Hobie Cat Aus, stock and carry the Rudder Upgrade kits. The spi hoops should be a matter of weeks.

The post re: equipment was let everyone know what gear they got from us. Nothing More, nothing less. Just the facts before the spin doctors get in......

So at the end we have no 4 Hobie Tiger, no 4 Nacra Infusion and no 2 AHPC Capricorn in the top 10.
The Hobie Tiger got the 1st, 2nd, 6th and 9th place, the Nacra Infusion the 3rd, 4th, 5th and 7th and the AHPC the 8th and 10th.
Now let's wait and see the 2007 F18 European Championship at Dervio on the Como Lake (160 boats expected) for a revenge of the sailors this time defeated.

Matt to the rescue - thanks, dude. <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

This is precisely the sort of thing I'm talking about - an innovation or improvement that is thought up or tested out by rider teams. Once they figure out if it works, it makes it out to the rest of the fleet. I expect the same thing happened with the new Capricorn rudder blades - somebody had the first pair. If not Greg, then someone else at the top of the fleet. Now anyone can buy them. I like the way the fleet keeps making small advancements like this. Manufacturers wisely use top teams when determining if these advancements are viable.

It was never my intent to imply that the two top teams won because they had anything different than anyone else.

That sounds pretty darn even to me.

Tiger's owners willing to try new materials on their boat are invited to have a look at:
for a "radical" (even if not very cheap) rudder blade:
http://www.proust-sailing.com/formule-accessoires-213/2810-safran-carbone-pour-hobie.html
for a quite "different" daggerboard:
http://www.socoabeach.com/Designteam.php
for a new larger and lighter snuffer head:
http://news.proust-sailing.com/2006/11/26/nouveautes-hobie-cat-tiger-2007/

The top 10 could stick around an extra day and race 5 more races, no throwouts, and rotate boats after each race, sort of like our Alter Cup.

But I doubt the manufacture or design of each boat would have much to do with the final outcome. These guys are good and they obviously put in a lot of time to practice on their specific boat, so they know how to make it go in varied conditions.

If there is a lesson to be learned here it is not to run out and buy a brand new "Whatever the winner used", but instead, spend as much time practicing as the winner did.

But of course it's much easier to blame your equipment, and spend more money buying new stuff, than to get out and practice.

One of the common themes I have heard from guys doing this type of racing is that they try to keep even thier own boat as close to "stock" as possible. They go to events where they are given a boat that is not their own. If you are used to having tricked out rigging and special things, then the boats you will get will be different than you are used to, which is not good. It is they guys themselves making the boats go this fast.

M

Just remember : ISAF World Sailing Games, 2006

30 brandnew, stock Hobie Tigers, randomly rotating day by day.

And the result:
ISAF World Sailing Games, 2006, Hobie Tiger

Not quite the case: Hugh Styles borrowed my Infusion for a light wind weekend before he flew out to Aus, thats the only sailing time that he had on one! Not even with Tom crewing. impressive.
I can confirm that the infusions at the worlds were straight out of the box stock boats.

P