Doug,

As an A2 owner, I'll offer the following insights based upon being a previous owner of a Mk. IV and Mk. V Auscat:

1. I think the A2 is the quickest handling catamaran I have ever sailed. The combination of very high aspect daggerboards and more hull rocker make this boat steer beautifully. With proper weight placement, it comes as close to tacking like a monohull as any catamaran I have ever sailed.
2. The volume distribution reduces the tendency of the transoms to drag in the water in light air upwind and downwind. On my Mk. V (which is the Flyer underbody), we found you had to sit on or just in front of the front beam in light air. You can sit behind the front beam on the A2.
3. The boat is very user friendly to sail. I don't think there is any inherent performance advantage versus a Flyer, Bim XJ, or Marstrom but the easier it is to sail, the more consistent your technique will be and the faster you will sail the boat through the water.
4. I have raced four A-class regattas since getting the boat in September. I am sailing faster and more consistently downwind, no doubt.
5. Upwind initially, I felt off the pace with the boat but at the Midwinters, I put in more spreader rake on the Hall mast which evened out the shape of both my Ullman and Glaser mainsails top to bottom. This made an improvement in my light and moderate air upwind speed.

I don't think the A2 is a design breakthrough. I think Pete took a long look at the Flyer design and asked himself how he could improve it, not make a radical departure from it. I think the boat has made a statement with its regatta successes in the last year.

Regarding the BIM XJ, I have not sailed it but two excellent US A-class sailors, Phil Kinder and Ben Hall, have and like the boat very much. I talked to Phil at the Midwinters and he thought some things on the XJ were outdated like the rudder head system (the carbon rudder heads on the Marstrom, Auscat, and A2 boats are a lot better) and using a dolphin striker on the front beam. The foils on the XJ are nice shapes but are hollow and could tend to leak over time. The foils on the A2 are solid construction.

Regarding some of the comments about the A-class being expensive, I won't deny that it is not but the boats are all carbon construction and the price of carbon is very high at this time and that is not helping. Plus, supply and demand economics dictate that this low volume produced class is going to cost more. But considering what you get in terms of ease of use and just pure fun factor, I think its one of the best values out there. And the boats last a long time if taken care of properly (no, you still cannot sail it on to the beach at full speed). They also maintain excellent resale value. I have switched boats twice since purchasing my Mk. IV in 2001. It has cost me $3K - $4K each time I have done this after selling my old boat to a new A-class sailor.

Hope this helps.

Bob Hodges