jdair101,
I have been thinking about your post a bit more. Frankly, I was hoping some other Sailnet members would come forward with additional suggestions. Sometimes folks miss certain posts, and it often helps to "bump" a topic back up to the top of the list. Hopefully this will serve that purpose.
I mentioned catamarans in my previous post. I still think some of these might be a good option for you and your daughter given her mobility issues. But I wouldn't necessarily recommend the typical cruising catamaran if you are hoping to do some club racing (you indicated you'd like a boat that will "sail fast"). And, depending on your daughter's capabilities, getting her involved in racing might be a real confidence booster.
The J35 skipper I mentioned was inspirational. Thinking about his choice of boat, it occurs to me that there is an aspect to the cockpit design of many J-Boats that, while I don't particularly care for it, may be very practical for individuals with mobility issues. I am referring to the level-deck
seating for the helmsman. Most cockpits are "sunken" below the deck level, which allows for a nice coaming against which to lean one's back. J-Boats have this feature for the forward portion of the cockpit, but most of their designs have the helsman behind the
wheel sitting on what is essentially the side and aft decks - not sunken at all.
It is easier to explain with photos than words, so I have attached links to a few J-boats that are for sale on Yachtworld. The two in your size/price range that I like are the J-32 and J-34C (not to be confused with the "J-34" which is much more of a racing design). Either of these would make a fine, comfortable cruiser/club racer. And it may be that the helmsman
seating position would permit you to contrive an arrangement from which your daughter could helm the boat (if she has that capability), much like the J-35 skipper I described in my previous post.
Some additional details about your daughters limitations would help us to help you. I wish you well in your search and please let us know how we can be of further assistance.
J-32:
http://www.yachtworld.com/core/listi...58&searchtype=
J-34C:
http://www.yachtworld.com/core/listi...58&searchtype=