I had a deposit in with Reynolds back to when they were building a 28' folding tri (Inter-20 hulls for amas, ~$35k sail away price). Kept the deposit in when they switched to the cat, and watched the whole development of both boats enthusiastically.

One big benefit of the high beam is that it allows a single tramp from front to back, making break-down and set-up much easier. A lower beam of that style at that point would also intrude in the cabins.

For me, the hull/deck lip thing is only an issue if that part of the hull is in the water a lot - then it is drag - really felt it on my Hobie-18.

We ultimately pulled our deposit when we saw the boat in person and found the accomodations down below to be totally unacceptable to my other half, especially given what the price had grown to. I understand the trade-offs and what market it's aimed at, but when looking for a racer/overnighter/cruiser we ultimately wanted something with a little more comfort. Their answer would be to look at the 44, but that's even further out of price range. Still think it's a way-cool boat, and I haven't had a ride on one yet. If I had the money for my ultimate day-sailor/racer, this would be in the running.

We ended up getting a used F-27 for much cheaper. Certainly not as fast, but far better accomodations, and much less time to take from trailer to launch and back.