B14E

Didn't the "E" Stand for Europe? I'm sure the article said they made it like that because we experience lighter winds (on average) than our antipodean friends, so the B14e was lighter and didn't need the extra leverage.

Flip side of the coin is that you can get more leverage off 2 people hiking off racks, so on windy days I guess that makes the B14 faster, and dare I say it, easier to sail?

It sure would be.  However you'd probably want to change the rig, I doubt it would survive with two guys hanging off it... The kite is certainly big enough for twin trap (in fact the whole rig is bigger than an 800's).

You can pick them up cheap, so it would probably make quite an interesting project!  My mate got quite a good one for £900. 

On the point of the B14 being easier to sail because its hiking, not really.  I have found getting back inside the boat from a trapeze easier than from hiking hard off the wings, so if you hit a lull you're more likely to tea-bag.  Otherwise, it's as tippy as you like and massively powered up, especially off-wind.  The kite is very unforgiving but hugely quick. 

I've heard stuff about the B14E but never seen one... don't think the uptake was very good at all.  Andrew did the one you saw reviewed have a fixed kite pole? 

Dim distant past but didn't the E stand for exocet? I thought there was 2 versions - B14 in oz and Exocet in Europe one with big wings and one with a single trapeze.

Probably wrong, a lot of beer has flowed since then.

JimC is pretty much on the money and it may even have been called an Exocet at one time ???

I friend of mine considered making the jib self tacking, adding a shute and coverting a B14 to a trapeze single hander.   The thinking being that one person trapezing is about the same as two hiking.  Call the men in white coats.