Some Newby Questions

Cats are stable, but not the GREATEST. Monos may be the best for you.

 

Not quite like IT

Go Sailing NOW and stop reading.

This is not any more difficult to understand than IT, but the big and very different variable is the unpredictability of nature.

Buy a small trailerable boat and find out why you want to go sailing and when you want to come back in.

Knowing that you will recognize a good boat when you see it!

 

I cannot afford to buy anything right now. I have returned to undergrad school in the middle of missouri. Money will be tight, I expect, through law school.

 

Take another loan

Take a loan and get an old Hobie or 16' O'day - you will score 20% higher on your tests if clear your mind with a quick morning sail (evening, weekend, whatever). Maybe build an Optimist from plywood, $100 will get you in a floating working boat.

You are obviously the kind of person that gets bogged down on the details (no offence - I know a perfectionist and listmaker when I see him - or use a mirror) so getting out in nature where you cannot take charge and control the way of of things will help you see the big picture.

Fundamental boating safety is not about capsize ratios - it's about making sure noone is in the way of the boom and that the mainsheet will pay out when you have an accidental gybe, if not, someone will get beaned or the boat will try to capsize.