I don't think I would call the boat fragile. Mine is a 97. Been raced many times and sailed frequently. I have the standard and XL beams. They came out with a modified rudder system in about 2001. This corrected the rudder problems. Parts are easy to obtain just by calling the factory and they will ship the parts direct. The boat is great for ocean sailing. High freeboard and the centerboards make launching thru the surf a breeze. Enough bouyancy to support 3-4 people if you like sailing with friends. The boat has a large enough jib and main where the spin is only needed if you plan to race. On a beam reach this is a hard boat to beat. No problem sailing this boat to its numbers but if you hope to class race you are out of luck.