Very good points Hans.

And of course all the named boats, including your own, use aluminium beams as well.

I think the decision by AHPC to go for a higher ready to sail weight doesn't have that much to do with the cost of exotic materials at all. But rather that the quality control processes need to be well implemented at the factory if you want to get down to weight using the plain stuff like alu, glass and vinyl resins. This may be a tough job in a place like Thailand or Indonesia.

Wouter