I don't mean any disrespect to the thoughtful responses here, but in my area (and many others) this whole discussion is irrelevant.

Very few people have any exposure to sailing. The sailboats, including cats, that are around appear to be permanently docked on trailers in storage yards. Ski boats, fishing boats, PWC--they outnumber sailboats on most of our local lakes at least 100:1. There are no sailboat dealers or suppliers within at least 80 miles.

I suspect other folks live in similar demographics. I would race at a local venue with any format. In fact, I've been considering asking the local yacht club if I could race in their PHRF fleet (only boat near same speed is a Hobie 33) as they're just about the only sailors around.

Bottom line is that sailing is just not very popular in the most areas of the US. Why? Probably lots of reasons. So promoting sailing in general is a much larger issue than portsmouth vs formula vs one design. 20 years ago Hobie was doing something right--when bystanders see my Taipan they say, "Nice Hobie." Marketing, in some form or another, is absent now. For example, Lara Croft is seen on a jet ski, not a catamaran, in the latest Tomb Raider. We all know the thrill of cat sailing stacks up to powerboating, but requires a lot more brain cells.

Sailing is viewed in the US as inaccessible, eccentric, expensive, difficult, dull, slow, etc. Cat sailing is anything but dull and slow. It is far less expensive than powerboating. It has all the exhilerating characteristics that could appeal to the 20-somethings buying PWC by the pairs. It's all a matter of exposure and marketing.

Does Hobie or Performance do any large scale marketing? Is expanding the base of sailors in the US part of their business plan?