Prototyping F12

As the F12 is almost a totally new concept to catamaran sailing, we need to do prototyping before we can finalize the class rules and before we can hand over building plans to consumers.

I took a long and in depth look at my resources for the coming year 2007. While I'm fully capable of finishing the design I will not have sufficient resources to do prototyping. Sadly with this concept the final part of the design can only be completed after gaining experience with the prototype. I'm sure some aspects of the design need to be changed, but there is no way of telling this time which these will be. So I'm currently stuck at a ready to be tested design that can not really progress any further before 2008.

That is unless there are a few brave souls out there who are willing to risk it and do a bit of prototyping.

If these persons are not available then I propose that we complete the market survey (as done in the newer threads) and settle on the design goals. When that is completed we'll just have to wait for the first opportunity for prototyping that presents itself. For me this will most likely not be before summer 2008. This is due to work responsibilities, as became clear this week, and the fact that I got a financial uncertainty that I need to cover till spring 2008. The

play-money

that I normally allow myself will be tied up in this.

I think this to be a real pitty as I would love to sail an F12 myself. But it simply is the way things now stand.

But then again 18 months tend to pass quickly. Hell, it took several years to get F16 going in earnest.

Technical support and design efforts don't cost money so I'm not limited in those. Still without testing the ideas in a prototype much of these efforts will be useless.

Wouter