Quote
Eric,

Did you know that the boat in this picture that you had attached is actually a homemade Timber-epoxy Taipan 4.9. Build and sailed by James Sage of Australia.

Wouter


Yes. And the photo takes a closer look to realize the boat is airborne. With a spin, this is an F16. I wanted to illustrate my point: F16s (new and "foundation") are heterogenous and may be very strong; e.g. the Taipan has proven itself in timber (marine ply) and various glass forms to be extremely tough in harsh Australian sailing conditions. There seems to be a persistent belief that heavy=sturdy and light=delicate. We're in an era where engineering and materials where light weight boats and cars are being made very strong. My father races a carbon fiber bodied race car--it is rediculously light and yet far stronger than were it made with steel or aluminum. Ferro-cement boats are heavy but will break up on a reef just as easily as a much lighter fiberglass boat.


Eric Poulsen
A-class USA 203
Ultimate 20
Central California