the hobie 16 = versatility. i sail solo most of the time but can handle 4 if need be. the 16 has a very high load capacity. 800lbs is the specification i believe and ive had it loaded to that and a bit more. you can never have enough sail area. if the wind is too much, take some of that sail area away. reefing helped me alot when i was starting out. the only thing i do not like about cats is the setup time vs. a small monohull. i used to have a dolphin sr mono 13ft and i could be in the water and gone in less than 5 min. solo rigging, i have gotten it down to about 25 min. either way, if i take the cat out, i have to be there awhile to make it worth the effort. there are times that i dont go sailing because of the longer rig time. that is the only drawback that i can think of. righting a capsized cat can be difficult for a begginer. it will happen just dont panic. on the lakes i sail, i never get a chance to right it by myself. there is always a boat/pwc that rushes over and offers to pull it back on its feet.