I've never heard of that term. (Maybe it's a midwestern thing) He may have meant hiking straps, trap wires or harness.

Other key areas to check on a used boat: Check to see if there is excessive wear under the hulls. It is ideal if you don't see any gelcoat wear through on the bottoms of the hull, but some is acceptable for a boat of that age.

Check your rudders so they are not too sloppy and that they will lock and break loose freely. Hopefully they are aligned alike with a slight rake underneath the boat. I don't think the 80 model has the adjustment bolt on the tiller arm for rudder rake, so it can be a pain to redrill holes on the rudders.

Check the sails for rips or mildew. Hopefully they were stored in a dry area.

I would recommend checking out the area Catamaran Associations in your area and try to meet some local sailors. Check the links section of this site... they have links to all the associations.

As soon as you are comfortable on the boat, go to a regatta. Don't feel like you have to be competitive, but learn some basic right of way rules first. We're a friendly group and always offer to help and give advice. You'll learn alot by seeing how others are rigging their boats.

Have fun.