[newuser]

If you''re going to be away from the boat that long, frequently I''d go for a trailerabel boat so you can put her in/out withour a lot of expenses.

I''d venture that the three boats you mention met few of your criteria! Skip ''em.

The make I like in that size range are S2s - excellent performance, nice designs, good construction, and trailerable. I used to race on a S2 6.9 (22'') and it was a pleasure to sail. If you want to start small and less expensive, generally a good approach, look at the 6.7/6.9 if you want more room at still below your budget starting price, look at the 7.9.

Check http://www.sail-s2.org/ if you want to know more about these boats.

Advice - whatever you buy, buy a premium condition boat and happily pay a premium price as needed - avoid the fixer-ups and "good deals" and "below book value" boats until you have a beeter idea how ruinously expensive it is to fix up a boat.

Good luck.

l