Nick, I was the same way. Except on a larger scale. I was a dingy sailor (Lasers, 4twinkies, Flying Scots, Melges 24's J80's etc). I was crewing on a J105 when an F25C with three kids all under nine, two dogs, and a single adult went screaming past us with a chute up haveing a great time. The owner's wife said that looked like more fun...long story short, the 105 is up for sale and the owner now has an F28R, go to
www.strategery.com to get an idea. This started one year ago last may. The sailing is incredible, super driver intensive, and sail trim shows imediately. You can fine tune a Laser cunningham all you want, but an inch on a downhaul on a 28ft tri shows more than a Laser adjustment EVER WILL. The tactics are even more important, you pick the wrong shift on a Laser you might lose ten yards at 4 knots, you pick the wrong shift on a 28ft tri going 14 knots upwind, you lose the race. Driving a cat downwind is far more mind stretching than driving a Laser or Flying Scot downwind. This spring when it came time for me to buy a boat for myself I really really wanted a Laser, found a good used one with trailer for $3500.00. I also found a Nacra 6.0 Express (squaretop main, big jib, fourteen foot bowsprit with a 480 sq ft kite) for $3500.00. So, you guessed it, I bought the cat. Now me and the little woman are blasting around the bay at speeds in the teens and twentys, hanging on the double traps, having the best time ever. I can out point the monohulls on either the tri or the cat, out sail 'em, do a 9 mile race in 49 minutes where it takes the monos 2 hours. Look on the website I mentioned, I was totally against the owner going multi, now.....I am learning a whole new aspect of the sport I never dreamed. craig
