I remember the past thread of posts as well. But I don't understand the righting issue much. F16's allow carbon masts. Stealth F16 has one already and Saarberg is developping one for the Blade right now. There should not be much difference at all between righting an A and an F16 (carbon mast).

Personally I seem to remember the Balance was designed for heavy skippers (85 to 100 kg), which you are undoubtably not. I would look to other A-cats with hull volumes and rigs that will suit your weight better.

Personally, I feel the M18 is a passed station; I think this to be the reason why Marstrom is not actively promoting this design anymore. Personally I don't advice the Mastrom A-cat either. Marstrom has not been keeping up with the latest trends. Get a wave piercer hull design, it is just better. Why pay more then you have too, for a product that is outdated ?

Spinnaker ? I and many others can't imagine living without it anymore. Personally I would strongly advice getting a spinnaker if your winds are typically less then 15 knots and more then 5 knots. In these conditions the flying of the spi is like engaging the afterburners on a jet fighter. Seriously addictive and a massive performance booster. When you put a spi on a production A-cat then you void your warranty completely. In addition the A's were not designed to take a spinnaker, in effect their balance will be off when you add one. It will never be as good as a design that has been designed to sail with the spinnaker from the bottom up. Why spend thousants more to have a less then optimal boat ?


If you are looking for A-cats : look at the BIM XJ's and AHPC Flyer's. Should do well with your weight and expected sailing conditions. Try contacting Pieter Saarberg in Netherlands. He will have a range of choices and can optimize the mast for your at the same time.

If you are looking to get into spi sailing in a serious manner, then look somewhere else (you know where). Contact Hans Klok (Pieter Saarbergs son) and have him put a Saarberg carbon mast on it.

The Saarbergs are covering both bases now. Smart move on their side.

Wouter