Kathryn, I liked the idea of a 14 sail on my 16 but the cutoff 18 had the avantage of being free. I think the cutoff 18 is about the size of the 14. Anyway its worth a try. I did fix the sail to either use the 16 boom with a sewn in rope or gromets to use the loose foot 18 boom. I am not sure what the advantage of the loose foot is. I also do not know whether a mast rotation limiter is needed for a loose foot boom. When you sailed with the smaller sail did it tame the 16 down a little in wind close to 20MPH. I like to sail under full sail but there are conditions where sailing on the edge isn't that much fun. I spent the last 3 months fishing in Fla. and there wasn't many days I would like to be out in a full sailed 16.