Hey have ya heard, we have a regional thing going with the F 17 Fleet? Yep we have this series called the Gold Cup. It is spreading out from Michigan (CRAM) and now has two stops in Ohio (OCRA) and one stop in Wisconsin (CRAW).

Check it out! If you have an F 17 and want to join in come on up the the region. If you don't have an F 17 and want to try it out let me know and we'll see if we can get you a ride.

1. Alum Creek (OCRA) Columbas, Ohio May 3 & 4

2. North Cape YC (CRAM) Lasalle, Mich June 21 & 22

3. Stray Cat (OCRA) Port Clinton, Ohio July 12 & 13

4. Captain Jacks (CRAM) Muskegon, Michigan Aug 2 & 3

5. Racine (CRAW) Racine, Wisconsin Aug 9 & 10

6. Caseville (CRAM) Caseville, Michigan Sept 20 & 21

Kinda nice to spread to a regional. The old Hobie Division 10 used to be a true regional club. Ours is not a club regional just a class regional. Hope to see some more F 17's because of this Gold Cup. All Gold Cup events tie into existing club events. We just get our own start. We will have some big lake events and some small lake events so everybody will get their favorite venue.

Lets hear from the fleet!

Eric how many boats do you expect?

Check out the results for last year on CRAM's website to get an idea on how many boats attend.

http://www.websitemagic.com/cram/

Keep in mind that each of these catamaran associations welcome all cats at all the events. If you're not sure what all the hype is about just go to the closest one and I'll bet you'll be back for more.

This may seem like a stupid question to you F-17 guys but is the FX1 in the formula 17 class as is the Nacra? Kind of like the Tiger and the Nacra. Just curious. Where did it start or did Nacra just change the Inter 17 name to the F17 and made the class rules to fit that boat hoping other maunfactures will make boats within the same guidlines.

Lee Wicklund

Inter 17r changed its name back in 2004 to the F17
lots of info at http://www.nacraclass.com/F17.htm

Rich

The F 17 class is all Nacra. There is a formula based on skipper weight. There are two size chutes based on the skippers size. The main stays the same.

To answer your question about how many do we expect. The turnout will probably be between 10-15 this year. There have been several new boat owners, including me. I did not have a F 17 last year.

NEW SE Fleet for NACRA F17 - response to Eric's post.

Seeking single-handed spinnaker sailors in the Southeast.

As we (NACRA Class) start to field inquiries on the NACRA F17 and begin to build a fleet for the GA/FL area and the SE...

Please send me a PM for more info on the Nacra F17 and related events.

Ken

F17 #131

Hi Ken,
We are also in the process of forming an F17 fleet in Ontario. There is very strong interest and a number of people have committed. We should have 6 boats here by the end of the summer. Send me a message if you are interested in more information. Dave

That is great. You guys should come over for North Americans at the end of August. It should only be about a 5 hour drive from Toronto.

ak
F17 129

There isn't an actual Formula 17 class. Nacra just threw "F" on the front of the name as a marketing ploy.

So I guess it's time to ask...What is the F17 Minimum boat weight and how many builders are meeting that wt.? <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" />

Lots! <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Hmm

A CRAM/OCRA F17 Fleet

A Mid Atlantic and Southern F16 single handed Fleet

The 2008 Portsmouth Ratings are almost identical….

Inquiring minds might ask… Why not race boat for boat?

If more boats on the line and racing each other is better… 2 or three joint level rated events might by fun! (aka … the Gold Fleet Squared Series... It counts both ways!)

Of course you could each try to steal sailors from each other or the other fleets,… Oh say… like the A class fleet, the Isotope Fleet and the Hobie 17 fleets. I am sure that will go over well!

In a struggle for supremacy… most likely nobody wins!

Heck… the Spring Fever Regatta was just such a race….

That's a good number. Are these people migrating from two person boats, new cat sailors, or something else?

I think some are planning on coming over.

We are looking forward to having more Ontario F 17's come over to Caseville, Michigan for the Nacra North Americans. Please have them contact me and I can add them to the attending list. We have 22 F 17's telling us they plan to attend as of now.

http://www.nacraclass.com/NCW2008/north_american.htm

There have been a number of questions earlier in the threads that I would like to address.

The Formula thing. This is a single manufacturer formula. It indeed was a marketing ploy, a good one too for the sailors who like this boat. The Formula was to help us gravitationally challenged folk stay up with the fit folk. The help is with a different chute. This was a stroke of genius I believe. In reality there are very few sailors in the class with this big boy chute, me being one of them. As a class we race heads up with each other and portsmouth wise. The formula works because no one is seeing any advantage. The main stays the same for everyone.

How heavy is the F 17, well it weighs more than the F 16 and A Boat. No suprises there. I like a sturdy boat. Here in Michigan we only race in class races. We always have enough boats show up at CRAM. I know in other parts of the country the F 17 will have to race Portsmouth. It will be interesting to see how the F 17 does against the F 16 in various conditions. I have not seen too many F 16's so I have no idea how they fair in light, medium or heavy air and sea conditions. Each boat probably has it's favorite conditions. That makes the debate fun. I am not going to knock any class. Nobody wants to spend their hard earned bucks only to hear somebody say bad things about their choice.

I don't know about the rest of the current F 17 fleet but originally I came from a two man boat (in CRAM there are several of the guys that followed this path). My wife had kids (my son Marc now races F 17's on ocassion, but he prefers the F 18 Class) and I had to spend several years trying to get new crew all the time. I got a Narca 5.5 Uni and raced it for 15 years and loved single handed sailing. Before the 2000 season there was a shift in tastes in Michigan and the F 17 was chosen as the single handed boat of choice. I had one the first year they came out and really did not like it. Coming from a UNI I felt there was too much to do on the boat, I have since changed my mind on this point. That's why I'm back.

Hope to see more single handed boats out there on the course.

Eric Kennedy
F 17 Fleet Captain

2008 Nacra North American Event Chairman

Eric how well does the big boy chute work against a lighter person with the regular chute?

Watching the fleet during CRAM races for the last few years I could not see any advantage either way. The lighter guys had less boat + body to sail around the course than the heavier guys with the bigger chutes.

Now, me being a bigger guy and now having this bigger chute my only wish is I can keep up boat for boat, off the wind. I have not observed any advantage either way. Now remember the main stays the same, so big guys would be slower in everything but heavy air, up wind. Its a good topic around the campfire.

Probably the advantage of a big boy chute is mostly in my own mind (I'm fat, and not getting my butt kicked off wind, type of thing). Yea Jenny Craig is what I really need, but I'll take this Formula gift for what is is.

Both, and some coming from older boat such as Hobie 17.

If the F17 were a formula boat then maybe the F16 could fit within that rule and we could race boat for boat. That would be cool. I think the difference is neglible (IMO, no real proof, just speculation, what do I know... etc etc... don't yell).
If I were to have my boat up here, I would obviously be racing open fleet I suppose.