That is a good question Mark and one central to the issue of growing the sport. As one of the east coast H-17 guys I can tell you the hardware is well down on my list of considerations. If it were the primary consideration I would be sailing an A (BTW. I would love to try yours sometime). For me fleet size and schedule dictate that I sail the H-17. The HCA program of weekend regattas fits my schedule. That is; fewer but larger blocks of time vs more but smaller blocks of time. I can justify the hassle of traveling if I get a full weekend of racing and the beer is free. Now if only Hobie would get around to producing that A cat things could get interesting.