The Hobie Tiger represents something of a departure from the traditional market for Hobie Cat. First launched in 1996, interest in the Hobie Tiger got off to a bit of a slow start in the UK, but successes in the Formula 18 circuit, for which it was developed, have stimulated a lot more interest. Twelve Hobie Tigers featured in the top 20 in the 2000 Formula 18 Worlds, including the winner, Mitch Booth. The madforsailing test day was quite demanding in around 20 knots of breeze and bigger gusts (it always is when we've got a gnarly cat to review). But our (though not initially) fearless team included Tim Robinson and Ian Walker, both of whom were impressed with the ease with which this big high performance catamaran could be sailed. Our hot-shots identified a number of good features for the scoreboard. Fast and powerful, the Tiger was small and light enough for two people to handle, not only on the water, but ashore too. Reasonable freeboard ensured a fairly dry ride and the Tiger was more docile to handle than expected. While bearing away unleashed a wild animal onto a screaming reach - it was at least a wild animal with acceptable domestic habits. The construction was of a high standard and equipment was premium quality. The Tiger was clearly more durable than some of the more exotic racing machines. There were nice details like the textured neoprene strips along the gunwales that provided secure trapezing for both our heroic duo. The team highlighted a few dislikes. The Tiger was a bit difficult to get to bear away, having the boards fully up made it a lot easier. But the raised daggerboards have a back edge that Tim Robinson described as a salami slicer - there's some risk of personal injury in the event of a big deceleration. It's important to brace against this in wild conditions. As for many catamarans, rigging was a bit complex and time-consuming - beware of getting the strings in a muddle. The trampoline proved slightly slippery, probably due to its newness on our boat. The furling zip-luff jib hoisted easily enough, but determining the precise halyard tension was something of a problem. Globally, there are several hundred Hobie Tigers, not just in their mother country, the USA, but also in South Africa and Australia. They usually turn-out in good numbers for the British Formula 18 events - and perhaps that is the story; the Hobie Tiger is not so much for the open meeting regular looking for big one-design fleets, but more for the adventurous cat junkies following F18 activity. Essentially, the Hobie Tiger is a great thrill machine for anyone looking for silverware in the Formula 18 circuit.