I noticed somewhere here that Hobie is going to ban other boats from thier races... Did anyone wonder why?
No... they told us... the IHCA told the National Sailing Authorities (NAHCA) that Hobie meant Hobie and to maintain their sanction the local fleets could not run mixed events and call it hobie. Many fleets said.. OK ... out they go... Many other fleets so... stuff it, we don't care and we will do what we want.
Why? ... They said... that they saw no benefits from running mixed class regattas AND they worried that they would loose sailors and sales to other fleets. Its buisness and why should they do something that could hurt buisness.
I repeatedly challenge them on this premise... I think they have strong racing classes, with people who go racing a lot and if you fit the boat's profile... its a strong reason to race in a Hobie class. I bet you can't find any Hobie racer who says... I am stuck on my Hobie because it's the only racing game in town... Rather... I find people who say... I am stuck on my Hobie because I love it... and it does exactly what I want. (In fact... the hobie forum has a thread about... Why exactly are we excluding the F18's from our events? We ought to change this...)
The bigger men on these boats will not go back to a smaller boat. Maybe F16 needs to show how much faster than the older style 16s it is....... Maybe that is where the people will jump from.
Obviously, you are picking a boat that suits your size AND a racing /social scene that matches your interest as well.
The sheet loads on a F18 versus an F16 are a lot different and might be more managable by a women or young person. So... If the Hobie 16 racers were to move up... they should consider the F16 class. Secondly, if you would like some flexibility with respect to crew... consider the F16.
We both recognize The REALITY is... that the Hobie 16 racer has had COUNTLESS OPPORTUNITIES to move up... Many that I know switched to a bigger boat and then switched back to the H16. The racers are really clear what they want. A simple tough boat and most importantly, a competitive racing class that also gives them what they want in the social side of things. Its as close to a monohull as you get with respect to being family friendly. All of the other boats are technically much more sophisticated. Once again, the Hobie 16 sailor says.. I know what I want and I love my hobie 16.
Its absolutely silly to tell someone... NO you don't want that boat... you really want this boat.
So, I don't think I have ever heard Wouter declare that he wants to raid the Hobie 16 class of its sailors. Rather, he wants them to keep an open mind with respect to which boat might fit them best if they want to step up the performance ladder.
What I hear him say is... the Hobie strong arm tactics which tried to keep things the way they were (back in the day) have BACKFIRED! The hobie only class racing has declined in popularity and the formula boats, A cats and F18's have grown in the EU. He points to the Hobie leaders bending over backwards to support the pretense that the Tiger REALLY is a one design boat... When the actual high level game is the F18 game. I agree with him completely on this score.
