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Do they kick you out of the nationals for not having a comp tip?
I mean whats the point?
Short answer - yes. The point is that it's been part of the class rules for the past 15 years. Get over it and get on with life.
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Is the comp tip stronger? For when your on the wire?
The CompTip is more flexible than the full aluminum mast and requires a little more finesse in sail trim, especially in gusty conditions. The trapeze and the shrouds attach below the CompTip, so it really makes no difference in strength insofar as trapezing is concerned.
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Don't the tigers not have a comp tip (I remember one of the new boats doesn't)? How'd Hobie get around that?
Tigers are made by Hobie Europe in France (a completely separate company). Hobie USA is the distributor. European boats do not have CompTips because they don't have the stupid product liability lawsuits we have in the USA.
People forget that the CompTip is a safety device. It's not perfect, but it's part of the rules and has been for a long time. Any regatta organizer that allows full aluminum masts (on boats that have CompTips) is accepting the potential liability claims of anybody hurt or killed because they didn't have a CompTip.