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[quote=Edchris177]I think Philip has the answer, it was mostly due to strength with the bigger rigs...the N.American is a beast.
The idea that a thicker foil, more correctly defined as a lower aspect,(Reynolds number for airfoils), stalls at a higher angle is a very slippery slope. It is just not that simple, sort of like saying you're a little bit pregnant.
A thicker foil is more tolerant of small imperfections, in aircraft think frost on the wings, BUT, the speeds where compromise occurs is higher than we see on our beachcats.
Pure "thickness" is also heavily related to chord, the distance from leading to trailing edge, & the span,(length).
The least amount of induced drag is a function of aspect ratio. The most efficient foil is a very long thin one, (glider wings), but how do you do that & still keep it strong enough?
Beachcat rudders could easily be made more efficient, BUT, would the negatives be worth it?
Would anyone want a rudder 5' long, with all the grounding problems that would introduce.
And, as Philip alluded to, how do you make a long thin rudder strong enough to resist breaking when thrown full deflection at speed?
Aerodynamics & hydrodynamics are always a tradeoff. If you build to be exceptionally good at one thing, you become very poor at others. You can be mediocre at almost everything, but excel at nothing. In the end, profit margins dictate. Form has to follow function, & we build what people will buy. Not many people are America Cup sponsors, so we get what Joe six Pack will buy.[/quote]

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