Australian Formula 16 Catamaran Association

Australian Nationals Final Results

2011-02-01T06:55:00.001+10:30

Full write up and photos to follow soon.

Australian F16 Nationals – Results After 9 Races (Day 2)

2011-01-23T20:17:00.001+10:30

Australian F16 Nationals – Results After Races

2011-01-22T20:02:00.001+10:30

After four races Andrew Williams and Chris Monroe are leading the championships on their Taipan, one point ahead of of last years champions Andrian Fawcett and Jesse Dobie on their Viper.

One Month to Go to the Gosford F16 Nats

2010-12-18T11:13:00.004+10:30

One month to go to the Gosford F16 nats 21st - 24th January. Some boats are already registered on the F18 Website. So those of you that haven't yet....get them in!

From the photo above Marcus has been on a serious weight loss program so look out for him on the new Razor. Which looks awesome by the way.

No info has come from AHPC so its any body's guess who will be sailing the AHPC Viper. Who's got the goss?

Jess and Aido are pretty keen to make it two in a row. But maybe Tony Barrett can go one better than last years very close second on his Aussie Blade.

All will be revealed at Gosford in a month.

3rd Australian F16 Catamaran Nationals NOR

2010-11-10T14:55:00.001+10:30

The 3rd Australian F16 Catamaran Nationals Notice of Race has just been published.

The event will be run in conjunction with the Australian F18 Catamaran Nationals Championships from 21st to 24th JANUARY 2011 at the Gosford Sailing Club, NSW.

Download a copy of the NOR here and nominate for the event at http://www.ausf18.org.au/ENTRY/ENTRY.html.

Phil Brander Talks about the Aussie Blade and the New Razor

2010-08-19T17:30:00.006+09:30

I started to think about putting pen to paper about the Razor but it occurred to me that I'd never really said much about the Australian built Blade. The Razor is meant to be an easy to build version of the much better Australian Blade hull shape. The Australian Blade was designed as a second generation Blade hull shape (if you don't count the prototype).

Some of the changes that went into the Australian Blade include the following-

The first difference that you can't miss is the asthetics which are helped greatly by the increased
round on the gunwale and foredeck. Not only does it make the boat more comfortable to sail , particularly if you like to trap in bare feet, but it helps sheds the water much more easily when you dip a bow.

On the Aussie Blade I also increased the rocker to help lift the transom a little more and at the same time I moved the apex of the rocker further forward. This was aimed at and succeeded in providing a more comfortable and forgiving ride without giving up any of the performance advantages. In fact you could push the AB (Aussie Blade ) a great deal harder as it has far greater fore and aft stability brought about by this and other changes listed below.

Some of the other changes included moving the Front beam back 80mm to increase the forward triangle as well as give a further edge off the breeze. Also the rear beam was moved forward by 50mm. This made the tramp, all up, 130mm shorter- which was better suited to the overall design and the crew compliment. When designing the Aussie Blade I was no longer restricted in
shape by the confines of using ply so I could position additional bouyancy much lower down in the hulls. This was in addition to a marked increase in overall bouancy. In addition to this there was a proportional increase in bouyancy forward of the main beam.

All in all this design is an excellent package and I wanted to find a way of bringing it to the home builder.

So the Razor was designed in order to deliver many of the benefits of the Aussie Blade but in the easy to build characteristics of a simple ply chined kayak.

A couple of years ago I built 2 18ft sea kayaks using pretty much the same method as used in building the Razor and the Razor hulls didn't strike me as any harder to build. The prototype was built from ply but it could just as easily been built from foam.

In fact it would be possible to build the Razor from either ply or foam without having to heat shape either the ply or the foam.

The Razor hull is just made up of 4 panels that are stitched together with some copper wired. These joins are then covered in glass taped inside and out. Bulkheads, and a subdeck for added
strength and stiffness, are dropped in. The gunwale is then pulled into the bulkheads.

The bulkheads and centrecase are then taped in. Beam landing, bridle and side stay fittings go in. Some little ply bridges go in to support the deck and the deck goes on.

On its maiden sail the Razor felt like it was locked on rails upwind, it had a really good feel. Off the breese you can notice how the chines help the hull generate dynamic lift. The lift can easily
be adjusted by dialling it in or out with position of crew weight, and all the time feeling rock solid
in the fore and aft plane.

The Razor will be tested in a wider range of conditions before the plans are drawn up but I 'm pretty confident that we have hit the nail on the head with the design just as it is.

In addition to drawing up plans this boat could have kits cut with a CNC machine which will make building the hulls a bitlike putting a jigsaw puzzel together. The kits will take nearly all the boring and time consumiing measuring and cutting out of the build. The hulls should start taking shape after the first few hours of work.

While it would be much cheaper than buying hulls. I always advise people to only build if you really want to build their own boat.

It has been an interesting and exciting project and I'm sure time will prove it to be a very successful addition to the F16 stable.

Congratulations Jason Waterhouse and Lisa Darminin

2010-07-26T16:46:00.003+09:30

Jason Waterhouse and Lisa Darminin took out the first f16 European challenge held at the picturesque Lake Como in Italy. Both only 18 the talented young Aussies sailed an excellent regatta against a star studded fleet.

Big thanks has to go to 2b Sailing, Darren Bundock and Carolijn Brouwer, for providing them with the boat for the regatta. Fantastic to see 2b sailing and AHPC encouraging and helping out the young sailors.

More info can be found at this excellent website. http://catsailingnews.blogspot.com/2010/07/f16-europeans-teenager-crew-takes-crown.html

F16 Hits North Queensland

2010-07-07T16:38:00.005+09:30

Recently Craig Milton from Townsville recieved his new F16. I thought we could ask him a few qusetions to get to know a bit about him and where he races his boat.

What is you local sailing club and tell us a bit about it?

Townsville sailing club is situated on the strand, which is a beautiful spot. We rig up on grass under the shade . The waters we sail is known as Cape Cleveland Bay, and the winds and sea change dramatically from flat to choppy but we get all conditions to sail and learn. The Clubs been there for over 100 years and continues to be strong with a large class of catamarans, tasers, sabots and lasers.

I'm fairly sure there are no other F16s in your part of the world (yet). So how did you find out about the class and what attracted you to it?

The first thing I was looking for was a high performance Cat. I had an F18 and enjoyed the high adrenilin but the weight of the boat and always needing a crew did not allow me to sail one up, so i started looking for something in between.

By the end of 2008 I was already interested in the f16 but went with the Nacra 16 square due to class size and one up capability. It was a great boat to sail but in reality was was not what i was really after, especially when it came to sailing with a kite. A high performance cat is what i really wanted.

I then started reading and looking closer to the F16 both Blade and Viper. After lots of conversations with local sailor and articles that i'd read i decided to get a new Viper.

I have to metion that a lot of people tried to down play getting into the f16 class, due to the weight controversy and small fleet etc. But these are not and issue to me. Because i was after a light well built high performance cat that give you the same experience as the F18. But is much more managable for one person. I knew the F16 was a small class but in the years to come it will grow due to the reasons ive stated above.

Do you see the F16 managing to gain a foothold in Far North Queensland racing scene? What boats are big there at the moment?

Already i have had a few people really interested in the F16 due to it being a very exciting high performance Cat. They love the volume of the hulls and the quality of the Viper. So yes i do see it growing here.

At present Infusion f18 is quite large here, 16 square and 4.5 Nacras along with lasers, Tasers and Sabots.

Is there any cool regattas up your way that the southerners should consider coming to?

The 2 main regattas are Tinaroo in May and Mission Beach. There is also a regatta in Townsville over the Queens birthday weekend and Airlie Beach also hold one. If there is any regatta to consider then Mission Beach should be number one.

I Hope to get down for the F16 nationals but will always depend on work and money. I sure will do all i can to get there.

Viper AUS 182 Hits the water in Sydney

2010-07-05T16:26:00.002+09:30

The f16 class is gaining a few new Boats and Sailors in the off season. Here is some photos of one of the new boats owned by Patrick and Judy Boutonnet. Patrick has kindly done a write up for the blog as well.

“We went to pick up the Viper AUS182 in Bendigo on Friday. AHPC’s team did a great job to have it ready on time despite having a lot of work due to the huge success of the C2.

On Saturday Rod and Jason Waterhouse joined us in Palm Beach and helped us to rig the boat. Their assistance was very helpful to get it right.

I followed Adrian Fawcett’s recommendation to sail the boat as prepared by the factory and avoid doing any changes.

We went then for the first sail with Jason. We were fortunate to have a bright sky with a good 10-15 knots south-westerly breeze. We had a fantastic time and the Viper is performing beyond expectation.

We Judy, my wife, and I have a steep learning curve ahead of us to take advantage of the Viper’s full potential.”

Regards,
Patrick"

A few of the F16 guys and girls will be attending the Forster Wild Cat regatta, so hopefully we will get to meet Patrick and Judy there.

2011 F16 Nationals

2010-06-28T17:14:00.000+09:30

Yet to be officially confirmed, but the next Formula 16 nationals is likely to be held at Gosford Sailing Club NSW. The dates will be 21,22,23 and 24 of January. The plan is to have a combined nationals regatta held with the Australian F18 association. This will be a great opportunity that will help to strengthen both classes for the future.

The First day of the regatta will be a marathon, so we all get a chance to stretch our legs before the seriousness of course racing begins on the Saturday.

Expect to see a notice of race and entry form out by the end of July.

New F16 Design Hits The Water

2010-06-22T21:25:00.002+09:30

A new prototype design from Phill Brander hit the water at Victor Harbor recently.
More pics & details to follow.

The Winners and Thank You

2010-04-07T08:25:00.002+09:30

2010 Australian Formula 16 National Champions

Adrian Fawcett and Jesse Dobie

2nd and 1st Cat Rig

Anthony Barrett

3rd Emile Barrett

Congratulations!

The Australian Formula 16 Catamaran Association would like to thank the our hosts the St Leonards Yacht Club and Motor Squadron, in particular Vice Commodore Jim Barrow and his on water team, Richie Howells and Brett Thompson and Lorraine Smith and her catering team.

As a special thank you the association donated 5 regatta t-shirts to the club volunteers for their efforts over the Easter Weekend. I know Richie will be happy to upgrade from his A class t-shirt to the F16 shirts.

Aus F16 President Simon Porteous & St Leonards YC Vice Commodore Jim Barrow

You may have also noticed the Ronstan stickers adorning our boats. Ronstan were kind enough the donate products for prizes. We would like to thank Ronstan and look forward to nurturing this relationship at future events.

Photos from day 3 can be found at http://picasaweb.google.com.au/cloandsimon/F16NationalsDay3#

Australian F16 National Titles 2010 Final Results

2010-04-05T08:36:00.001+09:30

Race 1

Rank

Boat

Class

SailNo

HelmName

CrewName

Club

Finish

Elapsed

Points

1

Lead Ballon

F16

AUS165

Adrian Fawcett

Jesse Dobie

Humpybong YC

28.57

1.0

2

Wait Awhile

F16

NED122

Pim Hagenaar

Marlene Buizer

Nedlands YC

29.46

2.0

3

AHPC1

F16

AUS166

Brett Goodall

Kingsly Pursch

Port Melbourne YC

30.16

3.0

4

Lone Wolf

F16

AUS406

Anthony Barrett

Adelaide SC

31.44

4.0

5

Lone Ranger

F16

AUS164

Don Dull

Humpybong YC

33.24

5.0

6

Speed Racer

F16

AUS403

Emile Barrett

Adelaide Sailing Club

33.43

6.0

7

Zen

F16

AUS400

Simon Porteous

Victor Harbour YC

46.12

7.0

8

Me 2

F16

AUS171

Mark Adams

Humpybong YC

dnf

9.0

Race 2

Rank	Boat	Class	SailNo	HelmName	CrewName	Club	Finish	Elapsed	Points
1	Lead Ballon	F16	AUS165	Adrian Fawcett	Jesse Dobie	Humpybong YC		26.28	1.0
2	Wait Awhile	F16	NED122	Pim Hagenaar	Marlene Buizer	Nedlands YC		27.44	2.0
3	Lone Wolf	F16	AUS406	Anthony Barrett		Adelaide SC		29.13	3.0
4	Lone Ranger	F16	AUS164	Don Dull		Humpybong YC		29.51	4.0
5	AHPC1	F16	AUS166	Brett Goodall	Kingsly Pursch	Port Melbourne YC		31.31	5.0
6	Me 2	F16	AUS171	Mark Adams		Humpybong YC		32.56	6.0
7	Speed Racer	F16	AUS403	Emile Barrett		Adelaide Sailing Club		37.54	7.0
8	Zen	F16	AUS400	Simon Porteous		Victor Harbor YC		DNS	9.0

Race 3

Rank	Boat	Class	SailNo	HelmName	CrewName	Club	Finish	Elapsed	Points
1	Lone Wolf	F16	AUS406	Anthony Barrett		Adelaide SC		46.33	1.0
2	Lead Ballon	F16	AUS165	Adrian Fawcett	Jesse Dobie	Humpybong YC		46.35	2.0
3	Speed Racer	F16	AUS403	Emile Barrett		Adelaide Sailing Club		47.16	3.0
4	Me 2	F16	AUS171	Mark Adams		Humpybong YC		48.12	4.0
5	AHPC1	F16	AUS166	Brett Goodall	Kingsly Pursch	Port Melbourne YC		49.31	5.0
6	Wait Awhile	F16	NED122	Pim Hagenaar	Marlene Buizer	Nedlands YC		51.03	6.0
7	Lone Ranger	F16	AUS164	Don Dull		Humpybong YC		53.26	7.0

Race 4

Rank	Boat	Class	SailNo	HelmName	CrewName	Club	Finish	Elapsed	Points
1	Lead Ballon	F16	AUS165	Adrian Fawcett	Jesse Dobie	Humpybong YC		31.24	1.0
2	Speed Racer	F16	AUS403	Emile Barrett		Adelaide Sailing Club		31.48	2.0
3	Lone Wolf	F16	AUS406	Anthony Barrett		Adelaide SC		31.56	3.0
4	Me 2	F16	AUS171	Mark Adams		Humpybong YC		32.18	4.0
5	Wait Awhile	F16	NED122	Pim Hagenaar	Marlene Buizer	Nedlands YC		33.08	5.0
6	AHPC1	F16	AUS166	Brett Goodall	Kingsly Pursch	Port Melbourne YC		34.07	6.0
7	Lone Ranger	F16	AUS164	Don Dull		Humpybong YC		34.54	7.0

Race 5

Rank	Boat	Class	SailNo	HelmName	CrewName	Club	Finish	Elapsed	Points
1	Lone Wolf	F16	AUS406	Anthony Barrett		Adelaide SC		22.26	1.0
2	Lead Ballon	F16	AUS165	Adrian Fawcett	Jesse Dobie	Humpybong YC		22.43	2.0
3	AHPC1	F16	AUS166	Brett Goodall	Kingsly Pursch	Port Melbourne YC		23.01	3.0
4	Speed Racer	F16	AUS403	Emile Barrett		Adelaide Sailing Club		23.10	4.0
5	Wait Awhile	F16	NED122	Pim Hagenaar	Marlene Buizer	Nedlands YC		23.26	5.0
6	Lone Ranger	F16	AUS164	Don Dull		Humpybong YC		24.25	6.0
7	Me 2	F16	AUS171	Mark Adams		Humpybong YC		26.05	7.0

Race 6

Rank	Boat	Class	SailNo	HelmName	CrewName	Club	Finish	Elapsed	Points
1	Lead Ballon	F16	AUS165	Adrian Fawcett	Jesse Dobie	Humpybong YC		30.26	1.0
2	Lone Wolf	F16	AUS406	Anthony Barrett		Adelaide SC		30.27	2.0
3	Speed Racer	F16	AUS403	Emile Barrett		Adelaide Sailing Club		30.53	3.0
4	AHPC1	F16	AUS166	Brett Goodall	Kingsly Pursch	Port Melbourne YC		30.57	4.0
5	Wait Awhile	F16	NED122	Pim Hagenaar	Marlene Buizer	Nedlands YC		31.37	5.0
6	Lone Ranger	F16	AUS164	Don Dull		Humpybong YC		32.52	6.0
7	Me 2	F16	AUS171	Mark Adams		Humpybong YC		33.59	7.0

Race 7

Rank	Boat	Class	SailNo	HelmName	CrewName	Club	Finish	Elapsed	Points
1	Lead Ballon	F16	AUS165	Adrian Fawcett	Jesse Dobie	Humpybong YC		44.20	1.0
2	Lone Wolf	F16	AUS406	Anthony Barrett		Adelaide SC		45.35	2.0
3	Speed Racer	F16	AUS403	Emile Barrett		Adelaide Sailing Club		46.08	3.0
4	AHPC1	F16	AUS166	Brett Goodall	Kingsly Pursch	Port Melbourne YC		47.43	4.0
5	Wait Awhile	F16	NED122	Pim Hagenaar	Marlene Buizer	Nedlands YC		48.26	5.0
6	Lone Ranger	F16	AUS164	Don Dull		Humpybong YC		50.58	6.0

Race 8

Rank	Boat	Class	SailNo	HelmName	CrewName	Club	Finish	Elapsed	Points
1	Lone Wolf	F16	AUS406	Anthony Barrett		Adelaide SC		42.58	1.0
2	Speed Racer	F16	AUS403	Emile Barrett		Adelaide Sailing Club		42.59	2.0
3	Lead Ballon	F16	AUS165	Adrian Fawcett	Jesse Dobie	Humpybong YC		43.03	3.0
4	AHPC1	F16	AUS166	Brett Goodall	Kingsly Pursch	Port Melbourne YC		43.48	4.0
5	Wait Awhile	F16	NED122	Pim Hagenaar	Marlene Buizer	Nedlands YC		44.43	5.0
6	Lone Ranger	F16	AUS164	Don Dull		Humpybong YC		46.38	6.0

Race 9

Rank	Boat	Class	SailNo	HelmName	CrewName	Club	Finish	Elapsed	Points
1	Lead Ballon	F16	AUS165	Adrian Fawcett	Jesse Dobie	Humpybong YC		37.18	1.0
2	Lone Wolf	F16	AUS406	Anthony Barrett		Adelaide SC		37.45	2.0
3	AHPC1	F16	AUS166	Brett Goodall	Kingsly Pursch	Port Melbourne YC		38.16	3.0
4	Speed Racer	F16	AUS403	Emile Barrett		Adelaide Sailing Club		38.39	4.0
5	Wait Awhile	F16	NED122	Pim Hagenaar	Marlene Buizer	Nedlands YC		40.17	5.0

Sailwave Scoring Software 2.02 build 2
www.sailwave.com

Races 7,8 and 9

2010-04-05T08:35:00.002+09:30

The final session of the 2nd Australian F16 National Titles today was characterised by a dying breeze of about 5 knots and difficult choppy seas.
Pim and Marlene were regularly to the first mark the quickest with some excellent starts and great speed upwind but Adrian and Jess on the Viper and the Tony Barrett and Emile Barrett on the cat rig BLADES showed amazing speed on the kite legs.

These three races gave the closest racing with the most position changes for the series. The finish of race 8 was a nail biter with Tony Barrett on his cat rig BLADE coming from third to win the race at the finish line with his brother Emile also on the cat rig blade coming second with Adrian and Jess taking third.
It was widely expected that the lighter cat rig boats would dominate the lighter races. Nobody told Adrian and Jess though they managed to score wins in races 7 and 9.

Windy night has left a lumpy sea for races 7,8 and 9

2010-04-04T10:58:00.001+09:30

On a night that had the F16 teams nervous for the safety of their boats, with one Viper flipping on the beach breaking the spinnaker pole 85knots of wind was recorded at the heads to Port Phillip Bay.

It was still unsure that there would be any more sailing earlier this morning but the winds abated to 10- 15 knots by 9:30 in the morning with a 1 m chop.

The F1’s have just left the beach for races 7,8 and 9 back to back with the wind speed dropping further. It looks to be a tough session with light winds and steep short chop.

Results after 6 races

2010-04-04T10:57:00.001+09:30

Races 5 and 6

2010-04-04T10:56:00.001+09:30

The two races after lunch saw wind varying from 10 to 5 knots, lots of tide and a bit of bump thrown in. Pim and Marleen lead early and looked the goods for the first lap in the first race but failed to hang on. Generally the race was very close with lots of lead changes. Anthony Barrett, on his cat-rigged BLADE, continued his great day over taking that tightly bunched fleet to take the race followed by Aido and Jess and Brett and Kingsley.

The wind dropped to 5 kts for the start of the second race, making the chop very difficult to deal with for all the crews. Aido and Jess rounded the top mark first, but were quickly over taken by Anthony Barrett sailing very deep and fast. Emile also flew downwind to be a very close third at the bottom mark. Brett and Kingsley battled it out with Pim and Marlene and closed on the leaders up the next windward. Aido and Jess managed to claw back a slim lead at the top mark for the last time. And then a three way downwind battle ensued, culminating in Anthony, Aido and Emile meeting at the bottom mark at the same time. Half way to the finish line the breeze built to 10 knots as all three boats tried to carry the kite HOT to the finish. Neck and neck. Aido and Jess managed to pull a win of 1 second from Anthony with Emile paying the price for dropping his kite too late in third.

Three to go tomorrow.

Australian F16 Nationals Races 3 and 4

2010-04-03T14:09:00.001+10:30

Saturday morning provided the painfully light wind that only the winning boat gets any satisfaction from. The cat rigged boats had better height upwind and more depth downwind in the 2-3 knot breeze, however Adrian and Jess picked the wind shifts well and outsailed the fleet to take line honours, even after re-rounding the start in race 3. Mark Adams was looking famous on his brand new cat-rigged Viper up the first work of race 4, but as the race shortened Mark was reigned in by Ado and Jess. At lunch, the wind has dropped below 2 knots so the sailors have hit the beers for an extended lunch while we wait (hopefully) for an afternoon sea breeze to sail race 5.

More photos from race 3 here

Aus F16 Nationals – Day 1

2010-04-03T10:46:00.001+10:30

The first day of racing for the Australian F16 National Championships provided excellent conditions for racing. A steady 15 knot breeze from the South East on flat water created perfect racing conditions for the races 1 and 2. The stronger wind favoured the sloop rigged boats who had quicker boat speed around the course. Tony Barrett sailed very well on his blade to keep in touch with the sloop rigged Vipers, however it was Adrian and Jess from Queensland who sailed consistently well to take out both races ahead of Pimm and Marleen from Western Australia. Here are the results for race 1 and 2.

	Boat Name	Sail #	Skipper	Crew	Race 1	Race 2	Total
1	Lead Balloon	AUS165	Adrian Fawcett	Jesse Dobbs	1	1	2
2	Wait Awhile	NED122	Pim Hagenaar	Marlene Buizr	2	2	4
3	Lone Wolf	AUS406	Anthony Barrett		4	3	7
4	AHPC1	AUS166	Brett Goodall	Kingsly Pursch	3	5	8
5	Lone Ranger	AUS164	Don Dull		5	4	9
6	Speed Racer	AUS403	Emile Barrett		6	7	13
7	Me 2	AUS171	Mark Adams		9DNF	6	15
8	Zen	AUS400	Simon Porteous		7	9DNS	16

Click here for photos of todays sailing.

Aus National Championships 1 Week Away

2010-03-25T15:34:00.001+10:30

The Australian F16 National Championships are just one week away.

Contact Jim Barrow, Vice Commodore of the St Leonards Yacht Club and Motor Squadron on 0439 662 or email at 966jimbarrow@bigpond.com for mor information about the venue.

Notice of Race & Entry Form

For Sale: Viper AUS122

2010-03-06T17:38:00.001+10:30

Viper F16 catamaran.

18 months old.

Currently for sale in Perth WA, but will participate in the F-16 nationals at St Leonards near Melbourne during Easter.

Price $17,800.

For information call Pim 0406677892

2nd Australian Formula 16 National Championships

2009-12-09T16:58:00.001+10:30

The 2nd F16 Australian Championships will be at St Leonards Yacht Club and Motor Squadron during their Easter Regatta - 2-4th April 2010.

Download the Notice of Race and Entry Form Here

Measurement Form

2009-12-08T22:26:00.000+10:30

The F16 measurement form can be downloaded from the formula16.net website.

The Formula 16 Box Rule

2009-12-08T22:17:00.004+10:30

Prologue: The Formula 16 class
The Formula 16 class for high performance beach catamarans is a mildly restricted class, reserved for sport catamarans that may be sailed either doublehanded or singlehanded without time adjustment. The designs are of amateur or professional construction and are intended for racing on elapsed time with respect to other Formula 16 designs.
The Formula 16 Design Box Rule
Section 1: Construction Limits
1.1 General
1.1.1 In case of doubt, the intention of the rule makers, which is referred to as the spirit of the rule, shall take precedence over the letter of the rule.
1.1.2 For construction, all materials and methods are allowed when these do not imply either an unacceptable risk of bodily harm or the operation of an unseaworthy craft.
1.1.3 It is the responsibility of both designer and builder of a catamaran that is intended to be sailed within the Formula 16 class to contact the Formula 16 Class Authority and request that their design, or modification of an existing design, be checked and found to be in compliance with the Formula 16 rules before publicizing their product as a "Formula 16" or "Formula 16 compliant".
1.1.4 It is the responsibility of competitors to ensure their craft are safe and seaworthy.
1.1.5 When the Formula 16 Class Authority feels that the designer, builder, competitor or craft is failing to comply with the Formula 16 rules then the class Authority may take appropriate action to restrict, or even prevent, the use of the craft or the participation of the competitor.
1.2 The platform dimensions
1.2.1 The maximum overall length measured on the hulls is 5.00 m (= 16.4 ft).
1.2.2 The maximum overall beam measured on the platform is 2.5 m (= 8.2 ft).
1.2.3 Wings may be carried as long as the equivalent overall beam, when measured over the platform, and one fully extended wing is 2.5 m or less.
1.2.4 The hulls, beams and trampoline shall not be permanently fixed to one-another. the Formula 16 Class authority may demand that these items be disassembled, but only at a time when doing so does not directly affect the fairness of racing.
1.3 Boat weight
The minimum weight of the boat ready to sail, excluding non-permanently fitted wings, is fixed at:
1.3.1 Singlehanded mode (cat rigged with gennaker): 104 kg (= 230 lbs),
1.3.2 Doublehanded mode (sloop rigged with gennaker): 107 kg (= 236 lbs).
1.4 The mast
1.4.1 The distance between the top of the main beam and the base of the mast section is referred to as the "mast foot height". The mast foot height shall not be more than 0.075 m.
1.4.2 The distance between the base of the mast section and the highest point of the perpendicular projection of the hoisted mainsail on the mast is referred to as the "mainsail hoist height". The mainsail hoist height shall not be more than 8.5 m.
1.4.3 The part of the mast section with attached fittings that is farther from the base of the mast section than the mainsail hoist height is referred to as the "mast crane section". The mast crane section shall not be taller than 0.075 m and have no other function than to hoist and fix the mainsail to its hoist height.
1.4.4 The distance, at right angles to the mast axis, measured around and back to the same point is referred to as the "mast circumference". The mast circumference shall not be more than 0.500 m.
1.4.5 The weight that is measured at the mainsail hoist height of a mast lying perfectly horizontal with its base supported at the bottom edge of the mast section is referred to as the "mast tip weight". The minimum mast tip weight of a fully fitted mast, excluding standing rigging, is set at 6.00 kg for reasons of seaworthiness and to guarantee fair racing.
1.5 Flotation
1.5.1 Each hull shall have at least one inspection hatch.
1.5.2 Each hull shall carry at least 50 liters of flotation, which may be provided by solid closed cell foam, solid blocks of compacted foam granulate, air bags or sealed air compartments.
1.6 Daggerboards and rudders
1.6.1 The platform shall be equipped with a pair of rudders.
1.6.2 In addition to the rudders, the platform may also be equipped with a pair of daggerboards or centerboards.
1.6.3 All performance calculations, such as handicap ratings, shall be performed as if a platform has daggerboards or centerboards, even though a particular design may have neither of them.
1.6.4 (Added by vote, August 2007) For the avoidance of doubt, daggerboards/centerboards will conform to the following :
a) Curved/’Banana’ boards will not be allowed.
b) Assymetrical cross-section profile boards will be allowed.
c) Fore/aft movement of the boards when in the down position will not be allowed.
d) End fences/horizontal appendages below the waterline will not be allowed. The board shall be capable of removal, without tools, via the upper opening of the case.
e) There will be no limitation on the daggerboard/centerboard length
1.7 Rigging and equipment
1.7.1 It is not permitted to adjust the following items while racing: the rake of the mast, the tension of the standing rigging, the angle or length of the spreaders or the position and height of the gennaker boom.
1.7.2 It is permitted to adjust the diamond wire tension while racing or to adjust the items named under 1.7.1 between races.
1.8 Righting
1.8.1 It is the responsibility of the crew to ensure that the boat is equipped with a righting system that will enable the crew to right the boat without any outside assistance.
1.8.2 The Formula 16 Class authority may demand that a crew demonstrate their ability to right their boat, but only at a time when doing so does not directly affect the fairness of racing.
1.9 Minimum weight of the crew
1.9.1 There will be no other restrictions on crew weight apart from the requirement that the crew weight must be sufficient to right the boat unaided under all encountered sailing conditions.
1.10 The gennaker boom (also referred to as a spinnaker pole)
1.10.1 The length of the gennaker boom shall not be more than 3.5 m.
1.10.2 When the aft end of the gennaker boom is located in front of the vertical passing through the leading edge of an unrotated mast, then the distance between the fixing point and the leading edge of the mast is considered to be part of the gennaker boom.
1.10.3 In contrast to ISAF rule 64.2, the gennaker boom may be fixed to the forward beam.
1.10.4 The gennaker boom shall be fixed and sit approximately on the longitudinal centerline of the boat.
1.11 The sails in general
1.11.1 The sail plan in the doublehanded configuration comprises a mainsail, a jib and a gennaker.
1.11.2 The sail plan in the singlehanded configuration comprises a mainsail and a gennaker.
1.11.3 Racing with fewer sails than those named for each configuration is permitted.
1.11.4 Only "soft sails" are allowed and it must be possible to store these in a bag of normal dimensions. The Formula 16 Class authority shall be the judge of what qualifies as a "soft sail" and its decision will be binding.
1.11.5 (redundant and thus removed)
1.12 The mainsail (modified by vote, August 2007)
1.12.1 The Mast & mainsail area may not be larger than 15 sq m.
1.12.2 The Mainsail luff length may not be longer that 8.1 m (= 8100 mm).
Where:
Mast & mainsail area = (mainsail area + mast area)
Mainsail area = all of the mainsail surface area that is outside of the mast while sailing, measured in accordance with ISAF measurement rules.
Mast area = mast length * maximum circumference of the mast * 0.5
1.13 The jib
1.13.1 (Revoked by vote per 10 July 2004): original rule read: "the leech shall not be convex."
1.13.2 The jib sail area may not be larger than 3.7 sq m.
1.13.3 Neither the luff nor the leech of the jib sail may be longer than 6 m (= 6000 mm).
1.14 The gennaker
1.14.1 The maximum distance measured from the top of the main beam to the highest theoretical point to which a gennaker sail can be hoisted is referred to as the "gennaker hoist height". The gennaker hoist height shall not be more then 7.50 m. (= 7500 mm)
1.14.2 The distance from the top of the main beam to a mast gate may be used for the gennaker hoist height measurement when no part of the gennaker can be hoisted past the distance measured.
1.14.3 The gennaker must satisfy the following two shape and size conditions:
SMG > 75% * SF (= shape condition)
Max. Gennaker area = SF * (SL1+SL2)/4 + (SMG-SF/2) * (SL1+SL2)/3 = 17.5 sq m (= size condition)
Where:
* SMG is the width at mid-height, which shall be taken between the mid point of the luff and the mid point of the leech.
* SF is the length of the foot of the sail measured around the edge of the sail, between the lowest points of the luff and leech.
* SL1 is the length of the luff of the sail measured along the edge of the sail, from the highest point of the sail to the lowest point of the sail along the luff.
* SL2 is the length of the leech of the sail measured along the edge of the sail, from the highest point of the sail to the lowest point of the sail on the leech.

The F16 Catamaran

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Formula 16 is a multi-manufacturer class for beach catamarans, designed for the 21st century.

The F16 design is modern. Gone are the days when a seaworthy 16 foot catamaran had to weigh 150kg and when the use of carbon meant spiralling costs. F16 minimum weight is just 107kg (104kg 1-up) with few restrictions on materials and yet costs are no more than for other race catamarans. The inclusion of an asymmetric spinnaker adds to the excitement.

The F16 design is practical. Do you enjoy sailing as a team but hate getting stranded on the shore when the crew doesn't show? Do you sail on your own but want the option to take friends and family out occasionally? The F16 is designed to sail equally well 1-up and 2-up, and what's more both configurations race each other on elapsed time. And at 104kg, the F16 can not only be sailed singlehanded - you can launch and right it on your own too!

The F16 design is fast. A light-weight platform, generous sail areas and an asymmetric spinnaker can mean only one thing: speed.

The F16 class was founded in 2001 and there are now a number of fully optimised designs in production. Learn more about the F16 boats. Being a modern and truly international class, much of the planning and discussion happens on-line. Come and meet us at the F16 forum.

Committee Members

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President	Simon Porteous	simon.porteous@gmail.com
Vice President	Tony Barrett	tony@marinosa.me
Secretary	Tony Jenkins	tnjj@iprimus.com.au
Treasurer	Brett Goodall	brett@ahpc.com.au
Measurer	Marcus Towell	MTowell@baulderstone.com.au
PR	Vacant