PR - 13 August 2008
3 New catamarans by Hobie Cat Europe for 2009
With the new season about to commence, Hobie cat Europe has been working to extend their range to renew some models as well as add other models, in order to reply to market demands. The first new model concerns the Formula 18.

Since a certain time, a number of rumors have been apparently circulating concerning a new Formula 18 project. In order to reply to this situation, today, 13 August, Hobie Cat Europe is pleased to announce that the project of a new 18 foot catamaran specifically for Formula 18 racing is in development. This project is using perhaps one of the best naval architechts in the world currently, particularly in multihulls, and a well-known sailmaker, in close collaboration with the worlds best F 18 racers, combined with the full technical and marketing staff of HCE. The latest high-tech developments will be used for this project.

The development of this new production F 18 should be seen as a new project, to exist along side the current Hobie Tiger, International ISAF Class, in which the next Worlds - currently under consideration - is Lake Garda for the year 2010.

More information will follow, as this new project nears production at Hobie Cat Europe in Toulon, France.

In the meantime, Have a Hobie Day!

Jean-François Collet John Dinsdale Michel Corigliano

www.hobie-cat.net ici pour vous désinscrire Copyright HCE 2008

I guess we will know soon enough the direction they are going with the design. Like will we see an inverted bow, wider hull, daggerboard placement, more bouyancy? With a still winning model like the Tiger this is a pretty aggressive step into the future. I applaud you John Dinsdale and company.

Later,
Dan

I was off by 9-10 months <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Another forecast: The Hobie Tiger becomes the Olympic one design multihull for 2016.

Hobie tiger or the new Hobie?

They'll have selection trials and I'd expect all the big players to be there.

I was thinking the Hobie Tiger, if there is to be a olympic multihull again. My reasoning is from reading the selection criteria years ago and the following:

It must be a ISAF international class.
It must have double trapeeze and spi
It must be a OD class
It must look flashy and modern

Only the Hobie Tiger qualifies today, and I dont think that will change much in the next 8 years.
Sure there might be an evaluation event, like in 2000 and like the youth multihull, but in the end ISAF Council decides whatever the committees and sailors say. I think the "fat old men in monohulls" will choose conservatively if the door opens for a multihull again. Just my personal prediction.
I would be very happy to see the Tornado class back in the games for many reasons.

Difficult one re the ollies.....


Would the other manufacturers "let" the Tiger be the olympic class? Maybe not.

Would the other F18 classes be happy with the Tiger? Nope

Would making the Tiger the Olympic class be good for the F18, probably not.

Would the "fat men in Mono's" be happy with a development class like the F18, Nope

Were the "fat men in Mono's" happy with the Tornado as it is a development class(I know the T assoc say it's one design, but it's not, more than one manufacturer, nothing to stop others entering the market and as we have seen, sails are open within certain paramaters) - Nope

However, all the manufacturers can make massive trouble if one class of F18 is chosen, so if the Multihull gets back in, I'd bet it would be the T, or some other "designed for the ollies class".

1 bet for the Tiger
1 bet for the Tornado

What else <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Can I sau that I would favour the Volvo Extreme 20 as the next olympic boat. (Basically the M20 with a sloop rig using the Tornado Carbon mast)

I think it is time to have the Olympic multihull discipline go with the times and the Tornado is not the platform to do that anymore. The Volvo Extreme 20 has the advantages of offering everything the Tornado was in a good sense but in a modernized and more performant package. It still has Marstrom building quality but is lighter, stiffer, has daggerboards and looks more modern.

Wouter

You can say that <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />
It dont meet the selection criteria for olympic classes with respect to being an international class but as history have shown, you never know with Council.

1 x Tiger
1 x Tornado
1 x Volvo Extreme 29

I'll bet for the Tiger too, with Hobie supplied boats at the olympics.

Wouter,
Can you post a link for the Volvo Extreme you are referring.
CAn't seem to find specs or pics.
Thanks.

They've also MADE the 49-er class fit the criteria after it was pretty clear that it would get in.

It is not a hard thing to do when the promise of becoming olympic is obvious. Hell all serious Tornado sailors will switch creating instantly a sufficient basis for ISAF recognized status. The year following the class satisfies all conditions.

By the way the design is called Volvo Extreme 20 and not Volvo Extreme 29 !

Wouter

The 29 was a typo, on my keyboard 9 and 0 is next to each others <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

2 x Tiger
1 x Tornado
1 x Volvo Extreme 20

About the rest; like I wrote, you never know with council.
If they are holding an evaluation event, I want to see a Blade20 there, submitted by Formula Catamarans Australia <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

I wouldn't make all of these assumptions when you're talking about the IOC. They're perfectly happy to use old equipment from one manufacturer (I'm thinking Laser here).

I do agree that IF (and these are big IFs) they choose the Tiger and IF they want to not allow development, that could cause issues for the class. They would essentially have to pick the boat and freeze the design to the current design at the time, or pick an end date for development, or something to that effect. Again, this assumes that they want SMOD, not sure if that's going to be a priority for them.

And, once they make any decision, they don't seem to be the type that care what anyone else thinks, sailors, or otherwise; so I'm not putting much weight on the idea that the non-chosen manufacturers can cause much heartache for them. The manufacturers can try, but it wouldn't look good PR-wise for them to cause more trouble regarding multihulls after the current mess we're in.

Mike

source : http://www.sail-world.com/europe/index.c...amp;tickerCID=0

Prototype Volvo Extreme 20

Herbert Dercksen takes the helm of the prototype Volvo Extreme 20, with Aaron Mcintosh (NZL) crewing for him. Dercksen about his latest project, enabled by Zwitserleven:

'This carbon cat is based on the M20, but has a different sail plan. You can consider it as a possible successor of the Tornado. Is carries a Tornado mast, the jib is smaller and the main a bit bigger. The VX 20 weighs 125 kilograms, which is 45kg less than the Tornado. I have learned a lot over the past years, so it is very exciting to helm by myself now. I look forward to the race.' At the moment, Dercksen is skippering the Extreme 40 in the Swiss Bol d’Or on Lake Geneva.

For measured specs go to the Texel rating system website and look Volvo Extreme 20 up in the table :

http://www.watersportverbond.nl/data/numdet_11-7-2008.pdf

Sadly, the TR committee has recently uploaded an unreadable table so here a summery.

extreme 20
Rating with spi 87 (Tornado is at 94 now, F18 at 101, Nacra 20 at 94)
Length 6,07 mtr.
width 2.92 mtr
Weight 132 kg

mainsail area 22,05 sq. mtr
mainsail luff 10,29 mtr
area jib 4,30 sq. mtr.
jib luff 6,23 mtr
I believe a 25 sq. mtr spinnaker

And I think that jib area measurement look suspicious, I would expect that jib to be about 5.00 sq. mtr in surface area considering its luff length.

two pictures below







In my opinion choosing a design like the V20 avoids all the pitfalls that have been mentioned. It can be founded as a true OD class (despite the fact that I personally dislike that setup) and it doesn't unhinge any existing class (like the F18) by selecting (favouring) only one builder over all others. Yet this boat is pretty modern in all respects (could do with a more advanced hull shape) and performant.


Wouter

Mike,

just a small note. It is ISAF, and in the end ISAF Council, who selects the sailing events and the equipment to be used in the games. The IOC tells ISAF how many athletes and medals they can have.

Dumb question, What's SMOD?

Single Manufacturer One Design is what it means for me.

One of the few things I agree with you, the hull shape really not that advanced. Looks like 2 tubes of toothpaste to me.

Wouter,
Whats the purpose of the silver fleet? What kind of license do you have to buy to race? And why do the Dutch specifically have to buy one?

Bill