New to cats - Longhorn Edition???

So I'll be honest with you guys, I'm brand new to sailing. I've never owned or been sailing but it's something I've wanted to do for the past 30 years. I have a good friend/co-worker who grew up on his uncle's Hobie 16, so there's someone I can count on to teach me at least the basics of how NOT to do things.

Incidentally, I live in NE Texas, so it'll be used almost exclusively in lakes/reserviors. It's a pretty long drive to the coast for a day sail if you know what I mean...

Anyway, I'm looking at buying a pre-owned Hobie 16 for a first boat & found one in what I believe to be pretty good shape. The sails are a little faded in the bottom third or so, but no obvious wear. Same for all the rigging. Fiberglass is nice & smooth with no soft-spots & fairly rigid. I don't know what year it was built, but I'm guessing late-80's to early 90's.

My question is this. The guy says it's a "Longhorn Edition." Being new to sailing in general - let alone cats - I have no idea what significance that holds. I don't know if it's anything structurally/functionally significant or maybe just a special color scheme.

Can any of you guys shed a little light on this for me?

Never heard of a "Longhorn" Edition. Might have been something a Texas dealer cooked up.

Check the serial number on the back of the boat - the last two digits are the model year.

Or maybe just a load of Texas "bull"!

Ken: Not sure exactly where you/the boat are in TX, but there's a guy over on the Hobie Forums from Lindale that may be able to help you assess the boat.

http://www.hobiecat.com/community/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=12818

I found out some more info about the boat today. This "Longhorn Edition" came from a Dallas, TX dealer & only 10 were made. The guy wanted $1,100 for a boat that normally runs $3,500 in poor condition (that from another source) & he sold it the day after he placed the ad...

Oh well, I have 3 or 4 other Hobies I'm looking at, so maybe one of them will be the right boat for me.