Hey Frenchie:
Welcome to the world of sailing when you want and meeting new friends. I am very familiar with the waters of Lake Erie; we sail off a beach on the western end near Buffalo. I currently have a Hobie 18 magnum which I consider the best boat for this lake because I can power through the waves (they can get high in this shallow lake) and still remain stable.

But, catwoman was correct on the weight thing. My daughter is about 125# and very athletic and sails her own Hobie 16 because she can move it around easily and with the use of a winch, she can load it back on her beach trailer by herself. Our beach (www.wnycatamaran.org) permit allows us to keep the boats on a trailer behind the sand dunes.

If you're going to be raising your mast each time, think about how you're going to do it. We use the trailer winch to help step our masts at the beginning of the season or when we travel to a race.

Wyatt