Hey everyone. Thanks in advance for your advice if you can help.

I've been a "once in a while" sailor since a kid, but now I have kids of my own. This is my dilema...

I'm a big guy (~250 lbs.) and I have 3 kids, and girl friend that want to sail with me. I now own a 14' mono hull, but want to upgrade to a cat. The cat being better in the shallow Indian River waterway.

That was then...I owned a H14, but with me and 2 kids it would almost sink. I owned a H16, but my skill level was shakey and my kids were too young to help me step the mast. Then I owned a Sunfish, and that was a lot of fun, but it would only hold 1 other sailor.

This is now...I am reconsidering an H16 or a Hobie Wave. My kids are now a bit older, and my married daughter has since become an avid H16 sailor. I am still a bit nervous about the power of an H16, but I figure I can outfit it in balmy breezes with the old H14 sail I still own. Can anyone make a recommendation of the Hobie Wave for me and my cirsumstance? Or should I bite the bullet and get a 16 and grow into it? I would also like to get a firm grip on carrying capacity of all of these craft if anyone has an idea.

My experience to "the old man"...An H16 mast is just hard to step if you're a rookie. You can make gizmos and buy gadgets to help, but nothing takes the place of a warm adult body to help you attach the forestay when you have 26' of mast above your head and you're standing on the tramp. I saw one guy once step the mast, then jump off the tramp holding the forestay in his hand while he jumped. That is definitly not my style! My advice is find a friend or a boat with a smaller mast. One last point...The comp-tip on an H16 will take a ton of weight off the top of the mast that really helps! Good luck.

Thanks for reading, and I welcome all replies.

Gus