John,
For the type of sailing you and your son will be enjoying, you can't go wrong with the Prindle 18. First, it has a very robust bottom layer of glass. The P19 is joined together at the bottom and will not take beach landings for very long. As far as resale, you normally will get your money back out of the 18. Check for soft spots and have fun. Back in the day, I had some of my best times sailing a Prindle 18.

Regards,
Bob Curry <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

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