Hello Mike,
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<br>>> The "trick" will be in knowing when to switch over to a lighter minimum weight so that manufacturers have another incentive to design and build lighter boats.
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<br>Indeed !
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<br>>>The main reason that I am so interested in light weight in a new boat now is that I just turned 48 and while I am quite fit, ... I am also one of the few guys left who still races with his wife after all these years.... So we like sailing the 20 footers but not the manhandling associated with maintenance, rigging, transporting, etc.
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<br>Well, the class was largely born from my own similar frustrations. I'm a young guy (29years) single with just recentky a dedicated crew after my first crew quite after 3 years because his girlfriend lived on the other side of the country.
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<br>I didn't want to give up 2-up sailing but had to have a boat that I could handle on my onw competitively. I'm physcally strong but pushing a P18 or P16 up the hill through the soft beachsand alone was beginning to become tiresome. And I was beginning to dislike the fact that my P16 and I came came in laste verytime even though on handicap we did well.
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<br>Several others in the group have different stories (purchase cost, wish for genakers, etc) but all come together in this new class and there they find that the answer to all of this.
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<br>So I'm sure that all of us truelly understand the benefits of lightweight boats. For tis reason I think that the Glider and Mystere 4,3 aregreat boats too and wrongly looked at as kiddies boats.
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<br>>>>... my preferences in the hope that people would consider boat weights in regards to the Formula classes. If they establish the high minimum weights to get started, that's cool. I just hope they also realize that they should consider that they can (and should) be lowered in the future and that if that change is planned and managed well it could not only be accepted well but also add to the future success of the formula concept.
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<br>I completely agree. The path I put great faith in is the Formula for formula's concept (closely linked to equal performance classes) where each (new) formula class isdesiged to be equal to the performance of the class above. Just like the F16 HP is equal to F18 (and A-cat) and how the F18 HT is more or less equal to the iF20 in allout performance. This will keep the number of eegatta fleets down and stimulate only a small number of starts. However, Ithink that the lightweight 20 ft .class fall outside the effective scoop.I feel that should be put under the truelly Open Class Racingwithout any rules.
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<br>Why, because I don't really believe in concepts like the M20 and CFR 20 on a broad class basis. Too expensive, too big with respect to (sheet)loads and frankly too little performance increase to warrant these investments.
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<br>To further found my arguments is underline the following
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<br>M20 at 105 kg's (nearly F16 HP weight) and 6,1 mtr.length ahs a wetted surface area withrespect to the F16 HP of 112 % it's increase in sailarea is about 113 %. The produced power is a little bit more due to the much higher mast but this in turn puts the M20 (which is als0 2,6 mtr. wide) at a disadvantage in winds above say 12 knots. The M20 finess ratio (high speed) is rediculously small but so small in comparison to wetted surface that this boats drag over the full speed spectrum is domianted by this surface area which is substantially bigger than F16 HP's.
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<br>I'm not against progressing designs but when designs forget to look at ratios and balances than you'll pay 20 K USD for a boat that in about 50 % of all the regatta's is struggling to fend of 10 K F16 HP's. Why because at 105 kg's and 2,6 mtr. width the M20 shouldn't be 20 ft anymore but more like 18 or 16 foot. Staying at will unbalance the performance determining parameters/ratio's
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<br>It is my fear that this is forgotten in the US F20. It will be clear which tpe of design have my preference but I do realize that trailer width limits for example do very much limit (but indirectly) the performance potential of 20 ft. boats. And US should not choose to leave it's parent iF20 for only 1 or 2 % performance increase, because they wrongly believed they would get 10 % or more. That is just not wise in the long run when more EU builders will produce iF20's and probably no US F20's
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<br>This is more direct towards the F20 formers than you ofcourse.
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<br>>>I am just glad that the circumstances allowed the Formula 16 class to do that at the start so that I have a place to start with a new boat!
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<br>Welcome and I'm at least as glad as you. Sometimes you have to get lucky.
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<br>>>Mystere 6.0. , Mystere 4.3 , 2 Hobie Waves
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<br>Nice collection !
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<br>Me ? Prindle 18 genaker, Prindle 16, F16 HP (mod. Taipan 4.9)
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<br>Wouter<br><br>