Versatile cat for lightweights?

I can't imagine that a Spitfire would sail particularly well under main only. The Spitfire jib is large compared to a boat designed as an F16. Removing the jib would unbalance the boat much, much more than it does on an F16 design.

This doesn't mean it can't be done, it just means it wouldn't be competitive. Boats like the Stealth and Blade are just as fast solo with main only as the sloops are two-up. This has been demonstrated many times at F16 meetings, in all conditions, where sloops and unis race each other on elapsed time.

The only real differences between F16 sloops and unis is that if you know you are likely to sail solo most of the time, you order a uni mainsail (flatter). Whereas the standard for most people is to have a sloop mainsail and use loads of downhaul to flatten it for solo sailing.

No, you're thinking of a "Shadow".

Stealth hulls are nothing like any other cat that I know of. They are flat bottomed, with max buoyancy low down, max rocker aft, domed transoms and the hulls are canted at 4.5 degrees.

My Stealth is 3 yrs old. There have been 4 generations of the Stealth since the prototype 6 yrs ago AFAICR. Mine is therefore 3rd gen or first full F16.

The essential piece of info though is that the hull shape has not changed. There were minor (cosmetic) alterations to the first boats and then the Stealth R. The R then became the Stealth F16 with just rig and width changes (hulls the same as the R).

Then in 2003 the moulds were damaged in an accident and so the new bow shape was developed (still using the original mould but repaired). So the basic hull shape is unchanged. In 2006 the mould has been changed again to do away with the domed transom which was causing rudder alignment problems, but the original hull shape is, again, unchanged.

Early Stealth F16:

2006 Stealth F16:

Note the straighter bow and flatter foredeck line. Also the stem has now been reversed in line with modern cat thinking. This is a function of the increased volume low down in the hull combined with the changed deck line. The 'old' boat got round this by having the deckline built up at the bow.

Blade F16 is very sweet.

Email Scott McCook at Pro-sail asia - he is allegedly exporting a few of the malaysian made ply & epoxy boats over to europe this summer.  Comes complete with a great big square top main too and you get to do Cherub style fiddling if you like.

The guy in Singapore with the Blade has virtually nil sailing experience and copes just fine.  Key thing is to get the righting technique learnt after a capsize.

(I still bought a 29er but that is another story)