...
thom
