We have mini classes in Naviga for hulls under 450mm (about 17.5"), as well as 2-3s and 4-6s classes without size limits, and I can tell you there is a huge difference in capability between a 17" hull and a 27" hull, they wont race well together.
About 500W is the limit of a 17" hull (we run our flighty hulls at about 200w, but the more stolid hulls can handle up to 500), while the speeds aren't too dissimilar, the water they can handle at that speed is very different, so in the rough the bigger boats will walk away. There is no way a 1lb 17" boat can cope with the holes a 5lb 27" boat carves in the water either, so overtaking will be impossibly one-sided.
Paul Upton-Taylor, Greased Weasel Racing.
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