3 - Another point towards the 4.3. Although it is lighter than a Hobie 14 it has more hull volume than a Hobie 16. It will, of the small beginner boats mentioned, do the best at transitioning from 1 person to 2 person and back.

It is a boomless rig like the Hobie Wave. It has a metal runner on the bottom of the hull so that it can take a lot of beach dragging "abuse".

You can start out singlehanding it with just the main like a wave. You can then move up to sailing it as a sloop (jib and main). You can sail it main and chute. And finally you can single-hand it with all 3 sails, that's what I usually do.

And if one of us 4.3 guys shows you how, you can learn to safely step the mast and pin the forestay single handed with the help of the spinnaker halyard...

Jamie