Follow the link for the first photos of the new BIMARE X16
In the brief description attached the weight is confirmed under 100 Kg and the main surface at 13,94 sqm.
The new is that the boat will be fitted with a double trapeze and an 11 sqm hooter, suited also to sail well upwind in light air.
Please note that it will be different from the one pictured in the last photo (it pertains to a 2006 Javelin 16)
http://www.bimare.net/17/x16.htm
The Hooter will be essentially useless then. If design aim was like a Code zero, then yes you can get 70 angle upwind in light breezes. But at 11 sq m, you will be sailing at such high/hot angles to get thing going (esp with 2 people) I would think you be better off without it.
But let the analysis begin...
Additionally, if you want to sail upwind with a hooter sail you want its luff to be pulled tight. This loads up the bows and negates any hull weight reduction you could have had by not fitting a jib and bridle setup. Basically if you make the hulls strong enough to take the the hooter upwind then you can just as well have a jib fitted for upwind work. With that you can point higher and sail faster.
In very light winds, all sail area below halveway up the mast is mute anyway. Not enough energy enclosed in the windspeeds below this level to make-up a large portion of the total. With high speeds of a catamaran the angles of attack in this situation are very small as well. Same reason why jibs don't work too well in very light winds.
There have been times were it was actually faster to sail downwind without a spinnaker then with a spinnaker due to the wind being too light.
70 degree angle to the wind compared to a sloop rig 50 degree angle results in the hooter boat needed to sail 1.9 times (say 2 times) faster then the sloop in order to achieve better VMG. Normally, light winds are spotty and it is very attractive to stay close to the middle of the course and not be caught out on the far side of the course.
On downwind legs the asymmetric spinnaker sails deeper.
Under Texel and SCHRS (ISAF) the hooter will be regarded as a jib and an extreme large jib at that. Its rating will be a so low that it can never sail to it.
So I don't see much advantage to the Hooter sail.
But I would love to see a direct on the water testing of the theories.
Wouter
But having said all the things in my earlier posting, I do think the X16 hulls are alot more pleasing to the eye then the Javelin-16 hulls !
Wouter
well the hulls look nice..
Wonder if they will sell the platform alone?.. Then adding a stealth or blade rig... Since the factory isn't geared for F16 production..
Ha ho hum.. Good point in my opinion. It would probably depend a bit on how much force it would take to capsize the boat with hooter/Code 0 when going to windward, but the loads would probably be quite large.
Why would Bimare not sell just platforms, so you can add your own rig? You would void the warranty once you put a bridle and jib on it, but.. Might be an affordable platform, perhaps even a more affordable boat than a new Stealth?
Maybe there's a market for an F16 conversion kit?
I didnt want to enter this discussion since there are some guys a bit too biased, but I recommend to write your question directly to Bimare.
But:
As I wrote somewhere else here, a Stealth F16 Uni will cost less than the X16, which will be around 13000€ in Germany. In opposition to some wrong comments, Bimare sells the boat including all sails and fittings, and they have a dsitribution network (Germany, Denmark, France and Spain). At least until last year, you could choose between a Spi or the Hooter.
But why having Bimare hulls and a Stealth or whatever rig? There is a lot of hype about the bow shape. Would you think that a Tornado, a Spitfire, a VX 40 (by the way: with hooter), a Mosquito, a Taipan or Tiger are slow and are you thinking that a FX one is faster than other boats? And now have a look at their bow shapes.
So, if the hulls are probably not faster, why not taking a Stealth rig with Stealth hulls?
And just one comment about the hooter. In theory, you can sail it upwind, but you have 1:1 sheet, even if you go to a 2:1 system, in anything than light air, you can't probably use it. In most cases it will not improve your upwind performance (=aspect ratio). But it is though a great sail with easy handling. Sadly, the ISAF rule hampers its development.
Cheers,
Klaus
It would make sense to put an F-16 compliant rig on the platform if somebody wanted just that. An X16 platform to sail as an F-16? It is not about the bowshape, but individual taste. It was just an idea, bit like cutting a Tornado rig to size and putting Blade 16 hulls under it.