Curious was some of the top teams combined crew weights are about. I see a lot of photos of European races and male teams, how much to those little europeans weight? at 185 I am afraid I might not be competive when getting crew to race on an F18. Does the wider infusion hulls support heavier teams better?
Where did you get the idea that all europeans are small? The gene base for the caucasian population in the US is mostly the same as in Europe. Burger King, McDonalds etc. are popular here as well, so we have many of the same lifestyle problems the US population have (I assume you are from the US).
Hulls with more volume will support more weight. Top teams weight in at around 150-160kgs, but this varies a lot. At 185lbs you are at target weight.
I will keep my discussion to the Formula 18 weight. With the large sail plan you are looking at 330lbs. Anything less and you will be tying weights to the boat.
In So Cal there are quite a number of teams that are sailing with two guys on the boat. The weight ranges are anywhere between 330 and 370 for some very competitive teams.
In very light winds, less than about 6, There will be an advantage for the lighter teams. Whenever you are double trapezed I think the advantage shifts to the teams with muscle. Getting the spinnaker up/down fast and the crew running the mainsheet are a big help to the performance of the team.
Does an Infusion carry weight a bit better? Yes there is more volume in the boat. For the average weight teams I think that all the boats performances are all very close.
Later,
Dan DeLave
Thanks Dan, just joking on the European comment. I am thinking of moving from my N6.0 to the F18. being 185, without regular crew I was trying to predict what some of my possible crew weights might be. 330 to 380 was a guess.
I love my 6.0 but but a more active F18 class excited me plus the efficiency of the modern deck layout of the new F18s. The F18 looks nice and efficient although the high boat class weight seems to be a bummer. I just hope if I switch to an F18 I do not feel under powered when sailing at 360 combined crew weight in 10 knots of breeze or miss the additional 2 feet when sailing in some chop. Still on the fence deciding, any input appreciated.
Hmm... You should sail the boat in those conditions.. No if's ands or buts... you will notice a big difference compared with your 6.0. Your pucker factor will vary.
The rig is not optimized for normal North American sailing seasons. (That is why Nacra introduced the first F18, with a taller stick in the NA market before dropping this idea with their F18 and Infusion lines to keep with Tiger in the USA market).
The appeal of the F18 class is multiple builders, good solid boats and lots of buoy class racing in a couple of regions in the USA and the ability to customize your sails for your mast and team weight..
The class would list performance in the 4 to 10 knot range well down the list of selling points. 12 knots and up... much different story.
Bottom Line.. you seem to weigh the BOAT more then CLASS RACING in your choices... Sail the boat in the conditions you normally see.
Your alternative would be a Nacra 20....
Always fun to search out and sail OPBs!
Interestingly enough, non-US areas are much less hung up on being featherweights when sailing the F18's. In fact F18's are raced hardest by crews in the range 150-165 kg (330 - 365 lbs), which are predominantly all male crews. But overall the fleet covers a very wide weight range, from 125 kg to 175 kg and most are doing pretty well. So I don't you have much to worry about.
Pretty much all current F18 designs carry weight well.
Wouter
If you get to California. I will take you for a ride on my boat. Other Peoples Boats (mine) in our wind, no matter what our combined weight, will be a good ride.
I really like the whole concept of the Formula 18 sailing and it is a fun boat to race. No matter the manufacturer, they are all competitive.
Dan