In defense of the Chesapeake Fleet measurer, there was never a question of WEIGHT in regard to portlite options. One extra round of beers for the railmeat the night before a regatta will off set any change in this regard.
The issue was "cutting the hull".
Unlike the hatch replacements which are drop-in to the existing openings, the portlites require removal of side wall material. Each cut-out must be enlarged to 6 3/4" x 24 1/2" with 2 1/8"radius corners. The existing stepdown lip must also be removed. The inside and outside frames must be fitted to a flat surface with a maximum tolerance +/- 1 mm. Each forward cut-out is on a slightly curved portion of the sidewall. This then requires material(epoxy) to be added to form a flat surface. This redesigns the shape of the deck. Once hull/deck structure changes are allowed where do you stop? Its only minor, but this is one-design. Until it is blessed by the Class Association, just as the numerous other changes over the years, I can understand his position. If there is enough support for this amendment, I would be happy to start the process.
