The only reason there were slow is because we broke both foils and the boat took on water. I was pretty mad at Nacra after finding out the boards we had were some of the first ones that I think had problems. Our team spent a lot of money and time off work to do the race and Nacra let us down.

Then I (and we all) stand corrected on that point (asymmetrical foils).

Mind you, all the large ocean going (French) tri's use assymmetrical (curved) foils. Many like to point at those as proof of feasibility.

Wouter

They also have more hands on deck.

and much less tack and gybes per hour !

There is a 12ft wide 3 sail M20(has an F20 C carbon mast) in the UK that has just had a special set of asymmetrical curved boards built and fitted.....it will be interesting to see how it performs this coming season...

Also I have just checked on the Nacra Sailing website and there is a trim sheet for the F20 C there that is available for download that describes the different positions to set the boards at depending on wind speed both upwind and downwind. Unfortunately it is took big a file, once converted to PDF, to attach to this thread. So please see Nacra F20 C trimsheet download

What's it going to cost to replace a curved dagger, vs. a straight board? Sooner or later, you are going to break one.

And if you are doing a distance type race (like the one mentioned above), and break all the curved boards anyone has on the beach, can you, in pinch, substitute a straight board as a spare? Or will it not fit into both hull slots?

The reality is, we all have to pay for our addictions, the higher the price, the fewer can play. I realise this F17 is aimed at the Olympics, that's good, let them buy it, I can't afford a(nother) $20,000 toy.

If the rest of the classes are going the direction of curved boards,...well...what's that going to cost to replace when I break one? Or do they cost about the same as a straight board?

Definitely not the same price between the two. Picture over $2k for a board...maybe more.

That has been discussed before. In comparison with very high end, all carbon, long straight boards as now being used in the F18 fleet, the curved boards aren't THAT much more, perhaps a few hundred per board.

Price for long boards: http://www.reverie.ltd.uk/product_list.php?group=M%20FOIL

Long board=$1300/board, last F20c foil price I heard was ~$1800/board. Both prices are likely wrong and subject to change.

I was quoted $1300 per board for the F20C, IIRC

Today's price is $1,675 USD per board

So basically 30% more expensive then long straight boards and above 1500 bucks a pop.

Go figure that I paid 400 bucks for a PAIR of Taipan 4.9 boards. Although with an aspect ratio of 2.5 these may not be called long and narrow.

What would Viper daggerboard cost, does anyone know ?

I know that a N20 (not F20C) Daggerboard is now $800.

The RETAIL fro a Viper board is $783.01. The RETAIL for the new longer C2 board is $1,252.82. The price for the older C2 board (that some are using for the Viper) was about $950. As these get longer the price goes up fast. The price for a curved A Class board is about $950.

I predict a resurgence in the popularity of the H16!

Three fleets for different skill levels and plenty of beer.

I think I'll start leaving my boards in the box when I go out to practice!

Nearly $2K per board for a single Curved board? Wow.

I'm guessing the cost is that high due to the time required to build and a more difficult build process for a curved board?

How do they even do it? Do they use molds or some other technique?

Boards are made in a mold. Mold cost is easily $10k per half, probably more. As the boards get longer and/or curved, you need more materials to get the strength up. It also takes longer to build the board. I'd estimate $300 in materials and $900 in labor to build a curved F20c board. The rest of the money is covering R&D, mold cost, and warranty.

In either case. Good god.

I paid about that for my first H16

Take care of them boards!!

You know... this is is just an asinine and ignorant statement. You demonstrate a fundamental lack of respect towards the sailors in other classes.

Do you really think that the Hobie 16 sailors are less accomplished then the F18 sailors or F16 sailors.

At the very least... I would take the seamanship skills of someone racing a Hobie 16 for 30 years over the seamanship of a new sailor with an F18!

This attitude is not unique to you...
If you don't respect your competitors... you don't need to show up and play. (gee... is turnout a problem in your part of the world???)
So... whether it's a one design regatta where most of the sailors are the back of the fleet, a local handicap regatta with Hobie 16's to Nacra F20cs, or the Area US Sailing championship qualifiers.... when you don't respect ALL of the competitors in the game... there is not much reason to spend your time and money.

Fact of life... good sailors are good sailors... they race in all different classes... disrespecting them (Three fleets for different skill levels) diminishes the racing community.

Easy there sparky,

In Pete's defense, I think he was saying that the H16 has three different fleet "levels", such as gold silver bronze, A, B, C, etc... for differing skill levels amongst the overall fleet.

I don't think he was saying that H16 sailors suck. I don't think anyone on this board would think that.

Mark I agree with Tad I think you misread Pete's post too.