Hi, My name is Darrin and I'm new to this list. I live in northern CO and I have developed the bug to go sailing - although I am a newbie here, I am no stranger to water; I'm an avid and long-time whitewater canoeist and whitewater rafter. I'm also used to doing long self-supported trips. Recently someone pointed out to me that as a landlocked individual, I would have more frequent and varied sailing opportunities if I purchase a smaller trailerable boat as opposed to a larger boat, and I can see the wisdom in that. A larger (25-28') boat will likely take longer and be more involved to set up, will be more difficult to store, will likely stay for the whole season at one single body of water, will potentially be more difficult to single hand (at least for a newbie like me), and will be more expensive to own/store/maintain. I'm 6'1" tall and weigh about 220 lbs. I'd like to have the ability to do the following: - be mobile so that I can sail in various CO lakes and not be limited to just one body of water - single-hand the boat during times when I am alone - have enough room on and in the boat for weekend overnight trips with my wife and daughter - having the ability to beach the boat or get close to shore would be a plus I'm considering an M-17. I like it's lines and its simplicity; it's trailerable and I believe that it would be reasonably easy to set-up/take-down by myself. We don't need to bring a lot of stuff other than food, cold beer and a change of clothes. I am hopeful that sometimes perhaps I could sleep in the cockpit under a tarp, which would free up space in the cabin for my girls. Here's what I'd like to know.... given what I have listed here, do you feel like the M-17 would be a good fit for my family and I? Will my wife and I be able to fit in the v-berth for sleeping and will my small daughter fit on the quarter birth? If not, is there another boat that you would recommend based on the criteria that I have listed here? Thanks so much in advance! -Darrin