I seem to be coming at this from the other end of the scale: my first experience of sailing was on a Hobie Wave on the last day of a Carribean holiday aged 41 (no, not 14). Based on that experience, I bought a Dart 16, Dart 18, Nacra 6.0, and Spitfire in rapid succession over three and a half years. Sailed the Spitfire for three seasons, and now have a Shadow. I wish I'd started a lot earlier!