Anyone have any info on the following, clip taken from thedailysail web site in regards to the upcomming Texel:

However, Mitch Booth and Herbert Dercksen will participate and they go for line honours on a Hobie Fox Extreme Concept Boat. "We are using high-tech technology from the Olympic sport for a beach cat. With this boat, we should be able to stay ahead of a Tornado," said Booth about their special project.

Rumor has it they've contracted Frank Mighetto to consult on the project.

Thing is going to be fast no doubt.

MIGHETTO??? Is it going to be water balasted, sail with the outboard running, and plane to windward whilst preparing for its trans ocean racing??????

Hmm Mitch's last project was the M18 juiced up to race in last years F18HT ICCT challenge. It was a bomb...

My guess is that he has a Tornado carbon Rig with new foils and rudders on the Fox platform and these get the boat weight down and put a proven sail plan on the boat.

This won't bomb... but I am not sure how it beats a Tornado or M20.

If I were to extend your guess...I would venture the stock platform has been widened to 10' or so as well.

Soooo, ummm, by that logic the only part of the cat that will still be a Hobie Fox are the hulls???

Perhaps they have just taken a Tornado and replaced only the Tornado hulls with the hulls from a Hobie Fox???

Wow, Hobie will have spent about ten times what my Super Taipan cost and I reckon my boat will still kick butt

OK here is my guess

1, 10 Feet wide (or more as there is not that much Tacking at Texel)
2, Wings to increase righting moment
3, All Carbon construction - Target weight 100Kg (maybe even less, maybe 85 is possible!)
4, Tornado sailplan
5, Tfoil rudders to keep bows out (not a foiling boat, this is a step too far)

Keep in mind that we are ALL just guessing here.

Or perhaps dreaming???

At 10 feet wide with racks... if there is any kind of breeze I suspect they will be spending more time in the water than on top of it.

Depends on the racks. If they move (like some do) then the lea one just flips up against the shroud !

Not really what I meant. With all the righting moment (10 foot beam + racks) it would be pretty easy to pitchpole on a beam reach in a breeze.

Think Carbon, carbon and carbon.

Generally a wider and (especialy)racked boat can still get more speed before pitchpoling than a narrower on a broad reach. It is not just the transverse moment that is increased, but because the two hulls' bows can give more foreward buoyancy for a given driving force, (delaying flying a hull and the subsequent pitch pole due to single hull's inadequate forward buoyancy)

Carbon Fox Hulls and carbon beams?

I'm thinking "M20, M20, M20" [color:"red"] and [/color] "failed, failed and failed" 3 years in a row now at Round Texel.

Gotta do something more than just making everything out of carbon.

Wouter

(Yes, I'm indeed an annoying little bastard)

yea like get Mitch Booth to sail the boat

I like your little "in brackets" Wouter! At last you seem to be adopting "the Australian" attitude of being able to "lighten up a bit" and relax. Down under we find that if you can't laugh at yourself, everyone else will instead, and that can make life very frustrating. Life's much to short to to be serious all the time, and people would rather be around some one who smiles all the time than frowns relentlessly. Stick with the "new" Wouter, you look healthier already! (It makes it easier to laugh at any "knockers" as well) She'll be apples mate.