On Fri, 28 Dec 2007 17:20:58 -0800 (PST), RichH
wrote:

Why would anyone want to spend $22.5M on a design that had its 'prior-
art' done in the 1890s. Tunnel-hulls have been around for over a
century .... sailing scows! So, this design is going to have HARD
TIMEe

Ah yes, sailing scows. The fastest monohulls they ever made. An A
scow, 38', will go at least 25 MPH, and there are other smaller ones,
28', 20', 16'. The bottom is absolutely flat, but they are always
sailed heeled enough that only about half is in the water . There is a
retractable 'centerboard' on each side and you use only one of them at
a time. When well heeled over, it is possible to stand on an out of
water bilgeboard. The ultimate daysailer and almost as far as you can
get from a cruiser and still have a hull. And they have indeed been
arround for a century. Really cool boats. Ocean sailors seldom have
that good stiff wind with tiny waves. Most lakes sailors don't own an
anchor. It is very common to capsize and strike the bottom with the
mast. Nobody ever broke one that I know of, but you don't get the
waves you have on the ocean.

As for the original question Re 22 $mil.
Back when battleships were worth something, I am sure we would have
licenced the Iowa for a hell of a lot less than that, to, say, the
British.

Casady