Phil,

The 5.5U is a great boat to both single hand or take along guests. It is a little heavier than most single handers so moving it around on the beach single handed will be difficult. However, the boat has plenty of freeboard to take on a good deal of crew weight. There are also two versions of the 5.5 with a sloop for two person sailing (main and jib) or the 5.5U (mainsail only). Conversion between the two is not all that difficult.

You will probably need some sort of righting aid for the 5.5U. A waterbag is a good cost effective alternative but is slow to deploy and use - I carry one when distance racing just incase one of us gets separated from the capsized boat. Basically it's a big bag attached to the high side of the boat that's lowered into the water and filled. It's then raised with a light block and tackle system to give you additional righting moment. Another quicker/easier (but naturally a bit more expensive) alternative is a "righting pole". It's a lightweight pole that resides under the center of the trampoline running front to back that pivots on the front beam. If capsized, you stand on the underside of the low hull, pull the pole out horizontally, and climb out/hang on the pole to move your weight out further to gain enough righting leverage. There are other righting systems out there as well. Both of these type should be available in the store in this website.