richandpat wrote:
Tarzan - First of all, There Is No Such Thing As The Perfect Boat. You have to make some compromises. What's REALLY important to you?
Also, Where do you live and where will you do most of your sailing? You say you're 14 yrs. old, so I don't think you'll be doing much driving for a few more years. You won't always be 14 and you should continue to grow and gain more weight as you continue to mature.
I don't think you should be intimidated by either a jib nor a Hobie 16, unless you will mostly be sailing solo in a place where It is almost always extremely windy or if they have alligators in the water. If you get a H 16, get both a righting line and a righting bag and learn how to use both. Both are very simple to use. If the boat capsizes, don't blame the boat. It's our fault. We screw up or push the limits too far. It can happen to anyone who sails any small sailboat. I use the righting line if I have to right the boat with my crew; a righting bag if I'm by myself.
I would suggest that you get the boat that you really want and learn to sail it. Also, don't get a boat that has a lot of problems. Get a boat that you can sail right away; not one that you have to spend a lot of time and money working on.
Good luck to you, Tarzan. Let us know what choice you've made and please post a picture or two of your new boat.
Richard
I am 52 years old.