I've picked up a Taipan 4.9. While not strictly an F16 class boat it's close enough. I don't see much activity here. Anybody still sailing F16s and loving them? My son and I just won the Non-Spin B class in our regatta this last weekend and are learning the boat. Having some new sails built. Excited to do more sailing this season!!
Pictures!
Is this a home-built Taipan?
Very cool cat!
Sail number 223. From AHPC (Goodall/Boyer). From what I understand from the last owner, this one made it's way from Australia to East Asia possibly and then to the United States and into Texas.
Very nice looking Taipan!
Are you thinking about getting a deck sweeper main? I guess it would depend upon how heavy your all-up crew weight is and what kind of conditions you will typically sail in.
I'm in the process of refitting a Goodall F18 C2 (2010) S#215. Jill Nickerson of Red Gear Racing / Fun in the Sun indicated to me that with heavier crew weights such as me and my wife's (~355lbs all-up, sans gear) and the typically relatively light winds in the States compared to Australia, a fat-head (none DS) would be better for us. Plus my wife isn't too keen on walking around the mast on tacks right now. She may change her mind after some experience.
Who is making your new sails?
Sobstad is making my sails. Building to the "new" Taipan class rules which have the larger square top. Not planning to do the deck sweeper. May consider an Element, Goodall or Landenberger main also sometime in the next year or two. We'll see. May put a selftacking jib on it at some point but there's no point planning that far ahead. Right now, my son and I are about a perfect weight for it - he's 12 yo and 80 lbs and I'm 180 lbs. I can lose a few lbs as he gains some maybe but I don't see us getting much lighter collectively. I figure in a couple of years he'll either start sailing it with another kid about his age, or I'll start sailing it solo as he moves into another boat. Let me know how your experience with Jill works out.
So far Jill has been pretty good about getting back to me... she's a busy woman with all the race training/instruction that they do.
I ordered a new tramp and all new standing rigging from Jill on 11/16/2025 with some tramp revisions on 11/18. I also ordered a new spin snuffer, tiller cross tube connection eyes, two foot straps, and a main (fat head) and jib. She said she has the sails already, slightly used, but good.
So far, not much word on when all that will be received from AHPC (Australia). Of course, this has been their big, busy sailing season and they've had the Aus F18 Nats and F18 Worlds over there the last month, so they're probably behind on international orders.
To be fair, I'm not in too much of a hurry at this point. I'm still behind on my F18 hull repairs and have kinda started repairing the newer-to-me Mystere 6.0.
I'll be able to devote more time to both cats' fiberglassing/fairing/gelcoating with the warmer weather arriving.
I picked up an F16 last year after crewing for a guy on his F18. I know very little about sailing and boat repair, but I learned a lot last summer on this boat and looking forward to more sailing this season. I’m happy to see some recent activity from you guys, I’ll be following along!
I picked up an F16 last year after crewing for a guy on his F18. I know very little about sailing and boat repair, but I learned a lot last summer on this boat and looking forward to more sailing this season. I’m happy to see some recent activity from you guys, I’ll be following along!
Where are you located?
What kind of F16 did you get?
PICTURES!!
I live in Wilmington, NC. I keep the boat at Lake Waccamaw about 40 minutes inland. 2009 AHPC. Fair+ condition. I took it to Hilton Head in October 2025 for the Hobie 50th Regatta. Red Gear Racing had a two day clinic on site prior to the race - great experience with Red Gear (hope to repeat a clinic in the future in FL). They helped me find my current limits with the boat. I managed to properly pitch pole a couple of times and I think had 7 capsizes by the end of the clinic and regatta - I got pretty quick at righting the boat after that.
I'm not sure how much racing I'll really get into and I know there isn't much of a fleet of F16s in the US. But I was sold on this boat because it seemed forgiving and able to provide a rush of adrenaline when you're ready to crank it up. So, a fun boat to grow into.
I must not have enough posts yet to have unlocked photo attachment on this forum, but here is a link to a few photos of the F16.
<a title="F16_Adobe folder" href=" removed link " target="_blank" rel="noopener">F16_Adobe folder
@ckholman10 You should be able to post your photos now.
Welcome to the site and congrats on the new boat.
Awesome cat!
I'm in the process of reviving a 2010 F18 C2 (Goodall).
Waiting....waiting.... waiting on AHPC to send all the stuff that I ordered from Jill in November. They've been quite busy with the Aussi F18 Nats and F18 Worlds, back to back regattas.
Hopefully we'll see each other this season! I'm just north of Winston Salem, NC. Hopefully racing this weekend at Oak Hollow lake but not with any of my two boats yet.... The Mystere 6.0 is a long way from finished, and the F18 is much closer with just a little sprucing-up with some gelcoat and new tramp, rigging, etc.
Just curious, did you get your order from Goodall?
Also quick update on my end. Bent my spin pole when I was acting as a pendulum during a bow-stuffing.
Just curious, did you get your order from Goodall?
No! (grumpy! 🤣 )
Jill Nickerson hasn't been giving me good news. I contacted Goodall directly May 19th and they got back to me the next day and indicated that my order I placed with Jill on November 18th was actually ordered in mid February, and that it was supposed to be finished and shipped by May 29, so maybe it will be in within a couple days or so. Not too happy. Jill also has voiced her displeasure with Goodall's communications and timeliness in our texts back and forth.
But, there's been the Australian F18 Nationals, Australian F18 Worlds last year, and there's the US F18 Nats coming in September I think (Hilton Head), and likely lots of F18 regattas in Europe, so Goodall is pretty busy filling all sorts of orders. Formula 18 is really one of if not the hottest cat racing class these days.
Also quick update on my end. Bent my spin pole when I was acting as a pendulum during a bow-stuffing.
I used an old fiberglass sailboard mast for a great spin pole on my old H18. You could also use an out-sourced carbon fiber pole, since the Formula 16 class allows any commercially-available material. Would definitely be faster to do business in the USA rather than wait for oversees. Though, I'd call Jill and see what she has in stock if you find it difficult to find something else suitable.
Sailing's 2019 Formula 16 class rules for the bowsprit:
F.5 BOWSPRIT
F.5.1 RULES
a) The bowsprit shall be on the boat centreline.
F.5.2 MATERIALS
a) The bowsprit shall be made of any commercially available material.
F.5.3 CONSTRUCTION
a) The bowsprit shall have an end cap and be smooth rounded and blunt.
b) The bowsprit may have a “snuffer” attachment.
F.5.4 FITTINGS
a) MANDATORY
i. Attachment points to hull shells.
b) OPTIONAL
i. Adjustment fittings.
F.5.5 DIMENSIONS
a) The maximum length of the bowsprit shall be 3.50m measured from the leading edge of the
main beam to the end cap