The problem that ISAF had to face is not competition from other multihulls, it is the 29er, this is a sexy little boat, for about 8000 euros the kids can have a really cool scaled down version of a 49er. There is virtually no kid around that would look at a 29er and a hobie 16 side by side and choose the hobie, so really the only ones racing the H16 (in the UK anyway), were the ones who didn't think they could quite make the team in the 29er.

Now we have a boat that looks more like a racing machine, but you've still got to tempt the kids (and parents) away from the 29er with its 3000 euro less price tag/