Have to disagree, Hobie 1616.
Sail area aside, the manufacturing of a Neil Pryde RS6 or Naish Stealth racing sail is far more labour-intensive, and with camber inducers, extra wide luff-sleeves etc, I would imagine there is about the same amount of sailcloth in a 11sqm racing sail than there is in a 14sqm cat sail.
The masts are 100% carbon, and a 4,6m mast will set me back about $1000. Now, multiply that by 4 and add a bit for a standard aluminium Hobie Tiger mast.
I realise the difficulty of applying windsurfer rig technology to cats, unless on unstayed masts, then you`d rig it on the ground like a winsurfer sail and step it when you want to sail. I know it`s been done, Grob has a very interesting design (I`d want to take both his rigs and convert them back to their intende purpose ).
Just curious to see how w/surfer rig design may or may not influence cat sails in future.