Personally I found that the reduction of the risk of hitting your head on th boom is outweight by the reduction of sailcontrol in gutsty and heavy winds.



Booms of cat rarely come over fast and most boom don't weight alot too.



A boomless main in strongwinds is difficult to make flat and when sheeting out will completely loose shape an make the boat behave badly. Then it requires extra skill to control the boat, just the thing you don't want in a first timer boat.



I would advice getting a boom



Personally I know of quite a few boats that will satisfy your requirements and that are alot lighter to. Most of these Prindles and Nacras can be bough second hand for good prices.



Wouter



Wouter