Do you personally have to "own" the beachfront on which you operate? Or do you need to buy an easement from the town?

Not that I am planning on setting up a cat rental shop anytime soon - although I admit that would be pretty close to a dream job. I'm just wondering what sort of logistic problems (aside from money and public interest) are involved.

As for public interest in catamarans, I really think it's really a question of access and perception. Sailboats are astoundingly rare on local lakes/reservoirs, but every time I've taken my boat out (even my old Sunfish), I've received admiring glances from powerboaters. My guess is that recreational boating in the USA is skewed towards powerboats because they are marketed, sold and readily available - not because the public inherently dislikes sailing or is too scared to try it.

Maybe the trick is to develop more awareness of sailing as an everyday recreational sport - not something restricted to expert racers, people with 20 years rigging experience, and uber-yuppie beachfront mansion owners. Particularly since used catamarans can be had so cheaply (compared to a used speedboat) it astounds me that they aren't more mainstream, both for rental and owned units.