I sailed Pamlico sound for ten years back in the 1970s. The hobie 16 was the boat of choice but it was the only boat to own in those days. Given a relatively "fixed crew weight" of 360 lbs I think the best choice that would also represent a value would be a Prindle 18-2 or Prindle 19.



I love the NACRA 5.8 and 6.0 but the boards are a bit of a problem in a sound where the charts are about as reliable as the stock market these days. The Hobie 20, and FOX as well as the INTER 20 would have the same issues with the boards.



There are more Prindle 19s out there so you can buy them for less money but you will need to walk before you try to run or you will likely end up a "smoking hole" as pilots say for people who buy the amount of plane they can afford rather than the amount of plane they can handle.



The Prindle 19 is light weight and made of the same core material and polyester resin that all of the other production boats of it's era are made of. You can buy racks (Which I have grown to love) for about $1200 and with a properly set up boat you'll have a nice machine that sails well in relatively flat water and 6-22 knots of wind.



Dont let people fool you with talk about extended set up times, fragile construction or other nefarious concepts. These boats are all triangular rigs basically two shrouds and a forestay. The halyards are all similar. The jib halyards vary slightly but take about the same amount of time to rig and parts availability is roughly the same for all the major builders that are still in business.



Call me TOLL FREE 800 354 7245 if you would like to discuss the other nuances of why I think this is the best choice or stop by the ULTIMATE CATAMARAN BUYERS GUIDE at: http://www.sailingproshop.com/catamaran.htm (Geeez guys, don't go and shoot me for inviting him to take advantage of free advice on this forum)



Have a great week.



Mark Michaelsen