I don't know who said it in this thread, but there is no way to make everyone in the world happy. The choice here is all about COMPROMISE. There is no other class of boat that can match the H-16 in depth and width of availability on a global level. Sure, it's not the perfect boat for every condition or situation - what is? When you're dealing with youth sailors, you have to remember that there is a big difference in strength and maturity between a 14-year old boy or girl and an 18-year-old boy or girl and the boat must be manageable for everyone in this wide gender and ability range. Sure there are exceptions, but that's not the point. The boat must be reasonably attainable and manageable by everyone regardless of their age or gender.

We have to ask: what are the goals for picking a youth boat; is it availability, cost, durability, ease of handling, ability to practice/teach fundamentals? I'm sure all of these things are taken into consideration and I know there are other boats out there that fill one or more of these areas better than the H-16 and are more exciting to sail. But I can't think of another class of boat that can fill ALL these categories on a global level as well as the H-16.