Greg,
You said one of the problems is that catamarans have unique space and launching issues. I am curious as to what these unique space and launching issues are. At the clubs you are talking about, do they have fleets of dinghy-type monohulls up to 20 foot? Do they drysail? How do they launch their boats? Do they use hoists, or ramps, or both?

Where did the mantra come from that catamarans have to have a beach? Never mind, I know where it came from.

Anyway, when the Shark catamaran fleet started at Mentor Harbor Yacht Club on Lake Erie in 1962, most of the people who got the catamarans were monohull sailors who were members of the club. Our club had a large amount of beach area right on the lake, but it never even occurred to us to sail our cats off a beach. We launched our boats just like the monohull sailors did, using a hoist or a ramp. I think most of the Shark fleet sailors used the hoist rather than the ramp. We had a four-way bridle that just attached to the hook on the hoist, and you just lowered the boat into the water. It was so easy. We were always launching into completely calm, protected water. We put up our sails after we got in the water. And then we just had to sail down a little canal and then out through the channel into the lake.

Most of the major Shark regattas were out of yacht clubs on the East Coast, and at most of them we launched by hoist or ramp. And when Tornados came in, in the late 1960's, I think they were doing the same thing.

Now, obviously, in the case of the Hobie regattas in the 1970's when there were maybe a hundred boats at every regatta, a hoist is not feasible. But when you have a fleet the size of a normal monohull fleet at a regatta, why shouldn't you be able to use the hoist (or ramp) or whatever that club provides for launching monohulls?

As far as the dry storage space issue, this came up with a club that we belonged to once. We had a Hobie 18. We found out that they were charging us 50 percent more for dry storage than they were charging for the Flying Scots -- this was with both types of boats on trailers. So I took a tape measure and measured the square footage of the footprints of the two types of boats on trailers. It was identical. After I presented my evidence, they apologized and reduced our dry storage fee.

Just a couple thoughts from the past.