I just bought a 79 H25
Steve, unfortunately, I can't compare the deep fin keel vs. the shoal fin keel for you, but ours has the 3' 11" deep fin keel. I've had mine in the water for three weeks now, and I haven't been displeased with any aspect of the boat. I wish I had ordered a survey for mine, just for peace of mind, before I bought her. The only complaint I have about the 25 is that the starboard cockpit lazarette seems to be the largest storage area on the boat, which means that with 10 gallons of water, two batteries, a trash can and boat hook stowed there, she has a slight list to starboard. I wish there was a port lazarette large enough to stow half of the weighty items. She sails like a larger boat, has quite noticeable weather helm (some of which might be a result of my rig tuning or lack thereof), and seems pretty stable to me. The V Berth is okay for people under 5' 10", but puts a cramp on tall folks. We like the private head with the door, and the galley is pretty serviceable. Mostly, we think she's an awfully pretty boat! Good luck!
