Does it have to be a catamaran? Ian Farrier is releasing a new kit boat early this year -- the F-22 sport tri. It's billed as an affordable, entry-level, trailerable trimaran that is easy to build. And it's a step up from camping on deck, or squeezing into a hull, because it has a V-berth, optional head and optional galley. The information is at www.f-boat.com.

I've always preferred cats to tris, but this one kind of appeals to me for some reason -- maybe because it is not much longer than a beach cat but has better accommodations than you can normally get on a cat that length without drastically sacrificing speed.