From a convert..
I sailed non-ballasted planing boats for many years, so I was used to having to shift weight to keep the boat upright, and not afraid to dump it over. Then I purchased a Precision 165 with a fixed bulbed lead keel. I was impressed by it and sailed it in all kinds of weather including out of sight of land trips into the gulf. When my wife and I wanted to upsize we looked to the Precision 23 with its swing centerboard. It has a reputation of being tender also. However its weight on the trailer, with the trailer is about 4000lbs, or "need a new tow vehicle" weight. In our search we stumbled on a Hunter 19 WB and was really impressed with its performance and room. We looked at the Hunter 23.5 and was sold by its open airy interior, trailer weight of about 3400 lbs loaded, and its performance. After sailing it on our large lakes, and across charlotte harbor, I've found it to be no less tender then the Precision line of boats with a lead ballasted stub keel. I can dial it into a groove in 15 knots of wind at 25 to 30 degrees of heel, and sail it for hours with finger tip tiller control. I've NEVER sailed a better balanced boat than this Hunter 23.5. I liked the 23.5 a little better than the 240 because it has a little more powerful rig and a little less ballast for better light air performance. I usually reef at 15 knots of wind, so it handles higher winds easily. I can tow it with vehicles that have a 3000 lb limit if I tow it lightly loaded, which is a plus for me. Another factor is that the Hunters, have been designed for trailering, and trailer much easier than even the smaller Precision 165. The mast raiser is simple light and effective. The mini stays hold the mast straight. The open transom allows easy access from the parking lot without having to climb over the transom. The empty ballast tank allows the boat to float off the trailer with much less water than the Precisions. In our last outing, after I retrieved my boat, We had to hook my truck up to one of the trucks trying to pull out a Precision 23. He had to sink in so far, and the boat weighed more so that with the same truck he could not pull it out at the same ramp. It took two trucks to pull it out. My Hunter just popped out of the water without an issue. I've added a privacy bulkhead with stained glass windows to create a "private head" for my wife to use. That was a requirement, that was pushing us to a larger boat. The Hunter 23.5 with the pop top up and covered provides a very comfortable cruiser for two, and a boat capable of long distance cruising. We plan to do a lot of trailering, as well as a week this summer in the keys, a bahama's trip in the near future, as well as up the east coast, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket, Apostle Islands, North Channel Islands, and San Juan Islands. This boat can handle most anything I willing to tackle, meaning I'm the weaker link, not the boat. Thats my opinion after owning the boat for 9 months.
I never had to sit by and wait for the rain. Badin Lake on the other hand was so low only small fishing boats could use it. But now it is close to full. Alan