[color:"green"]Rhino, The Hobie races in California exclude any non-hobies from participating...that's why you don't see any other F18s racing.[/color]
[color:"blue"]John, with regard to the Tiger changes, I heard that the daggerboard placement in the hull recently changed. This may be a factless rumour but I heard it from a source I would consider reliable. Does anyone know if there's any truth behind that?[/color]
[color:"green"]The races in Southern California are mostly run by Yacht Clubs and include all Formula 18s. Northern CA still has a great group of Hobie sailors willing to run regattas. That is why there are Hobie only regattas there.[/color]
[color:"blue"]I think the reference to the daggerboard changes already happened. Before the Tigers ever got to the US there was a slight change in the placement of the daggerboards. I have not heard, and I was just in France, that there is any plan to change them again. There are some changes that have occured on the Tiger that do not really change the way the boat performs, trampoline, front crossbar and roller furling jib. Some of the performance enhancers are recut main and spinnaker sails, opening up some of the Formula 18 rules to the class. They, Hobie Europe, are trying to figure out how to keep the Tiger competitive within the rules of Formula 18. One of the changes they are looking at is updatding the rudders to something that may more resemble the Tornados. There was a Tiger on the beach that had Marstrom rudders on it...looked fast. Oh and the construction of the newer Tigers is a bit stiffer boat without the added weight that was a problem a couple of years back. All the new ones wieghed in about 1 kilo light.[/color]
Later,
Dan
