I sail a G-Cat 5.7M (18'8"), mostly solo, mostly in the lighter winds of Tampa Bay/Gulf of Mexico. In lighter winds this boat is very hard to beat, despite being heavier than most of it's competition. It's built like a tank, with tall symetrical-yet-boardless hulls and very thick keel that leaves me no worries about what I run over at speed (sea turtles, rocks on the beach, oyster beds, etc.), some of these boats have a steel strip along the keel for even more strength/abrasion resistance. The 3-beam design allows the jib to be larger than on other boats, and mounted right to the fore beam, nice and low. The 3-beam design also allows a front trampoline to be used, which gives enough room for 8 people on board (I've done it!), while the hulls have enough bouyancy to take the load well.

It'll keep up with H18s without much trouble, and in the right wind it'll hold it's own against Prindle 18-2s and NACRAs.

It is very simple to work on. There are only two sizes of bolts on the whole boat. One size for the beams, another for the rudders. I'm replacing the rudder system and using machine screws, so now there's one bolt size and a flat-head screwdriver.