Which skiff to choose

If you can afford it, go on holiday with Neilson/Sunsail/Wildwind/Minorca and try a few out.  Minorca Sailing has most of the boats mentioned here apart from the B14, the 5 tonner and the Iso/Buzz.  Neilson certainly have the 4k and the RS400.

But . . it's worth bearing in mind that your level of confidence in blatting up and down with the kite up in milk-warm water under the sunshine is likely to be way ahead of your level of confidence in actually racing one of these beasts, where the timing of tacks gybes drops & hoists is down to what happens on the racetrack, not what you prefer!  Also, all of these boats need a decently large stretch of water to be enjoyed at their best.

Anyway, let me add a vote for the 4k.  We don't have one, but have been toying with getting one for a while, and have sailed them a lot on holiday.  Very friendly class, bomb-proof boats, single wire, so slightly easier learning curve.

For me (as someone potentially in the same situation) the trade-off between the 4k and the 800 is as follows: 800 is a better sorted, lighter boat, based on newer technology, the deck gear works very well, it's obviously faster, BUT it really only works in two-string mode, which is a challenge for an improver.  The 4k is a very sailable & controllable highish-performance boat (Cherub and I14 sailors will scoff, but on the water you will go steaming past RS400s and other sit-in craft, and it's a genuinely twitchy boat compared to the symmetrical single-wire classes) which you can sail without breaking the bank, and with a lot of bloke/sheila crews on the circuit, BUT it's a bit heavy and 'old tech' compared to the 800 - my wife tells me that hoisting the kite on the 800 was a breeze, whereas on the 4k it needs a bit of grunt, and/or good boat prep to keep the friction down.

On a day when it's gustier than I am comfortable with, I'd still be happy to take a 4k out for a blast. On the same day I might leave an 800 or a B14 in the boat park, worried about excessive swimming and breakages. That counts for a lot, IMO, and those breezy marginal days will be the ones you'll look back on with a big grin.

If you wanted a single wire, you could look at the Buzz, but I suspect (don't actually know) that the circuit is a little smaller, so you would be racing in smaller fleets.

An RS 800 isn't as harsh to sail as you would think (self tacking jib; chuted spinnaker) although that does assume a level ability helming from the wire.  Only you know if you have the experience to carry someone in that situation. 

If you are in any doubt, though, I'd go for the rs400 to learn about the coordination, race management and team work aspects, and then go play with the extra difficulty of a trapeze - assuming that you still want to.  The 400 fleet is a pretty hot standard, by all accounts.

Cheers,

Charlie