At 155 lbs. and 5'11, I have never had a problem righting my A-boat. Your height and weight will make a difference. Someone who is 140-150 lbs and 5'6" to 5'8" in height could probably still right the boat but that is probably the lower limit unless you use some type of assistance device.

The mast is 99% sealed (the only holes are at the hounds and at the base but these are out of the water in a capsize). It's very cool that you do not have to worry about turtling this boat.

Regarding stepping the mast, the Boyer/AHPC boats all have hinged mast steps. I simply secure my trapeze lines to the front beam near the inner shearline and can put the mast up and down with no assistance. The A-cat mast weighs 18-19 lbs.

The H-17 is a great boat but again think about the weight of the rig and the overall weight of the boat. How does that compare to a 165 lb. boat with a 19 lb. mast for a woman?