A flat panel Visionarry which is a scaled up version of Sol will not be much more expensive as the work in a small panel is pretty similar to the work in a large one. It gets expensive when you start adding the saloon and lots of fiddly bits like on Rare Bird. Should also be possible to do a lot more of the assembly on the proa than on the tri. The proa is much more ergonomic and easier to sail, but doesn't fold.
rob
ithaca, new york is a town of about 30k, with an additional 25k in students at cornell university, where i work. five hour drive from new york city. situated on cayuga lake, which is 3 km wide and 70 km long. 200 m hills on both sides channel the wind down the long axis. so lots of tacks and gybes to go up and down the lake. i plan to move back to the coast, hopefully within the next year.
from the pics i've seen the 50 ft visionarries have accommodations comparable to an F-32X. the former looks substantially more ergonomic though. no getting wet in the cockpit from all the spray. no crawling on your belly to get to the aft cabin. seems like the perfect cruiser.
i would be curious to know how much a flat-panel visionarry cost. a new F-32 costs $175k, which is WAY out of my price range.
ben
> can i ask what Ithaca is?
> Town, suburb?
> Did you say that you sail on a lake?
>
> Do you think you would need to go up a lot more in hp length to get the equivalent accomods. of a cruising tri?