Death of the 13.5m class?

Sailing eh? The sailors complain that every new class is more $ and smaller fleets. Sailors maintain that the foiling boats have done nothing for increasing sailing participation. If that new Ventus M doesn't inspire anyone a new 13.5 whizbox at half the price isn't going to either. Participation numbers are a separate issue from intermittent engine runs in soaring. First is cultural, second will lead to ridiculous electric airplane races, and less people racing or setting records once they merge the classes. And they will. Remember when it was thought ludicrous to have motorgliders and pure gliders in the same class? For the motor guys to feel legitimate they need to eliminate the pure class. With separate motor classes their accomplishments will never feel equal to them so pureness has to die. Since you brought up participation it's a cultural problem, men no longer own their free time. In the heyday if dad was a glider pilot you spent weekends at the airport, if dad was a sailor you spend weekends on the water. Now dad spends weekends driving his kids to playdates, recitals, and sports games. Not saying it is doom and gloom, plenty of bums to keep soaring going, but for the numbers to come back men need to reclaim their time and that is a cultural issue larger than any one sport.