Wire and pin sizing

[Herbseesmoore]

Is sail area the determining factor in sizing stays, chainplates and pins? This is the first boat where I need to start from scratch. Windward sail area 410sqft. 36ft catamaran with 16 ft beam.

[tenchiki]

Stability (righting moment) and stiffness are the primary inputs when sizing rigging. Catamarans tend to have both high righting moment, and high stiffness, requiring large/strong rigging. There are many other factors. See any recent-ish book on yacht design (recent enough to have multihuls).