I have been sailing all my life, though mostly recreationally - very little racing. I grew up sailing sunfish and lasers. I raced Albacores and also sailed a Flying Junior as a teenager. In my twenties I windsurfed alot. And when then kids came along, we bought a laser which has given us years of enjoyment. Along the way I had a chance to briefly sail a few catamarans - a Super 17, and older Dart, and a strange little thing called an Aquacat. But in total, my catamaran sailing experience might total 3 hours. I am a bit of a speed freak, and the Laser has never quite satisfied my appetite for speed the way that my windsurfer did.

Apart from speed, the real draw of the F-16 for me is its light weight, its flexibility (1-up or 2-up), and its moderate cost (compared to an A-class). My ususal sailing partner would likely be my wife or one of my kids, so total weight would be 260-340 lbs.

My questions are as follows:

1) Would my background make me a reasonable candidate for an F-16 sailor, or is this too much boat for me.

2) My patience for a boat that requires endless setup time is limited. If you have a place to keep the boat close to the water with the mast up, how long would it take to rig an F-16 (mostly likely looking at the Blade), with or without the Spn. What if you were starting from scratch, rigging the boat from a trailer.

3) Some places I sail have shoals. How durable is are the hulls on the F-16, what would likely happen if you ran aground at a reasonable speed.

4) Which options - Pentex sails, Kevlar hulls, carbon mast, etc. are most worthwhile.

5) Safety and Pitchpoling. In my one experience on a Super 17, a near pitchpole sent me (out on the trapeze) flying forward. I ended up underneath the tramp (still on the wire) after whacking my head on the forward beam. Strikes me as it could have been a bad situation. This was in the late 1980s. Have trapezes evolved since that time to stop this kind of thing from happening?

6) Are there any F-16s in Canada or in Toronto. I realize the class is still new and I dont mind being the first, but company would be nice.

7) Finally, it is a short season up here and Lake Ontario never really warms up. Compared to a laser, or other beach cats, how wet a ride is the F-16.

Thanks for your help. Hope to be an owner within 6 months.