I really believe it's just about as simple as that. (In America, that is.)
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<br>Your market, Mark M, let me guess: a person of 20-40, average to high income, wants something exciting at affordable price.
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<br>BEFORE there were jetskis or windsurfers, there were the Hobies. (Aside: It was a total coincidence that Hobie jumped in at the right time with the right cost and marketing strategy. If NACRA had been there first, we'd all have started out with 5.2s instead of 16s.)
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<br>Then, the windsurfer came out. These are of course not only faster than cats, they're cheaper (or were), easier to rig. Not necessarily easier to master, but for the price, lots of bang for the buck.
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<br>Then.... the death knell: the introduction of affordable jetskis. Easy to rig, not too expensive, jump on and go, fast, don't have to worry about where to set up. I really, truly, believe, that the same demographic who used to sail 16s in the late '70s early '80s are the folks who have jetskis now. One can make similar arguments about kids and video games...
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<br>Combine that with the loss of beach availabillity and the other factors you mention, and voila: the decline of cat popularity.
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<br>Incidentally, I don't think the availability of cheap used boats is necessarily a bad thing. That's where the novices and youth jump onto the bandwagon, and if they like it, they'll move to newer boats as they can afford them.<br><br>