I would like to talk a bit about outdated designs that are still raced.

Why would you change a class that has a strong following in any particular area? If there is a class of Taipans that sail competitively out of a particular club they have a great situation. They do not have to spend money updating an "outdated" design. There will be very close racing around the entire course. They will have to get better at tactics do move up in the ranks.

At my club there is a very large fleet that has not been manufactured in, I do not know how many years. They are Cal 20s. Slow and old, but they are all the same speed. The best monohull sailors in the area are racing this boat. It is by far the most competitive fleet of racers. As far as I know, “big” fleets of these are only sailed in So Cal. But there can be as many as 40 to 70 boats (Cal20s) racing Wet Wednesdays.

The “good” about the Taipan, I suspect, is that it is a cheap boat to get into at this point. If there is a decision to upgrade this to the F16 universally how many sailors will drop from the class? I suspect the expense of just the upgrade (to F16) is about the price of a used boat.

I like the idea of having a separate boat manufactured for the F16 class so as not to confuse the issue. There will be Taipan sailors that cannot afford a new F16. They may want to upgrade but, by doing so, they are making a conscious decision about moving on. Let the 4.9 be what it is and have some great sailing until it dies by itself. The old 4.9s will be able to upgrade to F16s then.

Later,
Dan