personally I feel it is wise or the class to sit this one out.

let the hype and huffing and puffing settle down a bit and then decide what to do as a class.

remember the time that all proper cats just had to have outward canted boards ?

wouter

As someone who has raced cats and now sail moths, foils aren't something to rush straight into. It took the moths 5 years of development and the worlds fleet dropped from 100+ to just 30 over that period, but is now re-surging very strong and will probably have its biggest worlds this year. But the development costs were high. Companies like bladerider tried to commercialise it, but the warranty claims and the development costs sent them bankrupt. Plus the main thing is that it nearly made the class extinct. Hindsight could say the move to foils was the best thing the class did. But not a risk for a relatively new class like the F16. And the development is still going on in the moths. We reckon we have added 2 knots of speed every year from the first foilers.

That's the other problem, other than the development costs and bankrutpcy for builders, how many potential newbies are we going to scare off if we go foiling?

As Taipanfc points out, their Worlds went from 100 to 30. Wow! These boats are expensive enough already, without having to pay a Zillion dollars every time you bust a C board.

I doubt I'll stay in the class when the parts get as expensive as the Carbon 20 class (even if only at 16' rates).

Taipanfc, what's a used Moth cost these days? Maybe I'll buy one of those if I want to go foiling:

http://www.mothworlds.org/belmont/

Check out some of those videos, be sure to scroll down to the "Day 5 Highlights", lots of wipe outs in 25knts wind.

New Mach2 moth is US$18k. I believe against F16 cats price and the performance that is good value. Comes with a 2-year warranty.

Used boats for sail found on links on the left-side here: http://www.moth-sailing.org/imca/faces/news.jsp

Yes the fleet numbers dropped significantly, but 2011 worlds had 110 and Italy this year will have more.

Thanks for the link, for all you foiler wanabee's, here's some used Moths...but they make some of our cats look cheap by comparison!

http://www.int-moth.us/used-mothgear-list/

New hull shape. LOL. For casual viewers only. (dangerous)
http://www.gizmag.com/air-support-h...5f8361-UA-2235360-4&utm_medium=email

Who needs a motor, or sails for that matter, when you can foil all by yourself!

(you get a free Mt. Gay Rum comercial too!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2O5md-0FFGw

They have a moth regatta in Miami on March 16-18. So very good sailors in attendance, so worth checking out: http://forums.sailinganarchy.com/index.php?showtopic=131924

If I can get down there I will check it out, Ben Moon is registered, should be a good show, I hope there's wind!

It's been blowing pretty hard here the past two days, I hope it's not all gone by then.