As usual, thanks for an extraordinary and very clear reply. I've read your comments previously that all wave piercing hulls are not created equal, but didn't make the connection to this specific behavior under spi.
What has become abundantly clear after getting great input from you and others is that to properly evaluate a cat it is really necessary to understand it's sailing characteristics (either in person or via experiences from others who you trust) for each possible mode (ie, cat rigged, sloop, spi, and sloop/spi), with each mode sailed under a very wide range of wind and wave conditions. So in this regard, even the usual good advice often given of "sail each cat once before you buy a new one" should be taken with a grain of salt since you might get a very incomplete understanding from a limited test sail under only one sail plan in non-stress test conditions. I don't like to be surprised!
I am so impressed with the quality of contributors to this forum and the enthusiasm with which everyone shares their experiences, expertise, and ideas. Only in this kind of forum would it have been possible to hear from one experienced sailor "this is what I observed" and get an insightful analysis from another "this is why he may have observed that".
