Hi Steve,
Yes, the ARC21s weigh in at just under 400 pounds complete. That is a fiberglass and aluminum boat. I did not know the F18s were so heavy for an 18ft boat. The ARC21 could be built at 300 pounds in all carbon everything and double the cost. The 300 pound boat would have a PN of 58, big whoop! Is it worth it? I don't think so.
As far as ARC products go,the boats are the best built fiberglass/epoxy/aluminum boats on the market. And just so you know, the spinnaker launcher, the square top mainsail and the self tacking jib all first came out on ARC products. The other boats are copycats and some of them can't do that right.
My point about heavier wider boats being high performance is that it is a less expensive way to go fast than all carbon everything and narrow.
On the Tornado mast question: If the new carbon mast weighs the same as the aluminum mast or is only a few pounds lighter weight than the aluminum mast and has the same section and bend as the aluminum mast, then the boat won't know the difference and it will be the same speed. The word carbon does not automatically make a sailboat go faster. Also the Tornado is an established class with a few thousand boats spread around the world. If the class rules are changed and the carbon mast is changed in section and weight and is faster, then that makes a few thousand aluminum masts obsolete. Is that best for the Tornado class for a 0.001 improvement in PN??? I don't think so. The words "one design" have to stand for something in a 40 year old "one design class".
Bill