[quote=CatFan57][quote=samc99us]One thing with the F16 is if you intend to race the fleet size isn't that healthy unfortunately, and the youth teams are more focused on the Nacra 15. Really in a lot of ways, besides solo use, the F18 is the current doublehanded platform of choice in the U.S, with the largest fleet and typical Nationals of 40+ boats.[/quote]
Accepting all that as true, I can't speak for traphappy but it appears from his first post that he became interested in the F-16 because of the 1 or 2 up flexibility it offers -- at least it offers it for light or medium weight guys. Having had the pleasure of crewing a few times on an I-20 this summer, I saw what an awesome, powerful boat it is, that handles the weight of 2 bigger guys like nothing. But it's so big and powerful it doesn't seem to offer even a big guy the ability to solo in winds beyond mild to mid level. And it sucks if you want to sail but are stuck on the beach because you have no crew available - which often seems to be the case. In comparison, last time out, I sailed at the same time as a medium weight guy who solo-launched and sailed his F-16 with ease (and, sorry to say, proceeded to literally sail circles around me and my crew in the very light air that day).
So the question is, is there a performance boat today that allows heavier guys the same 1-2 up flexibility that an F-16 seems to offer lighter/medium guys?
From what I've read/heard, it seems the F-18 doesn't do it(?). I keep hearing the F-18 is pretty much a 2 man boat. And I see it's listed at 397 lbs, which is only 24 lbs less than an I-20, so it doesn't seem to offer much advantage there. I understand they keep the F-18 weights where they are so people who invested in the racing class won't have their investments obsoleted - even though the technology exists to build them a lot lighter if there was an economic reason to do so.
Seems this question of whether there is a boat that allows a heavier guy the flexibility to sail solo or with crew has come up in a round about way before. This thread from 2010 discussed the Bimare 18 HT, which I understand weighs quite a bit less than an F-18 class boat: [url]https://www.thebeachcats.com/forums/viewtopic/topic/12175/start/0[/url]. In it, "davefarmer" said he solo sails his 18HT quite a lot - but said at 160 lbs, he's overpowered at 12kts. (Maybe a 225 lb guy could handle it in higher winds?) Then "Wolfman" said:
[quote]I missed the part where you said you would solo a lot. I would probably not suggest getting that boat [Bimare 18 HT] as a solo boat unless you are very skilled, brave and heavy!
I second Damon's advice. An F17 (FxOne, Nacra or other) or H17 would be pretty much ideal. [/quote]
I don't know anything about the F17. Does it or the 18 HT solve the 1-2 up problem for bigger guys? Is there anything on the scene or new since 2010 that does?<!-- editby --><em>Edited by CatFan57 on Oct 27, 2018 - 06:51 AM.</em><!-- end editby --> [/quote]
