Well, I did it. I bought my first sailboat, a 1993 model 23.5. It's beautiful and sails great. My brother-in-law, who is an experienced sailor tried his best to talk me out of buying a water balast boat but after sailing it I think he changed his mid. For my needs, this seems perfect. We looked at the larger boats but kept coming back to this size as the best compromise between initial cost and ongoing expense. We will keep it in dry storage at the lake with the mast up. Thanks to each of you loyal Hunter sailboaters who encouraged me during my decision making process. The quality of this web site played a significant role in my choice of a boat. John Powell