You had to wait for it for 2 days Flying_cat but here is my post on comparing the two boats.
First of all, I've personally sailed/raced the Taipan 4.9, Taipan F16, Stealth F16, Hobie FX-one and Blade F16 (last boat only a very short while). I have NOT sailed or raced the nacra 17 boat. Bear this in mind when reading my comments.
The new Taipan is about 1000 AUS more expensive here in Australia then the N17.
Personally I would put down the extra 1000 Aus and go with the Taipan, but then again I sail a Taipan myself and it would be weird if I wasn't biased towards this design. I'm however very happy with my Taipan F16.
They claim at the website that the new N17 here in AUS is weighing 120 KG
I assume that you've taken this info of the following webpage :
http://www.nacra.com.au/Inter17.htmIn the middle of the text it is stated that a fully rigged carbon/kevlar hulled Inter-17 is 125 kg; only to later show 120 kg in the specs summary.
The specs also mention a 9.1 mtr mast. The combined sailarea is coined at 21 sq. mtr. And the width is said to be 2.45 mtr.
I recall the inter-17 and nacra 17 widths to be more like 2.5 mtr or 2.6 mtr.
In additional I really don't see this boat fly 21 sq. mtr. of sail area. That is the same amount as the F18's. And it will mean that it is flying some 16 to 17 sq. mtr. mainsail. This is quite alot of canvas to sheet singlehandedly.
In Europe the Inter and nacra 17 sloops are flying between 17 and 19 sq.mtr. of sailarea. The singlehanders having a 13.68 to 15.25 sq. mtr. mainsail. I also never knew that the Aussie nacra 17 was fitted with anything other than a 8.5 mtr aluminium mast. Of course the specs mention 9.1 mtr. That is quite a stick on a 17 foot platform.
I do know that the Aussie Inter-17's are noticeably lighter than the Inter-17's in Europe and USA, but I don't know about those claimed Carbon-Kevlar hulls. Certainly no US or EU inter-17 (nacra 17) has carbon or carbon/kevlar hulls. glass-vinylester is the most you can expect. But I'm certainly no expert on the Australia market.
But I would certainly do a proper check-up on those specs as they appear a little to promising to me. An example : If the boat truly has all those specs than it should run of a rating noticeably faster than both the A-cat and the F18's. It should be just shy to the Tornado in both the singlehander and doublehanded modes. I really don't see that reflected in the Australian VYC handicap ratings. Nor have I ever took notice of an regatta were the Inter-17 did so well in comparison to the F18's and A-cats. That is apart from one claim from the Michigan boys (USA) who claim that a fleet of I-17R's finishing level with a US nationals nacra F18 fleet that started 5 min ahead of the Inter-17's. Personally I think this to be freak occurence as no boat makes up 5 minutes to a properly sailed F18 when having to cut through miles of dirty air; not even A-cats or Tornado's. However I have seen many times that teh I-17's got nailed to the wall by other boats. Overhere in the Netherlands the Inter-17's are racing in the slow boat fleets because of the slow rating of these boats, that is when the 17's are flying a spinnaker while the other boats aren't ! A few times I saw the lead Prindle 16 (an old and medium speed design if there is one) riding the lead I-17's tail. I have a really hard time believe both these specs and the performance promise that comes from it. But make up your own mind; this is the info I have.
I personally expect the Aus Inter-17 to be :
130 kg overall weight with plain glass-vinylester hulls
8.5 mtr alu mast
15 sq. mtr. mainsail
3.5 sq. mtr. jib
19 sq. mtr. spinnaker
Being a few points slower than the F18's and A-cats.
and that the new Taipan is weighing about 100 kg. Is that true?
See my other post. Expect for a new factory doublehanded taipan about 102-104 kg of weight excluding spinnaker gear (=5kg). Deduct 2 kg if the boat is a singlehander (no jib setup); deduct 5 kg is the boat is an exclusive singlehander with a lighter and more fragile mast.
Sail power looks about the same.
All the nacra/inter 17's here in Europe are underpowered with respect to the Taipan. By some 1.5 sq. mtr. It is said that the newer versions of the 17 (2006 and later) are carrying 15.25 sq. mtr. mainsails and 3.5 sq.mtr jib. This rig will be comparable in surface area to the Taipans. I personally still favour the Taipan mastsection and the past 15 years of optimation that has been done on it with respect to proper mainsails.
Hmmmm any feedback appreciated. Thanks
My advice, get a test sail on all boats and make up your own mind. Also have all the specs taken up in the buying contract and demand refunding when these specs are not achieved. There is too much "creative writing" going on these days.
I think the strong point of the nacra design is the bow section, there is quite some volume in there, and the platform stiffness. In all other aspects I rate the Taipan as superior. The Taipan also has received alot more development over the years, although I would really advice to go for the Taipan F16 version over the standard Taipan 4.9 boat. The new advances in mainsail design and the selftacking jib setup really do make the Taipan a better boat then it already was.
From a singlehanding perspective I really like the Taipan fittings and fit-out over those found on the Hobie and Nacra boats. It is far more tuned to singlehanded sailing. AHPC experience with the A-cats is the cause of this. Also any kg you can leave of the boat is helping you put the boat in the water and on the trailer. Personally the A-cat is king in this respect and I find my own Taipan F16 to be acceptable, but 130 kg or more is really becoming a work-out.
I was never impressed by the Dutch Inter-17 race results but then again I think that the Dutch I-17s are the most downgraded boats of the nacra inter-17 or nacra-17 series. They seem to have the smallest mainsails and often sail without a spi while the FX-ones and F16 do pull their kites. I'm convinced that the US Inter-17R is a noticeable step up from the Dutch Inter-17's.
I know only of comments from Asia (signapore), were they also have a few Aussie build Inter-17's that the boats are closer together in speed than they are in Europe. However, the Taipan was also having the upper hand here in Asia. I can't make it more precise then that.
If you are also considering other boats then I can only say that the Blade F16 that we have here in NL was definately hard to keep up with when I was sailing my own Taipan F16. I really like the Blade F16 design and do expect alot from it. Also I have milked many Blade sailors for their experiences and they all liked the Blade design alot. One boat had an issue with a hull but the warrantee is covering this. This had not taken away from the feel and performance of the design itself. Currently a Blade F16 is on top of the leaderboard in the Florida distance racing championship.
I hope all this info helps you in your decision.
Wouter