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My Nacra F17 weighs in around 320lbs. Pretty heavy for a singlehander. But, it is bulletproof . If you go lighter, you can't touch the beach, sit on it, or survive a collision on the water. That's just the way it is in the F17 class. Heavier is easier to manufacture. Lighter also means tighter tolerances, exotic materials, and higher costs; A cats. So, it's not a bad thing if it's affordable. Back in the day when the Nacra 6.0 and Hobie 20 were the thing, we couldn't complain because of class rules and factories dictating the weight of the boats. We all sailed the same thing and that was the pure fun of it! Yes, F18 could be lighter but their class rules dictate a high weight. No big deal. Why don't you buy a F18 and sail in one of the largest growing classes in NA? Or, just get into the largest growing class at this time: "A".

Enjoy!

Bob <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />


Ok Bob, I'll agree with you on a couple of items but dispute you on some others.

1. I can sit on my A2 just fine. No worries.
2. I never sail any boat I own on to the beach. I always stop and get the wheels under the hulls. More seamanlike in my opinion especially if you value the finish along your hulls.
3. Collisions between 400 lb boats are just as bad as collisions between 165 lb boats. Think momentum and inertia. Much more in the heavier boats.
4. My back hurts a lot less than yours, I can get on the water much quicker, and I get around the course in about the same time as you and work a lot less.

When I bought my first P-19, I was shocked at the nationals to see not one boat weigh in even close to the class minimum weight of 385 lbs. Every boat was consistently 10-20 lbs overweight. Whether that is the case with F-18, I don't know but I would bet you found the same thing with all of the Nacras and Miracle 20's. The manufacturers did not (or do not) have tight tolerances for resin/laminate layups and you see these big variances. Being that over minimum weight is not tolerable in a lot of dinghy/keelboat classes (Snipes, Lasers, Thistles, Stars, etc) and certainly not in the A-Class.

Regarding the 18HT, I agree with Bill Vining that there is no sweeter boat in 8-15 knots of wind. It's a handful in stronger breezes but the design changes Peter Johnstone did on the Gunboat HT made the boat manageable up to 20 knots and a lot of what Peter did has been put into production on the 18HT's in Europe. In over 20 knots, the dynamics of a 34' tall rig on an 18' hull are undeniable (so I'd personally rather go windsurfing). WF and I pushed one platform for two years quite hard in a lot or racing. We broke one rudder, one daggerboard, and one rudder pintle (which when it failed crushed some of the laminate in the transom so it was a two hour rather than a one hour repair). I never saw a mast failure or problem on the Jav 2 and I credit Riba for building the best carbon mast you can buy. I agree that the class was doomed not to grow in the US because of the limitation of not having a builder or more established dealer infrastrucutre. I also think the boat got a lot of false and unfair perceptions based upon "he said/she said" gossip. I would not have wanted to sail the boat in the Worrell. That was not what it was designed for.

Bob Hodges
former F-18HT NAC
A-Class USA 230