[jheaton]

Just wondering your opinions regarding the Melges 24 vs. the J80. I currently sail a Kirby 30, which is pretty old (23 years) and am wondering about buying a smaller / newer boat. I mostly do evening/weekend PHRF sailing in Lake Ontario and would like to sail one design, however neither the Melges 24 or J80 appear to have OD fleets.

I''m also getting tired of trying to get 5-7 other people arranged for a race - how many people are really needed on a Melges? Is this a boat that could be sailed with young kids as crew on a quiet evening?

On the same note, how difficult is this boat to dry sail with a small crew (ie: me, wife, 2 kids).

Your thoughts / suggestions would help.