Hi Steve,
<br> I agree with most of what has already been said in response to your note. I am coming from the perspective of 24 years of catamaran sailing and a current owner of an Inter 17R. I LOVE my Inter 17R and cannot imagine going back to a catamaran that does not use a spinnaker! I race and have arrived at the I 17R by way of Hobie 16 (my wife used to sail with me), 18 Sq. Meter (when my wife decided she didn't like racing), Nacra 5.5 Uni (when I got tired of taking the platform apart and putting it together for every sailing weekend) and the Inter 17R. Both the I-17R and N5.5Uni have the flotation to carry 4 people. The price is speed. The less weight you carry, the faster the boat goes. The Inter 17R takes a little longer to assemble and take apart because of the spinnaker. I don't resent this because the reward is so great!
<br> Decide what you want to do with the boat (recreation, racing, lawn art, etc.) and then discuss the choices with people who are doing what you want to do. The range of choices may be larger (or smaller) than you think. If you decide on the Inter 17, I think you will be pleased. It sails beautifully!<br><br>Les Gallagher
<br>Inter 17R USA 104
<br>"little yellow boat"