Just about the only thing that would sway me over to a H16 or TheMightyHobie18 would be if there were lots of them around, and folks you could sail with, Its lots more fun to have a few of the same boat on the water at the same time. If you wanna race really soon, then I would suggest trying to find out what racers in your area are sailing. In my opinion though the 5.2 is a superior boat.