V Twin

Well he was right.

So the entire volume producing business have now turned their efforts into producing heavy washing up bowls and marketing that as the sport to the masses, what chance is there, when a man woman or even two grown men will struggle to even lift it, never mind car top it, or push it about the yard.

Heavy things very soon become too tiresome to bother with anyway and folk move on.

light things that fall over and can't get off the beach without help can also 

But you're missing a fundamental attribute to what most sailing folks actually do.  The take their new toy to their sailing club, park it up and only ever roll it down a slope to the water.  As long as the launching trolley is well balanced most people can manage most boats.  Heavy, cheap rotomoulds that don't fall over as soon as they hit the water are great.  These people rarely have any intention to drag them around the country for racing regattas.  They don't even want to take them home for a winter project every year either.  I've just recommended a Laser Vago to a very good friend for that exact reason.  It can be left at the side of his mountain lake all year round.

All this car-topping Toppers for family holidays is dead, just like it is in windsurfing.  I do a lot of miles still and amuse myself identifying the various boats folks are towing around.  The majority of boats in transit are racing dinghies going on circuit events, so this whole hook up a boat and drive to Devon for some family swallows and amazons stuff is just a fantasy.  So really weight saving isn't much of an issue for most people as they don't plan to drag it around anywhere.  That's the way the market likes it, sorry if that sucks, but you yourself only sail at Hythe and Redoubt, so maybe you should take a leaf out of their books and look for stable, robust boats?

The only stupid thing is that you'd worry about it.  The Farr 3.7 is total blank canvass.  Make one as light as you want*, go race it and put the fecking kite up.  Who's stopping you... a class association that you'll get little benefit in joining if you don't do the circuit... which leads to another question, what circuit?  

It's a good looking little boat, make it what you want.  It's your money.