Greg,
I have owned all 3 boats that you are considering, H16, TheMightyHobie18 and currently the N5.2. There are many considerations when choosing the right boat for you, such as where you are sailing (water depth). If you are going to be in a shallow area, go for the H16 due to no dagger boards. I would also shop around for a very good condition boat. Its worth the extra money to buy a nice used boat for $2K rather than buying a "fixer upper" for half that price. You will spend more time fiddleing around with problems when you could be on the water. I think you will find most sailors started out on a H16. The TheMightyHobie18 is a good boat, but very heavy and I found difficult to move around by myself. A couple years ago I bought a N5.2 from Jake Kohl and its way awesome! I would highly recommend this boat over the H16 if you have decent water to sail in so that you dont have to worry about hitting the dagger boards on a sandbar. I consistantly sail this boat solo, and have no problem moving it around. Replacement parts are plentiful too. Ive also added an I-17 spinnaker set up for the thrills.... but thats a different story!