Here in the Tampa Bay area there are a lot of recreational sailors still out there. On any nice weekend you can see 15-30 cats (or cat trailers) out at the Dunedin Causeway. Many of the causual pleasure sailors do not seem too interested in the online forums for some reason, maybe because of the racing/performance slant of most of the topics.
In the 70's and early 80's when cat sailing was at it's biggest heights, there were a lot less options for family recreation and entertainment. There were no jetskis, four wheelers, kiteboards, video games, cable TV, kayaks, etc... Buying a H14 or H16 for a couple of grand was a semi-affordable way into an active lifestyle and fun entertainment. Much for the same reason people buy way-overpriced Harleys. It bought them a way into a lifestyle and a party. To an outsider, you can't get them to understand the feeling of speed and excitement that is experienced without getting them out on a boat. For you to say you were screaming along on a broad reach doing 15 mph just doesn't click with them when their kid's pocket bike does 40mph. The other answer I always get when tryiing to get people interested in sailing is that it is too much work. They think that sailing alone is too much work, not even including all of the setup and breakdown time and effort involved. I think the only way to get more people involved in the sport is to actually get them out to the beach and on the boat. Once a lot of people actually experience catamaran sailing they will be hooked, just as we were. We also need to try and get some younger people out and get them excited about sailing.