Like an idiot I bought before I read..... As background, I grew up with Beetlecats mostly... (although I would have LOVED a Hobie) on Cape Cod. I want to introduce my 9 year old son to the same fun I've always had in sailing and bought through EBAY a Hobie 16. Never sailed one. I've spent the last 2 weeks reading posts all the way back to June of 2004 and I feel like I know you all! Now I have some questions for you where maybe I have got the wrong impression (in which case I hope you correct me)and I'm sure I'll say something sacrilegious (in which case I hope you forgive me)....... We live on Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire and the winds are fluky. Storms shoot over the mountains and drop out of nowhere. We also have a place on Cape Cod so maybe we would be better hanging out on Cape Cod Bay where the winds tend to be more constant.

Here is my dilemma.... Do you think the Hobie 16 with its penchant for pitchpoling is a good choice to teach with or will I just "freak him out"? If I "launch him" into the water I just know I will be unable to control my laughter and he doesn't have much of a sense of humor that way..... Do you think it might be an idea to attach those "thingy's" (what ARE they called?)to the forward pontoons that help with the aquadynamics so that the pontoons would be less susceptible to go under? I also plan on buying a righting pole. Or should I look for a more suitable boat? I LOVE the lines of the Nacra 5.5 on EBAY currently but I think it might be too much boat for me now. (I'd still love it!)In earlier posting about what boats you all started with and what boats you recommend for newbies it seemed to me that the consensus was that Nacra makes a real nice boat that would suit us fine. No one ever talks about the age of boats being a detriment to buying them. There is a fellow outside of LA that restores older Nacra's (1972 Nacra 5.2's we were talking about yesterday on the phone)and I didn't know if that was a possiblity. The age question puzzles me and yet I can see that the answer will always be "It depends on how they are taken care of......and old boat well taken care of will be better than a newer boat not taken care of". I wish you wise and obviously well versed people would post when you see a boat that is a good deal and help out the blind like me. I think for the same reason I will buy EVERYTHING possible from the Catamaran Store and keep it "in - house" because I greatly appreciate the informed opinion and the honesty with which the opinion is given. I also need to subscribe to the magazine because I really want to support this great group.
Thanks so much and I look forward to hearing more about what you think.

Greg