An interesting thing about our Hobie 18 powerboat is that because it is NOT a planing boat, it is able to accelerate to its top speed very rapidly. Makes it better for pulling water skiers, for instance, because you don't have to wait for the boat to get on a plane. (Obviously, the ultimate top speed will not be as high as for a planing boat with the same amount of power.)

Maybe the same thing is true of planing multihull sailboats that it takes more power (and wind) to get them up on a plane in the first place.

Like Richard Roake's Hardcore 16, which seemed to be a dog in light air (compared to displacement cats), but very fast when the wind picked up and it could get up on a plane. Sort of like a sailboard, I guess.