A Very good question, the answer is a bit multifaceted in my opinion.
Times have changed, people have changed. In the 70's/80's Hobie's were THE Fad. They were colorful and exciting, and they were in Magazine Ads, on television shows, heck there were even movies where a Hobie cat was the central character. (Anyone remember the movie "Thin Ice" with Kate Jackson?)
Almost everyone knew what a Catamaran was, or had at least seen one. Those days are gone. Back then baby boomers were a bit more footloose and fancy free, and had time and money to spend. In today's world of two family incomes, latchkey kids, and parents trying to find activities to keep the kidlets out of trouble on weekdays until they get home from work, there isn't TIME to spend getting ready for weekends sailing.
I think back to all the time my mother spent getting the family ready to go to the lake for the weekend. and then cleaning up the gear afterwards and packing it back up for the next weekend. Then I think about my daughter trying to do the same thing for her family and I don't see how she could do it.
Then I also remember that we did a lot of sailing when I was a kid at the local Yacht Club.
Catamaran Sailors are by and large a nomadic bunch of folks. We were shunned by yacht clubs for many years, and as a result, we, as a group, became independent as a hog on ice. We hold many of our events at venues and locations that are known only to us, and those that can find our schedules and our NOR's
NOW, we spend so much time and energy pissing in one another's Wheatie's, arguing about brand loyalty, anyone that IS interested in getting into catamaran sailing, is quickly put off by the infighting.
As someone else opinioned, "Pogo Syndrome"

Stephen
H-18