This FAQ page aims to provide answers to the most frequently asked questions about the new F18 Certification System.
Would you have questions not dealt with in the list below, please contact your National representative who will transmit to ExCo.
List of answered questions:
- What is the IF18CA on-line certification system?
- Why has the IF18CA introduced an on-line certification system?
- What is a ‘ready to race’ class legal Formula 18 catamaran?
- What is the minimum weight of a class legal ‘ready to race’ Formula 18 catamaran?
- What is the minimum ‘non corrected’ weight of a class legal Formula 18 catamaran?
- Why are the ‘ready to race’ boat weight and the corrector weight no longer recorded on the boat certificate?
- How does the on-line certification system assist sailors to keep their boats class legal?
- Does the boat need to be re-certified if I change non-certified parts like for example trapeze wires, ropes, sheets, shackles, or blocks?
- Why weigh the sails separately?
- Is weighing of the sails mandatory?
- Does my “old” (pre-2023) F18 now need to be re-certified and entered in the on-line system to be class legal?
- I have replaced the mast, a daggerboard or a rudder on my “old” (pre-2023) F18 and I need to have my boat re-certified. Can the measurer do this with the on-line system?
- Will the measurement checks at major regattas be any different for a boat with on-line certificates compared with a boat that has only the old (paper) measurement certificates?
| Question: | What is the IF18CA on-line certification system? |
| Answer: | The F18 Certification System is an online (web accessible) system through which the IF18CA issues F18 measurement certificates based on measurement data entered by official measurers. The boat, sail, and equipment item certificates as well as their underlying measurement data are publicly accessible. |
| Question: | Why has the IF18CA introduced an on-line certification system? |
| Answer: | For two main raisons: 1) Historically all new boats and sails had to be ‘certified’ by an independent official measurer, after the owner had taken delivery from the manufacturer. The on-line certification system supports “self-certification” by builders and sailmakers that have been recognized by the IF18CA as official measurers. 2) Additionally, certain changes to a boat also required an owner to obtain re-certification by an official measurer. The online certification system eliminates some of this requirement. |
| Comment: | The prior situation placed extra pressure on the limited number of official measurers and made racing an F18 more onerous for sailors (or sailors simply did not comply with the certification requirements). The current group of builders have been involved in the class for a long time. They know what the class rules require and are the individuals best placed to ‘certify’ any new boat as ‘class legal’. The on-line certification system, in combination with the use of unique pre-numbered certification mark stickers, makes (self-)certification transparent and gives comfort to sailors that delivered F18s are indeed ‘class legal’. |
| Question: | What is a ‘ready to race’ class legal Formula 18 catamaran? |
| Answer: | The complete boat including the platform (‘assembled hulls’), foils, rig, and sails, as defined in the Class Rules. Portable equipment (see class rule C.5) is not included. |
| Question: | What is the minimum weight of a class legal ‘ready to race’ Formula 18 catamaran? |
| Answer: | 180 kg, see class rule C.6.2. |
| Comment: | There is no change in the class rules for what is a class legal F18. That includes the minimum ‘ready to race’ boat weight rule. |
| Question: | What is the minimum ‘non corrected’ weight of a class legal Formula 18 catamaran? |
| Answer: | 173 kg, see class rules C.6.2 and C.6.3(a). |
| Comment: | The maximum corrector weight is 7 kg. The ‘non corrected’ weight recognises that manufacturers can and will build boats that weigh less than the minimum ‘ready to race’ weight of 180 kg. The ‘non corrected’ weight allows for variances in the build process of a boat. There is no change in the class rules for what is a class legal F18. That includes the maximum corrector weight rule. |
| Question: | Why are the ‘ready to race’ boat weight and the corrector weight no longer recorded on the boat certificate? |
| Answer: | The weight of the boat ‘ready to race’ includes the sails and the required corrector weight is calculated from this combined weight. Each sail has its own certificate and sailors can replace or exchange the sails between regattas. This eventually happens with all boats, often more than once or even quite frequently. When this happens, and because the weights of sails vary, the originally calculated boat ‘ready to race’ and corrector weights are no longer correct. To avoid this problem, the boat certificate now states the calculated boat weight excluding the sails. |
| Question: | How does the on-line certification system assist sailors to keep their boats class legal? |
| Answer: | To be able to comply with the class rules sailors need to know what their boats weigh on an ongoing basis, not just only right after delivery / initial certification. The system helps with this in two ways: |
| 1) The system records the weights of the mast (including diamond wires), each daggerboard and each rudder assembly. These ‘certified equipment items’ have their unique certification mark numbers. Whenever a ‘certified equipment item’ is replaced (except for a hull), for example after breakage, an official measurer enters and saves the certificate mark number of the new / replacement part on the on-line boat certificate. The system automatically recalculates the certified boat weight excluding the sails. There is no need to re-weigh the boat. | |
| Comment: | The hulls, daggerboards, rudder assemblies and mast are ‘certified equipment items’. Boat parts certified since 1 January 2023 can be recognized by their pre-numbered certification mark stickers (see class rules – class drawings / certification marks) and their certification mark numbers recorded in the on-line certification system. |
| 2) The boat weight (excluding sails) can also change as result of, for example, replacement of other (non-certified) parts. When this happens, an official measurer can simply update the boat weight (excluding mast, daggerboards and rudder assemblies, and sails) in the system. There is no need to re-certify (issue a new certificate). |
| Question: | Does the boat need to be re-certified if I change non-certified parts like for example trapeze wires, ropes, sheets, shackles, or blocks? |
| Answer: | No, but as a sailor you always need to ensure that your boat meets the minimum 180 kg requirement. This means that your boat always needs to carry enough corrector weight to weigh at least 180 kg. You can ask a measurer to re-weigh your boat if you are not sure and have him update the weight in the on-line system. |
| Question: | Why weigh the sails separately? |
| Answer: | The weight of the boat ‘ready to race’ includes the sails. Each sail has its own certificate and sailors can replace or exchange the sails between regattas. This eventually happens with all boats, often more than once or even quite frequently. When this happens and because the weights of sails vary the weight of the boat ‘ready to race’ changes as well. By recording the weight of each sail in the system a sailor can always calculate the weight of the boat ‘ready to race’ as well as the required corrector weight. |
| Comment: | Sailors can use the calculator in the on-line certification system to calculate the weight of the boat ‘ready to race’ by entering 4 certificate numbers: the WS plaque number of the boat and the certification mark number of each sail. |
| Question: | Is weighing of the sails mandatory? |
| Answer: | Yes, from 1 March 2024 taking the weight is mandatory for sail certification. |
| Question: | Does my “old” (pre-2023) F18 now need to be re-certified and entered in the on-line system to be class legal? |
| Answer: | No. All existing paper certificate / measurement forms for boats and sails remain valid as long as you do not change anything that requires re-certification. However, if you prefer to have an on-line measurement form and certificate for your pre-2023 boat and/or sails you can ask an official measurer to do this for you. This does mean that he needs to apply the new pre-numbered certification mark stickers because without these on-line recording is not possible. |
| Question: | I have replaced the mast, a daggerboard or a rudder on my “old” (pre-2023) F18 and I need to have my boat re-certified. Can the measurer do this with the on-line system? |
| Answer: | Yes. Since 1 January 2023 new certificates can only be issued with the on-line system. This includes re-certification. This means that updates / changes that require re-certification can only be done with the on-line system and the new pre-numbered certification mark stickers. |
| Question: | Will the measurement checks at major regattas be any different for a boat with on-line certificates compared with a boat that has only the old (paper) measurement certificates? |
| Answer: | No. There is no change in the class rules for what is a class legal F18. The only difference is that you no longer need to bring paper documents to a regatta. |