The aussies have already come up with the Capricorn and the Blade, now their third design is ready, the Predator..

Ref: http://www.f18.org.au/news.htm

Obviously, Australia is the place where it happens..

Thanks for the pointer. Interesting hull shape. Will be interested to hear what the design gurus here think.

Mark.

Those centreboards look a little long !

The centerboards look very long indeed, and why the extra long tip?
It looks like the hulls are ment to plane, especially so as the bow section look very slim. Also rather more rocker than what I expect to see in a modern design today?
Is the mainsheet hidden, or just not put on the boat? Sheeting angle for the selftacker looks a bit radical?

What I think is cool, really cool, is that the aussies keep on coming up with new designs. They have both production and homebuildt F-18's, not many other countries (or continents) show the same "drive" as the boys down under do.

I look forward to reading reports on how the Predator compares with current models.

Another intersting point about the plates; if you raise them a fair bit for down wind, the slots will gurgle unless there are slot gasgets, but when the plates are further down, the slot gasgets will xreate more grag.

Also I would be interested to see how this boat would rate under SCHRS with such big plates. I wonder if it would come out slightly lower than other F18's with smaller plates.

I would really like to understand why the plates are that shape....

It's not terribly asthetically pleasing to the eye....

often if it looks right it is right - this doesn't look right! sorry.

The boat is sailing in the aussie F18 champs just now, not doing to badly (good sailors aboard, no. 8 out of 25 entries). It sure have an 'interesting' look.

http://www.topyachtsoftware.com/results/2005/hbrw/f18/SGrp1.htm


To bad the F18 Blade isn't there as well.

Blade came 18th

Thank's for the information.

Do you know more about how the Predator performed?

Rolf