I guess elegance is in the eye of the beholder. When us engineers get it right though with the balance of function and form, the general public tend to appreciate it, especially sailors.

The freestanding rig is going on the back burner for now unless I or someone else has some sort of brainwave. I suspect a standard rig with synthetic stays and trap wire would be almost as practical - shame to lose the ability to weathervane the rig though, confidence building for youngsters to be able to completely de-power the boat.

I found this boat while surfing around the internet. It is rotomolded and looks very similar to f12, except for having more metal than a Honda Civic, lol. You'll see what I mean when you see it. Has very similar sail plan and there may be bits and pieces that translate to f12 boats. Available in France and UK. Built in France where catamaran building is govmnt subsidized to create exports.

http://www.windkart.fr/index.php?lang=en

Thinking about bringing a Vudu HC over to Brisbane/Mackay/Townsville September October would there be any interest. Bill