I disagree. Unless you can increase your sail area, you can maybe compensate for about 10lbs with sail/mast combinations. If you look at the Tornadoes (a boat much LESS weight sensitive than a smaller cat like F16) they are stripping every possible ounce out of the boat and all the top crews are around a pretty narrow weight range from each other. Every cat is sensitive to weight and the smaller the sail plan the more it matters.

Anyway Stuart... I'm glad you're considering the F18. I agree that you could pick any F18 (except I18) and be happy with it as long as it has not been totally abused. If you are thinking of racing in your area you might have most options with a Tiger. Also, going to a regatta is a great idea just for the learning experience. I'm sure we'd all be happy to help with tips on boat setup and sailing faster.

Welcome to the class and hope to see you out on the water!