Why can't we run tapered mainsheets/jib sheets on the H16?
General Rules ban tapering on sheets unless individual class rules specifically carve out an exception. Tigers get one for their spinnaker sheet. The 16 gets nothing. So technically running a tapered main or jib sheet at a sanctioned event is a DNE if someone protests it.
Which seems dumb given how cheap and simple it is. A tapered sheet — fat where you grip it, thin through the blocks — runs $50-100 in line and an evening of splicing. Less friction through the system, better grip, faster response when you need to dump the main in a gust. F18 and A-Cat guys have been running this for years, it's not exotic gear.
Usually the objection to letting new equipment into a one-design fleet is cost/access — someone with a bigger budget buys an edge and everyone else falls behind. That argument doesn't really hold here. It's cheap enough that any competitor can build one with basic splicing skills. Curious what people think.
Is there a specific reason this has never made it into the H16 rules — inspection difficulty, past pushback, something I'm missing?
Anyone running tapered sheets locally already and just not gotten protested?
Mostly just want to know if I'm missing something here?
Cheers,