Help me choose a boat please! SW Florida

[djm9977]

Hello all,

I'm new to the forums and to sailing, and was hoping to get some advice from you all. I am in the market for my first sailboat, and have some pretty specific requirements, but still need help in choosing my first sailboat. Any and all help will me GREATLY appreciated. Here's my requirements:

- fairly newer model (1998-2008)
- 19 to 25 feet
- trailerable AND ramp launchable
- faster (good in light air, not necessarily a speed demon)
- fairly stable (heeling is fine, swamping.....not so much)
- cabin or no is fine
- doesn't have to be OD (not looking to race)

Now I realize there are trade-offs, but I'd prefer performance over comfort, but not to trhe extent that I have to be very concerned about capsizing. The ideal boat would have a fixed shoal keel, yet easily trailerable. I also would prefer fairly good build quality. Budget is up to $20,000. The boat will primarily be sailed in SW Florida waters.

Now, having said that, I have the opportunity to purchase a nice WWP 19. My next questions are, how well does a boat like this perform in the conditions found in SW Florida? Will I be disappointed in it's performance? I've read that they are slow and won't win any races, but are we talking disappointingly slow? I have dreams of sailing along the coast over weekends, and really would hate to be stuck in the same area after hours of sailing because there's not enough wind to move the boat.

Sorry for the lengthy post, but I'm going crazy here.

[capttb]

As adorable as a Potter is I'd have to class them as "disappointingly slow".