[quote=Wolfman]I definitely agree with EC here. Learn to sail on what you have. The optimist is a nice small boat and isn't overpowered. Cats have some peculiarities to them compared to mono hulls but you can pick up 90%+ of what you need to know sailing a mono. Putting 4 people on an H16 isn't impossible but I wouldn't recommend it, you have to move alot on that boat and you will likely end up tipping it more than you would like.
The more you describe your situation the more the Getaway makes sense to me. It's a nice relatively big boat with lots of floatation and room for 4-5 people. It's very stable compared to many of the more performance oriented cats (and much more stable than any non-keeled monohull). The hulls are rotomolded plastic which is extremely tough and durable (fiberglass - not so much). The sail area isn't overwhelming so you can cruise around with the kids and you can get bigger custom sails if you get bored. The wings make is extremely comfortable with the wing seats/back rests (my knees really take a beating on my Nacra). And although you won't be winning any races against the H16s of the world it is still faster than just about any monohull of comparable size. I think that Hobie does make a motor mount, if not there are a number of manufacturers that make universal mounts and a few guys here that can help you with plans if you are handy enough to make one yourself.[/quote]
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