Because we love tight one-design racing, which is more important and exciting than speed for us these days.

And we wanted to race one-up on our own boats.

And we wanted something strong and durable, because we are not into spending time on maintenance.

And we wanted something light enough that each of us can move around by ourselves.

And we wanted a boat that does not penalize people for big differences in crew weight (like 100 pounds difference).

And we wanted something relatively inexpensive, so as many people as possible would be able to get those boats, whether new or used.

And we wanted something relatively small, so we can fit a lot of them into the space available at the two clubs we belong to.

And we wanted something we can take the young grandchildren out on (like age 5) and put them on the helm without worrying about the boat capsizing (I hold the mainsheet).

And we wanted a platform to which we could add a hot headsail and make it fast enough to participate in Portsmouth races.

We wanted a boat that we could double or triple-stack to take to regattas.

We wanted a boat that would be equally sailable by youth (age 11), by elderly people (age 80+), and by women.

And we wanted it to be a catamaran! <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

And I wanted to be able to raise the mast by myself.

I know, it sounds impossible.

But the Hobie Wave fits all those requirements for us. <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />