Hey All, I am new to both this forum and the sport of sailing. After getting a quick tutorial and basic understanding of the principles of sailing during my honeymoon, I sailed my first Hobie called the "Wave." Very user friendly and picked the basics up very easily, 15 min. or so. Anywho, I am now moving to Hawaii as I have come on orders (ARMY) and am looking to take up sailing again.
As stated above, I am inexperienced but am a quick learner. As a beginner, and in HI, what 'cat would everyone recommend? I am looking for something I can grow into and once I feel comfortable can add components to make it fast and more agile. My budget is roughly 5K and i am 6'2, 210lbs. I am also hoping I can get my experience up by sailing with a club and just a group of people who enjoy the sport as well and would be willing to take someone under their wing for a bit. Any and all advice would be greatly appreciated.

Congrats and welcome! The first step would be to find some other sailors in Hawaii that can help and point you in the right direction. There is at least one active user on here who lives in west Maui (Hobie1616 - http://www.catsailor.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showprofile&User=2556). You may want to try and touch base with him too.

As far as selecting a cat - you're going to be a little limited in Hawaii to the local offerings. However, for $5k, you should easily be able to afford a boat in good shape that you won't have to do a bunch of work on just to get it to be reliable. With regards to the type of boat, there are a ton of options. With your size and weight, I think a Hobie 18 would be a really great starting place. From a performance standpoint, it makes the Wave look like a 1968 Fiat and it has a large trampoline and enough hull volume to be really forgiving. Most Hobie 18s are not equipped with spinnakers but at your level, you are probably going to have a lot more fun without the complication of a spin. The TheMightyHobie18 also has a furling jib so should you find the winds of Hawaii picking up beyond your comfort level, you can furl the jib and reduce power easily. If you can connect with some sailors in your area, you may want to get some test rides on different boats to get a feel for it. Whether or not you expect to have regular crew should also weigh into your decision.

Thanks for the input Jake. I will surely take all of that into consideration! I see you are out of SC, lucky guy. We are currently in TN, about 30 min from Land Between the Lakes, but are currently looking for land to purchase in SC.