I'm looking to buy a new catamaran primarily for singlehanded sailing but it might be nice to have a crew along on occasion. I've got two years experience sailing a 17' planing monohull dinghy but very little time on catamarans. Primary interest is going fast and having fun on inland lakes; racing not my primary interest but this could change in the future. I've read the previous posts but still have some unanswered questions.

1) Would it be a mistake to go directly to a high-end modern cat like a FX/one or Taipan 4.7 as my fisrt cat? Are these designs really only for racing or also good for recreational use and are they any harder to sail than typical beach cats such as the H16?

2) Is it safe to assume that a F18 catamaran such as a Tiger would not be well suited for singlehanded sailing, particularly by a sailor new to cats? Is the main issue getting overpowered (too little human ballast) and difficulty in righting singlehanded?

3) Can a 170 lbs single sailor right a turtled catamarn such as an FX/1 or Taipan 4.7? Only in certain wind ranges? Any aids needed? Also, will masthead floats absolutely prevent turtling or just reduce likelihood? I would think that a lot of wind pushing on the tramp with the mast to leeward could bury a float in waves and brute force a turtle despite the bouyancy.

4) As a singlehanded sailor, will I be limited to uni (ie, will I need the ballast and extra hands of crew to sail with jib and/or spi and if not what is the upper range of wind that people typically sail singlehandedly with jib and/or uni)?

5) Does anyone know where one can see any FX/ones and Taipan 4.7s in the Seattle, WA area?

6) Any input on why to choose FX/1 vs Taipan 4.7 would be very much appreciated!

Sorry for the long list!

Jerry