When I had the same decision to make I went with the Hobie 17. I know it is obsolete but what makes it great is- it's a classic! MOre over, It is simple, easy, cheap and fast to set-up. Yeah, I race like once a year so the latest hip thing wasn't a concern. My main concern with a boat is how much $ to buy and run it. I'm sorry, I am not buying anything for $5k-$10k that doesn't have a motor on it! My point is- How much $ do you want to blow. And remember- the more $ a boat the more complex the system is. Do you want one hour set up, one hour take down? Do you want something you can leave on the beach for a couple days/weekend without it being swiped?