Lastly in this rave is level of participation. Why do people pay $16,000 for a Laser? Why do they still buy H16s/... level of participation and "likeness of boats. Perhaps F16s have to be like Tornadoes and Hobie 16s... exactly the same platform!
Has not stopped the F18 exploding in popularity.
Stick with the formula concept..... it looks to be the way of the future for boat racing.
Hi Steve,
I think the formula thing is great for cat racing. It is going nuts but I suspect most of the growth has come from existing sailors from other classes.
To grow sailing as a sport, IMHO we need to make it the "cool" thing to do. To achieve that, we need to have boats and attire that look fantasitc to non-sailors. Most modern designs combined with some well designed graphics (subtle is the key here) will make the boat come alive in a photo.
If you want proof of this, look at motor racing, football or virtually all successful sports in the world. The one thing they all have in common is that they are photogenic which helps them be "cool".
Hobiecat have come closest to this in the 70's and 80's with the colored hulls and sails. These days achieving similar results with modern graphics is cheaply achievable but most boat owners don't bother.
Tiger Mike
