Wolfgang Soergel wrote in message ...
Harken Ronstan wrote:

What is the fastest mono-hull (non-sailboard)on a windward leeward or
triangle course these days?

I estimate: 505, Intl 14 GP, 49er, 18ft skiff are contenders.
Since they all plane up wind, waterline is less of an issue so I would
guess larger craft like an E scow, and A scow are in this class.

In light winds (under maybe 6 or 7 knots) AC type boats (long, narrow
keel yacht) are probabely fastest. A little more wind and i would
consider racing skiffs. Even more (12 knots and up) and Formula
Windsurfing gear has chances. But ultimately fastest are probabely big
(semi)planing racing yachts like the Open 60s or even bigger beasts.
Wasn't there a thread about a 150ft racing monohull shattering some
record a while back? Of course these boats aren't readily available to
most of us...


Oh, the speculation. Can we agree on some general principals? The
longer the course, the better shot a larger boat has. (There is a
reason that the 251' James Baines circumnavigated in 160 days, and her
record stood for 131 years.) The flatter the course the greater the
advantage to most windsurfers. The steadier the wind the better the
chance a windsurfer has. The lighter the wind the greater the benefit
of extremely efficient designs, like the AC class boats and FW boards.
The heavier the wind the better the more stable designs perform,
designs like offshre multihulls and massive monohulls.

Finally, the smaller my wallet gets the more I like FW boards for
their comparatively cheap thrill!
-Dan