Hello,

I’m a newbie looking to buy my first cat and I could really use some advice. I have a couple of years of windsurfing experience, and I have sailed a Laser and Fireball. I have never really liked sailing… that is until my brother in-law bought a cat (TheMightyHobie18). I’ve crewed on his boat a half a dozen in times (mostly in very strong winds) and took the boat out with my wife last weekend. I’m hooked. I can’t imagine sailing anything else, but I’m a little confused about which boat I should start out on. Any advice you could offer would be greatly appreciated. Here’ s the scoop.

I’m 140 lbs and my wife weighs 125 (she had a lot of sailing experience on the above mentioned boats). I expect that I will be sailing with my wife 75% of the time, my brother in-law 10% (he weighs 230 lbs), two young kids and wife 10%, and 5% solo.

We will be sailing in moderate to strong steady winds. I’ll take the kids out in light winds. The location is ultra safe and there are always a dozen or so family members who can come to the rescue. We live right on the water, so setup is not a big issue. Racing will be limited to racing with my brother in-law for 1-2 years.

I found the TheMightyHobie18 had a bit too much sail for my weight. I’ve helped right it twice, and I’m thinking that I would need a bag or stick to right an 18’ boat myself (at least one the weighs as much as the TheMightyHobie18). So, I’m leaning toward a used H16, Prindle 18-2, or Mystere 5.0. I’m considering the 18-2 because local sailors mentioned that it is a good stable boat for light crews, it is being sold at the local cat club, and it’s in great shape.

I hope that helps!

Mike