This is my rather un-experienced opinion on the matter, but there is not a simple but good looking small catamaran out there. You can look at the success of the laser and it's an incredibly simple boat to rig and proportionally it is a good looking vessel. Yes, the wave is a simple boat to rig, and while I enjoy racing on them from time to time, it's really not a good looking boat or one that could be confused as having some focus on performance. With regards to the dragoon, this boat looks to be every bit as complex as an F18...which is a bit much for the attention span of most kids.

My opinion is that the simplicity of Phil's creation will have allure. You don't have to understand sailboats or modern catamarans to put it together for a kid. Setup will be quick like the Wave, yet it is a boat that looks fast even while sitting still. The fact that you can home build, or purchase major components to do a final build yourself is a bonus. Several boats have danced with success in this size range but I don't think any of them have completely hit the target for kids. Take the Mystere 4.3 for instance, a great little boat and while it had a moment of glory, it didn't succeed - why?

I look at all these small cats directed at racing kids up to now they are either very complex or not very eye catching.