Dart 18 Question

I would think that the Canadians ( http://www.dartcatamaran.ca )are the best at modifying the Dart 18 to suit their needs, and the UK site (www.dart18.com) will tell you what is class legal etc.
UK prices are expensive.
At the moment I am looking at the Hobie 16 Worlds site where they are boasting of having 64 cats and close to 300 teams - I sailed at a Dart 18 Worlds where there were 301 teams and each one owned their own boat. 301 Dart 18s on a start line in 1991. Now that was something !

Hi Chris where are you located ?

Thinking of a bigger main or a Spi ?

I'm located in connecticut (USA). I located a genniker kit made for the dart18. but i can't find any info on the pro's and con's before spend the money. anyone out there have any first hand experiences? New main does not excite me as much as a spinnaker or genniker does, if this boat can handle it?

if a hobie 14 can handle a gennaker, your dart can too

I have sailed a Dart 18 for several years, I am sure a gennaker will be a good investment.
Here in Europe I have seen several Darts with a gennaker/Spi
If the setup is right you can even handle it by yourself (solo).
For a long time I did want to buy a gennaker kit myself, instead I bought a N 6.0 (with Spi) because of the crew overall weight. I still regret the day I sold my Dart 18 It is a great boat to sail Solo.

What's a genniker?

A gennaker is an Assymetric Spinnaker (gen[oa-spinn]aker). Laser introduced one in 1998 for the Dart 18, but it did not take off. It was quite small and dropped into a chute on the trampoline. It was not accepted in the UK, but, in Ireland, my son won the Open championships in 1998 and the Cong-Galway passage race in 1999, using this gennaker, against Hurricane 5.9s, Hawks and standard Dart 18s.

frozen:

over across the pond we call them spinnakers.

Gennaker is a confusing term because it is defined differently depending on where you live. In Europe, apparently, it is how they refer to an asymmetrical spinnaker. In the United States it usually refers to a "reacher," more like a VERY large jib made of lightweight, spinnaker material. It differs from a spinnaker in that it has a luff wire, and usually it is roller-furling. It is used like a spinnaker off the wind; but because it is cut flatter than a spinnaker, it can be also be carried going to windward in light air.

It is more versatile than a spinnaker and is much easier to use because of the roller-furling.

The best-known brand names for beach cats are "Screacher," which was designed by Randy Smyth, and "Hooter," which was designed by Dave Calvert. But all sailmakers make them, regardless of what you call them.

As far as I know, the only objections to using a "reacher/gennaker" as opposed to an asymmetrical spinnaker are that:
1) the reacher creates too much windage when it is roller-furled going to weather;
2) when the reacher is furled, the weight aloft makes it harder to right the boat when it is capsized.

I agree with No. 2, but as far as the furled reacher causing too much windage, I find it difficult to believe that those huge snuffer bags don't cause a lot of windage, not to mention waterage (is that a word?)

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waterage (is that a word?)

Sounds OK to me.
No doubt it is just as much a word as "windage".

Thanks for the excellent explanations. Glad I asked.