Welcome to catamaran sailing and this forum and thanks for bringing your son along. We need younger cat sailors. There is nothing wrong with a Hobie 16, especially for your first boat and learning. My first catamaran was a brand new Hobie 16 that I bought in 1979. I sometimes think back at the great times I had on that boat, and how I couldn't have been happier at the time. Yes, there are more high tech boats and yes, you can spend a lot more money. Check your fun meter first. You haven't made a mistake, unless the condition of the boat is pretty bad. Good thing about Hobie's is there are a lot of them out there, you can find a spare part for every piece of that boat. If you decide to sell it, there will most likely somebody else more than happy to pick up where you left off.

As far as pitchpoling, I don't know of any mechanical fixes worth adding. Just move your weight back, hang on and enjoy the ride! Don't be intimidated by all the hoopla you hear about pitchpoling. Yes, it does happen, but it happens to the best of us. It's part of the sport. I must admit though, that my old Nacra 6.0 was as close to pitchpole-proof as I've seen. I have put the base of the mast under water before, it popped back up and away we went. Great design.

Other than the new roto-molded boats, the old Hobies are about as bullet proof and forgiving, as you'll find. Good luck with your new boat. Hope to hear more form you.