I'm not sure wether the twp formula's target the same segment. Okay the same crew range but as you said yourself the F16HP will target sailor with a different mindset. The 1 to 2 and back again is a definate difference and partly caused by the going smaller principle which made the catrigged F16HP very similar to the A-cat which ofcourse is the solo craft par exellence. Call it a lucky coincidence. F18 is here to stay I'm sure, F16HP is in development and is also doing a little bit off re-engineering the catamaran setup, there is not telling how far this concept will go. Example, what effect does a lifting spi have on a light craft like that ?
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<br>And ofcourse numbers are just numbers and as a german general once said :"The first casialty of a battle is the battle plan itself!"
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<br>Stealth and rudders. It is an approach taken by its designer. F16HP is an open formula requlating only the performance limiting aspects of a design. It is less restricted than for example the F18 rules. This is also one important difference with respect to F18. F16HP is somewhere between A-cat class rules and F18 rules. Read the preliminary core of the rules on the homepage.
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<br>Book by Frank Bethwaite right ? Not yet I'm trying to get one, but it looks like it is out of print. I think he wrote of the catamaran concept on ground of wetted surface area right ? What a coincidence that we're attacking just this issue ?! ( ;=)
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Funny Mark, I went much the same way. I find myself training a new crew every season. And you know that genaker sailing requires are very capable crew (skipper and crew) that understand eachother. Otherwise it is bye bye. Now I also have P16 which I race solo from time to time at my club when I havn't got a crew or the crew is not up too racing. In the beginning I got alot of heat for a cat rigged P16 is not a class !? And then I got mad. I started looking for a boat that could do well both. Meaning That I'm not last across the line every time and only see the others in the distance. I found but 2 boats that could do that Dart 18 and Taipan 4.9. Dart 18 is not a modern design and will be dying out. The Taipan 4.9 was supposedly beating bigger 18 foot boats. Now I found that many different sources found that T4.9 was up to the task of staying with the 18's. And even 1-up it was among them when going upwind. I was intrigued and a later found the BIM 16 and the Stealth. And so I found what I was looking for a cat that could do the job of racing solo and with a crew equal competitively and arrive at the finish line at about the same time. Sadly I haven't sailed it yet, I will get it just before the coming season.
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<br>Admittely it took a while before I chose to go this way, for I was sceptical too, but I'm convinced now. Also after sailing the FX-one myself. I haven't sailed the I-17 yet and I would really like to in order to compare the two properly.
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<br>My comments about the FX-One (solo boat) :
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<br>- It looks nice and fast (always start with an up point)
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<br>- Downside one : It is a solo boat. They may call it a 2-up FUN boat but that is just rediculous. There is no jib, boom is very low and you can never race it competitively 2-up for 2-up is not in the class rules. Along the same reasoning you can call an optimist a FUN 2-up boat, cause that will look really funny too
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<br>- It feels slow. maybe you can more speed out of it after practicing quite alot. But even others found it in the beginning to be as fast as the old Hobie 17.
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<br>- It wavepiercing hulls work very well, if only the forebeam and dolphinstriker would do the same. What is the use of wavepiercing hulls when your d-striker is only 14 cm above the watersurface. In waves the hulls sink in and the d-striker + beam crash into it. I really feel the FX-one should have been D-striker less.
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<br>- FX-one does not like chop, I found this and several others too. It is reported to be considerably faster on flat water.
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<br>- It DIVES on reaches and broad reaches. And there is no orange zone. You go from green straight into deep red. A very respected sailor sailing the FX-one now said the same. "When it goes, it goes all the way"
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<br>- Downhaul is to heavy to operate from trapeze. And this baby need alot ALOT of downhaul. Took my two hours of figuring this out. And I mean Buckle at the knees, use both hands, Pulling off your fingers and bent the swivel cleat tight.
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<br>-It slaps the wave with the bottom of the hulls. The hulls are okay with normal waves but ot with very short wind waves. Youn know the small kind running on top of bigger waves.
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<br>-It is very wet boat it sprays alot.
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<br>- It is a stern dragger.
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<br>- I dislike the setup of the mastrotation and outhaul. Looks cheap (probably is cheap) doesn't,work well .
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<br>- Sometime it felt sluggish and gibes were scary because of the no limits dives
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<br>I've sailed it a whole day from 10:30 in the mornig till 17:00 in the afternoon. And sailed in light air (1/2 beaufort) through medium to heavy air (6 to 7 beaufort). In both flat and rought choppy water.
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<br>Overall impression : I got on with OHHH yes great great great lets see how much fun it is
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<br>and got of
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<br>HUmmm, well, actually, how can I put it. It feels awkward and slow and nervous.
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<br>In the same twee weeks I tried the tiger, and skiffs liek 49-er and laser 3000/4000 among others (H17, Pacific, H14) And I found the Hobie 14 to be more under control and teh Hobie 17 to be just as fast in all but the heaviest winds where the H17 I sailed became very uncontrollable. And I found the Skiffs to be less awkward than the Hobie 17.
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<br>I took to the Tiger like a fish in water. I'm dualistic about teh H17, The H14 is a great fun machine but don't move your eyebrow to much or you'll be out of balance. Actually I took more risk on the 14 because I felt I was feeling what it wanted or was about to do. I didn't ahve that on th FX-one.
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<br>- I found it to be very fast downwind. (always end with a positive point_
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<br>I'm going back in september and sail another week. Maybe I do better the second time ?
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<br>Wouter<br><br>

Wouter
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<br>Frank does make some references to catamarans in this book although not much as his focus is mainly on Skiff design and monhull crafts. His main concerns with the catamaran is that the total wetted surface area of the 2 hulls can be greater than that of a well desgined monohull. Also their predominantly slender displacement hullshape does not promote planing which is largely restrictive. However this went to press in 93 and since then there has been a lot of developments since the Hawk and the semi-planing hull design in the catamaran world. In fact I believe Reg White has now taken back the Hawk and is planning to redesign the rig as he still believes in the platform, however wet the deck might become! Bow lifting Spinnakers have also reshaped the design concept once again.
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<br>I think the book is now out of print as I found it a very hard task to get hold of, however if you have the patience, time and interest then this is a book to have, it promotes many ideas in your own mind.
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